Tuesday night’s debate between Vice President Kamala Harris and former President Trump has stirred up strong reactions from both sides of the aisle, including former presidential candidates who have since weighed in on their debate performances and policy positions.
Here’s a breakdown of some of the reactions:
Vivek Ramaswamy
Former presidential candidate Vivek Ramaswamy told the Epoch Times that the June CNN debate was “far more even-handed” than the ABC debate. He claimed that “the way it was conducted was poorer than the last one,” referring to moderators David Muir and Linsey Davis, who fact-checked Trump more than Harris during the debate.
“I think that it was a three-on-one debate… And I do think that Donald Trump held his own in that context,” Ramaswamy said.
Ramaswamy also said that he was happy to see Trump clarify his stance on abortion.
“I think the clarity that Trump was able to offer on his opposition to a federal abortion ban was a plus… That was actually probably the most under-appreciated thing to come out of the debate tonight,” he said.
Harris reiterated that Trump appointed three U.S. Supreme Court justices who ruled to overturn Roe v. Wade and that the former president would support an abortion ban.
“I’m not signing a ban,” Trump said in response.
The former president maintained his stance that abortion is a state’s right issue. “For 52 years, this issue has torn our country apart,” Trump said. “I did something that nobody thought was possible. Now, the states are voting.”
But Harris pledged that if elected, she would “proudly sign it into law” if Congress passes a bill to reinstate the protections guaranteed by Roe v. Wade.
Hillary Clinton
During the debate, Trump called Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán one of the most respected leaders in the world, prompting a response from Former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton.
The 45th president used Orbán as an example of his support from foreign leaders, claiming that Orbán said the world was safer when Trump was in the White House.
“Not familiar with Viktor Orbán, the democracy-killing Hungarian dictator whose approval Trump touted on the debate stage last night?” Clinton wrote in a post on X, attaching a Vox news article about the prime minister.
Clinton previously criticized Trump for meeting with Orbán and claimed he embraced autocratic leaders.
Barack Obama
“Tonight, we saw firsthand who has the vision and strength to move this country forward instead of dividing us. Kamala Harris will be a president for all Americans,” Former President Barack Obama wrote in a post on X. “Let’s get to work.”
Obama was featured in a Harris campaign ad launched on the morning of the debate. The ad mocked Trump over his alleged “obsession” with crowd size.
Harris claimed during the debate that attendees of Trump’s rallies tend to leave early because his speeches are so long, while Trump maintained that his rallies are historic and always draw large crowds.
RFK Jr.
Former Independent presidential candidate Robert K. Kennedy, Jr. provided his reactions on X during the debate, highlighting Trump’s comments on nuclear weapons.
“Trump makes a point that I hope everyone hears: Russia has nuclear weapons,” Kennedy wrote. “The Biden administration’s policy of maximum confrontation, seeking Russia’s humiliating defeat and regime change, is a recipe for nuclear immolation.”
Kennedy also pointed to Harris’ remarks about COVID-19 and commented that it sounded like she admitted that the virus originated in a lab. He also used it as an example of one of the so-called “conspiracy theories” that the Biden-Harris administration censored on the internet.
Kennedy recently suspended his presidential bid and joined forces with Trump. The lifelong Democrat left the party because he felt it was veering too far left and wasn’t the same party he grew up with, according to Kennedy.