US Former President Donald Trump and Vice President Kamala Harris clashed on foreign policy as the two candidates in dodged questions on several issues during Tuesday night’s debate.
Talking about the Israeli war on Gaza, Trump accused said Harris “hates Israel” while she fired back that the Republican candidate “admires dictators.”
Asked how he would negotiate to stop the fighting and release the captives, Trump cited his oft-repeated claim that Oct. 7 attack would have never happened on his watch.
“She hates Israel,” Trump continued. “If she’s president, I believe that Israel will not exist within two years from now.”
The line of attack is not new for Trump, who told a meeting of the Republican Jewish Coalition in a speech last week that “Israel is gone” if Harris wins the presidency.
Most telling part of the debate wrt foreign policy: both argue on who loves Israel the most…pic.twitter.com/1w0k9wwjoc
Trump: “She hates Israel, she wouldn’t even meet with Netanyahu…”
Harris: “That’s absolutely not true, I have my entire country and life supported Israel”— Arnaud Bertrand (@RnaudBertrand) September 11, 2024
He’s also previously said Jews who vote for Democrats “hate Israel” and referred to Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer — the highest-ranking Jewish official in the United States — as “a proud member of Hamas.”
“At the same time in her own way, she hates the Arab population,” Trump said in the debate. “The whole place is going to get blown up: Arabs, Jewish people, Israel. Israel will be gone.”
Harris responded by saying Trump was trying to “divide and distract” from reality.
“I have, my entire career and life, supported Israel and the Israeli people,” she said.
“What we know is that this war must end,” Harris said when pressed for her plan. “It must end immediately, and the way it will end is we need a cease-fire deal and we need the hostages. And so we will continue to work around the clock on that.”
Harris called for a two-state solution while emphasizing her support for Israeli security.
Afghanistan
On Afghanistan, Trump, who raised Afghanistan several times during the debate, called the withdrawal “the most embarrassing moment in the history of the United States” and claimed the projection of US weakness in Afghanistan was the reason Russian president Vladimir Putin decided to invade Ukraine several months later.
Harris stressed she supported Biden’s decision to leave Afghanistan and said the withdrawal was a result of the Trump administration’s failed policy.
“You invited the Taliban to Camp David,” Harris told Trump, referring to the former president’s plan to meet with the group’s leaders in 2019.
Here’s a look at how much time Donald Trump and Kamala Harris spent speaking — and attacking their opponent’s policies or character — during their only scheduled debate. https://t.co/mBbpZmeZba pic.twitter.com/xUoe9tKMic
— The New York Times (@nytimes) September 11, 2024
Ukraine and Putin
On the other hand, Harris attacked Trump for his favorable past statements about Russian President Vladimir Putin and claimed that in meetings she had with world leaders they made fun of Trump.
The former president pushed back by citing his warm relations with Hungary’s Prime Minister Viktor Orban.
“He (Orban) said the world is blowing up because I am not president,” Trump said.
Harris sad dictators around the world are rooting for Trump because they know they can manipulate him.
Kamala-Trump Debate
Ukraine
Trump expressed a desire for “the war to end” but twice avoided directly stating whether he supports a Ukrainian victory.
Harris said “if Trump were still president, Putin would have already taken Kyiv.” She described Putin as a dictator who would… pic.twitter.com/7Dlj2dLK8k
— Clash Report (@clashreport) September 11, 2024
Trump reiterated his plan to start working on ending the war in Ukraine the moment he is elected and get a ceasefire before he is inaugurated.
He said he knows both Putin and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and claimed both leaders respect him. Trump said he would call Putin and Zelensky during the transition period and get them to meet.
Harris responded that if Trump was president “Putin would have been sitting in Kyiv” by now.
“Trump said he will end the war in 24 hour — because he will just give up,” she said.
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