First Debate Between Trump and Harris Begins

US presidential Democratic candidate Kamala Harris emphasized the need to end the war in the Gaza Strip and free the hostages, stressing the importance of the two-state solution for rebuilding Gaza. Meanwhile, the Republican candidate Donald Trump argued that both the war in Gaza and the Russia-Ukraine war would not have happened if he were President of the United States. This came during the first and perhaps only debate between Harris and Trump ahead of the presidential election scheduled for Nov. 5. "We must have a two-state solution, where we can rebuild Gaza," Harris said. On the other hand, Trump said that the war in Gaza and the one in Ukraine would not have occurred if he had been President of the United States, responding to Harris's accusation of weakness and poor performance in defense policies. The candidates accused each other of poor performance on issues such as inflation and social topics, including abortion. Trump said that the Biden administration has acknowledged that his economic pol icies, while he was President, were correct. Harris highlighted her opportunity economy in contrast to Trump. Her plan includes tax cuts for the middle class. Millions of people tuned in to watch the first face-to-face showdown between the two candidates, taking place on the debate stage in Pennsylvania. The 90-minute debate is being held with no live audience and muted microphones when it's not their turn to speak. Candidates are not allowed to bring notes during the debate. A joint poll conducted by the Marist Institute for Public Opinion (MIPO), NPR, and PBS found that 30 percent of registered voters said the debate will help them make their selection for president. The poll also revealed that 70 percent of Americans are planning to watch the debate, while an additional 23 percent said they will not watch but will closely monitor news coverage of the debate. Meanwhile, 30% of registered voters believe the debate will help them significantly, or at least to a good extent, in deciding which candidate t o vote for. However, 69% think it will have little to no impact on their decision. Source: Qatar News Agency