5 Key Takeaways Christians Should Know from the Trump/Harris Debate

1. The Economy

The first question of the evening was about the economy and was aimed at Harris. Muir asked Harris if she believed Americans were better off now than they were four years ago.

Harris said that she has a plan for the economy, which she referred to as an "opportunity economy" plan.

"We know that we have a shortage of homes and housing. And the cost of housing is too expensive for far too many people. We know that young families need support to raise their children," she said.

Her solution to this issue would be to extend the child tax credit. This particular credit is one of several tax breaks originally implemented during the Trump presidency. According to CNBC, the tax breaks are set to expire in 2025 unless Congress renews them.  

She also said she plans to extend a $50,000 tax deduction to small businesses. She claimed that Trump would only "extend tax cuts for billionaires and big corporations, which will result in adding 5 trillion dollars to America's deficit."

Harris claimed that Trump would implement a 20 percent sales tax on "everyday goods that you rely on to get through the month."

Trump's rebuttal was that "there is no sales tax," instead, "we're doing tariffs on other countries," and that "other countries are gonna finally, after 75 years, pay us back for all that we've done for the world, and the tariff will be substantial in some cases."

He discussed the high inflation that has hit the country since the Biden-Harris administration took office and the hardship this has caused the middle class and every other class.

Trump hit on illegal immigration, saying, "They are taking over the towns, taking over buildings, going in violently. These are the people that she and Biden let into our country, and they're destroying our country. They're dangerous." 

He went on to speak about how crime has increased as a result of all the illegal immigration.

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2. Tariff Increases  

One question that was posed to Trump during the debate was, "Do you believe Americans can afford higher prices because of tariffs?" 

"We're not going to have higher prices," Trump said, adding that "the ones who will have higher prices are China and all of the countries that have been ripping us off for years."

He said, "I had virtually no inflation [during my presidency]. They had the highest inflation perhaps in the history of our country because I've never seen a worse period of time..."

When asked for her rebuttal, Harris claimed that the Trump administration "resulted in a trade deficit, one of the highest we've ever seen in the history of America..."

She also claimed that Trump sold "American chips to China to help them improve and organize their military."

Trump claimed that China bought the chips from Taiwan.

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3. Abortion  

Trump reiterated that his position on abortion is that he takes a moderately pro-life stance, and he especially believes that abortion should not be allowed between the seventh and ninth months, contrary to Harris' running mate, Walz. Trump said he believes in exceptions in instances of rape, incest, and the life of the mother. He also believes that the issue of abortion needs to be decided by each individual state. 

"We've gotten what everybody wanted. Democrats, Republicans, and everybody else, and every legal scholar wanted it to be brought back into the states, and the states are voting. And it may take a little time, but for 52 years, this issue has torn our country apart. And they wanted it back in the States, and I did something that nobody thought was possible," he said.

Harris said that she believes the government shouldn't be telling women what to do with their bodies and that if she is elected as president, she'll work to get abortion back on the federal level and legalized across the country. 

"One does not have to abandon their faith or deeply held beliefs to agree the government, and Donald Trump certainly, should not be telling a woman what to do with her body," she said.

Trump insisted that one of the moderators ought to ask Harris if she believes in allowing abortion between the seventh and ninth months, but they ignored his comment. 

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Related Articles: Kamala Harris Dodges Question on Whether She Supports ‘Any Restrictions’ on Abortion & Debate Moderator ‘Lied’ about Babies Who Survive Abortions, Pro-Lifers Say

4. Immigration and Border Security

Moderator Muir noted that Border crossings reached a record high during the Biden administration. He posed a question to Harris about why the Biden administration waited until six months before the election to impose tough new asylum restrictions, and asked if she would have done anything differently than Biden. 

She didn't answer this question but instead diverted the topic to what it is like to attend one of Trump's rallies. She claimed that he speaks about fictional characters and cancer-causing windmills and that people leave his rallies early out of exhaustion and boredom. 

Trump responded that "people don't go to her rallies. There's no reason to go. And the people that do go, she's bussing them in, paying them to be there, and then showing them in a different light."

Photo Credit: ©Getty Images/Win McNamee/Staff

5. Ukraine - Russia War

Muir acknowledged that the Biden administration has taken the position that the Ukraine needs to be defended so that Russia isn't emboldened to take their invasion into other countries. He recalled that Trump has said he'd resolve the conflict in 24 hours and asked how he'd do that, and also asked if he wanted Ukraine to win the war.

"I want the war to stop. I wanna save lives," he said.

He went on to point out that "billions" are being spent on the war because the Biden administration is weak. He said he has a relationship with both President Zelensky and President Putin, and they respect him. So he'd speak to each one individually and then get them together. He claimed that Biden didn't know how to talk to Putin, and if the conflict is allowed to drag on, it could lead to World War III.

Photo Credit: ©Getty Images/Win McNamee/Staff

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