The 2024 U.S. presidential debate in Philadelphia Tuesday night presented what progressive organizers and labor leaders described as a stark choice between a former president dedicated to slashing taxes for the rich and assailing fundmental freedoms and a vice president committed to protecting abortion rights, combating corporate abuses, and alleviating the nation's housing crisis.
Over the course of the 90-minute debate, Republican nominee Donald Trump repeated well-worn lies about the 2020 election, regurgitated racist falsehoods about immigrants, bragged about the conservative-dominated Supreme Court's decision revoking the constitutional right to abortion care and refused to say he would veto a national abortion ban, and doubled down on his plan to "cut taxes very substantially."
Kamala Harris, who is leading the Democratic ticket, repeatedly took aim at Trump's economic agenda, saying that "it's all about tax breaks for the richest people" and accusing the former president of being "more interested in defending himself than he is in looking out for you." Harris also touted her endorsement from the United Auto Workers and decried the offshoring of manufacturing jobs during Trump's first term.
On reproductive rights, Harris noted that Trump "hand-selected three members of the United States Supreme Court with the intention that they would undo the protections of Roe v. Wade, and they did exactly as he intended."
"Now in over 20 states there are Trump abortion bans which make it criminal for a doctor or nurse to provide healthcare," said Harris. "In one state it provides prison for life. Trump abortion bans that make no exception even for rape and incest."
"Understand what that means," Harris continued. "A survivor of a crime, a violation to their body, does not have the right to make a decision about what happens to their body next. That is immoral. And 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."
Swing Left, a progressive advocacy group, said following Tuesday's debate that "there is only one candidate who will protect and expand our freedoms," adding that "the choice couldn't be clearer."
"Harris has a clear plan for her presidency: Building an opportunity economy, securing reproductive freedom, making housing more affordable, and protecting access to healthcare for millions of Americans," the group said. "Donald Trump wants to tax the middle class while giving tax cuts to his billionaire buddies, further strip away reproductive rights—including abortion, IVF, and birth control—and implement Project 2025 on day one. But rather than present his vision, he struggled to communicate a single coherent point."
On housing, said the co-executive directors of the Center for Popular Democracy Action, Harris "did what no other presidential candidate or elected president has done."
"Harris laid out a future to boost first-time homeowners and demonstrated her commitment to America's working people," said Analilia Mejia and DaMareo Cooper. "Trump is a racist slumlord. The contrast couldn't be more stark and for the Center for Popular Democracy Action, the choice is clear."
Liz Shuler, president of the AFL-CIO, similarly described the 2024 contest as a "fundamental choice," characterizing Harris as a "principled, tough fighter who'll work to create opportunity for all of us" and Trump as "an unhinged serial union buster who betrays working people."
"As tonight's debate reminded us, a second Trump term would be a corporate CEO's dream and a worker's nightmare," Shuler said in a statement late Tuesday. "Trump and Vance are ready to make their Project 2025 agenda a terrifying reality: eviscerating unions, slashing millions of union jobs, and making it nearly impossible for workers to organize, while cutting wages and benefits and threatening health and safety on the job. They're running a campaign based on division and fear to cover up the fact that they are in this for themselves and their rich donor friends—not the workers who make this country run."
"Harris' comments on Gaza continue to offend voters appalled by Netanyahu's U.S.-funded killing campaign."
But it wasn't all praise for Harris following her debate performance.
Climate groups voiced outrage over her expressed support for fracking and touting of "the largest increase in domestic oil production in history" under the Biden administration.
"Tonight, Harris spent more time promoting fracking than laying out a bold vision for a clean energy future," said the youth-led Sunrise Movement. "That's a big missed opportunity. With an election this close, every young climate voter we turn out matters."
Harris' response to the lone question about Israel's assault on Gaza also sparked anger from progressives who have been pushing the vice president to support an arms embargo against the Israeli military—a position that, according to recent polling, would boost her support among U.S. voters.
On the debate stage Tuesday night, Harris reiterated her support for a cease-fire while emphasizing that "Israel has a right to defend itself."
"Harris' comments on Gaza continue to offend voters appalled by Netanyahu's U.S.-funded killing campaign," said Abbas Alawieh, co-founder of the Uncommitted National Movement. "They offer nothing new and perpetuate the murderous status quo. It's simple: To stop the war, our government must stop sending the weapons fueling the war."
