Kamala Harris and Donald Trump opened their debate with Harris shaking hands.
The vice president approached Trump and extended her hand, and they politely exchanged greetings.
The opening question was about the economy, with Harris hammering Trump for his proposal for widespread tariffs, saying that it would result in an across-the-board sales tax on Americans because the cost would be passed on to consumers. Trump denied that it was a tax, before shifting to criticism of the Biden administration over the border.
“They are destroying our country,” he said of undocumented immigrants.
The stakes of the debate are enormous: Harris and Trump are neck and neck in the polls, and this event may be their only match-up of the cycle.
Watch on Deadline
Amazingly enough, Harris and Trump also had never met in person before. The most obvious place where they would have — during the transition from one administration to the next on January 20, 2021 — never happened because Trump refused to attend.
ABC News‘ David Muir and Linsey Davis are moderating the debate, their first time at the helm at such a general election event.
The post Kamala Harris And Donald Trump Start Debate With Polite Handshake, Then Shift To Sharp Jabs Over The Economy appeared first on Deadline.