The Spin Room

The Democratic National Committee on Tuesday put out a pre-debate press release slamming several of Donald Trump's spin room surrogates as extremists.

"Donald Trump is leaving the spin to a wildly out-of-touch sideshow of election deniers, 'ultra-MAGA' extremists, and far-right conspiracy theorists who are toxic to the battleground voters who will decide this election," the DNC said in their statement.

The press release included criticisms about Trump's running mate Sen. J.D. Vance, R-Ohio, former third-party candidate turned Trump surrogate Robert F. Kennedy, Republican National Committee co-chair Lara Trump, Republican National Committee Chairman Michael Whatley, Rep. Byron Donalds, R-Fla., GOP South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem, Rep. Matt Gaetz, R-Fla., former GOP Rep. from Hawaii Tulsi Gabbard and businessman and former Republican presidential candidate Vivek Ramaswamy.

The press release blasting these Trump surrogates left a few out, however. North Dakota Gov. Doug Burgum, Sen. Tim Scott, R-S.C., Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Fla., and Rep. Mike Waltz, R-Texas, were also in Philadelphia Tuesday night representing the former president.

"The fact that this group of crooks, cranks, and far-right creeps is the best Trump can offer to shill for him tonight says everything about Trump’s out of touch campaign – and it’s a sad display of just how much Trump and his campaign are failing to talk to the voters he needs in November."

U.S. Sen. Chris Murphy, D-Conn., who is representing Kamala Harris in the spin room following the debate, blasted Trump on social media for a "terrifying" amount of lies Tuesday night, but he failed to provide any examples.

Murphy argued Trump "knows he's cooked on the facts," so he has been "making crap up left and right."

"Trump's self-image...his political calling card is strength.

He was on defense that entire first hour.

.@KamalaHarris pushed all his hot buttons, and he unraveled," Axelrod posted on X.

The Harris campaign posted a clip of Kamala Harris calling out former President Donald Trump for being "weak and wrong on national security."

Harris insisted Tuesday night that "it is very well known" how poor Trump's policy on national security is, and insisted that "dictators and autocrats" want him to win so they can gain a foothold on the White House.

"He wants to be a dictator on day one, according to himself," Harris insisted.

"Q: Do you want Ukraine to win? Trump: *refuses to answer*" Kamala HQ posted on X.

"Donald Trump won’t say he wants Ukraine to win the war? I thought he would at least pretend…" Transportation Sec. Pete Buttigieg posted on X.

"Trump won’t say Ukraine should win the war because he wants Russia to win. I wish it weren’t that simple but it is," Connecticut Sen. Chris Murphy, D, wrote.

Trump said "I want the war to stop" and "people are dying" but asked repeatedly, would not definitively say he wants Ukraine to win. He also said he would conduct negotiations between Russia and Ukraine before he even took office and end the war.

Anthony Scaramucci, a former press secretary in the Trump administration, said his old boss needs "to join Hannibal Lecter in asylum."

Scaramucci is one of two former Trump officials representing Harris at the debate Tuesday. The other, Olivia Troye, was a former national security adviser under Trump.

In a separate post on social media shortly after his Hannibal Lecter comments, Scaramucci insisted Trump needs a "mental health check."

"We have to do a mental health check in on Mr Trump," he posted on X. "Something is loose in the machine now."

"Harris is straight up lying about fracking while standing in Pennsylvania," said Trump 2020 communications director Tim Murtaugh.

"As California AG, she opposed fracking so much that she SUED the Obama administration to stop fracking off the coast of California. "She does not suddenly support it."

Harris on stage claimed she would never support banning fracking. "There is no question I am in favor of banning fracking," she said during her 2019 debate."

Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., is hitting Vice President Kamala Harris on the border crisis once again during her heated debate against former President Trump.

“In three and a half years of Border Czar Kamala Harris, more than 10 million illegal migrants have crossed our border. America cannot afford four more years of the same,” the top House Republican wrote on X.

Republicans have used Harris’ role tackling the root causes of migration from Central and South America, which has earned her the moniker of “border czar,” as a political cudgel for much of her campaign.

House Republicans in particular have launched multiple inquiries into Harris’ culpability in the migrant crisis at the southwestern border since she became Democrats’ 2024 presidential nominee.

Former third-party candidate turned Donald Trump surrogate, Robert F. Kennedy Jr., insisted on social media during the debate that Harris has only gotten the support of more then 200 former Republican staffers because they are part of the "establishment."

RFK's comment was in reference to an endorsement letter penned last month by more than 200 Republicans who previously worked for former President George W. Bush, the late Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., or Sen. Mitt Romney, R-Utah.

"The reason why VP Harris has the support of 200 Republicans is that these establishment Republicans are closer to her views than to President Trump’s," Kennedy said, less than an hour into the debate. "They exemplify what I’ve called the 'uniparty,'" he added. "Trump is running against the establishment, and that’s why they hate him."

Ahead of the debate the Harris campaign released an advertisement featuring former top Trump officials who have either criticized the former president before, or indicated they will not be endorsing him this election. Among the officials included in the ad were former Trump defense secretary, Mark Esper, and Trump's former running mate, Mike Pence.

The Harris campaign's battleground state dial groups in the first 15 minutes of the debate found that the VP’s highest performing moment with undecided battleground voters so far was when she talked about being a president for all Americans.

"I believe very strongly that the American people want a president who understands the importance of bringing us together, knowing we have so much more in common than what separates us. And I pledge to you to be a president for all Americans," Harris said.

Trump’s low point so far was when he talked about the COVID-19 pandemic, specifically when he said " they give me credit for a lot of things, but not enough credit for the great job we did with the pandemic."

Fox News Digital's Paul Steinhauser contributed to this report.

House Republican women are accusing Vice President Kamala Harris of supporting abortion with zero restrictions after she and former President Trump had a heated back-and-forth about reproductive rights during their Tuesday night debate.

“Kamala Harris is making it clear. She won’t support a single restriction on abortion. Not one single restriction. She’s good until the ninth month. THIS IS EXTREME!!” Rep. Lauren Boebert, R-Colo., wrote on X.

Meanwhile Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, R-Ga., wrote on the social media platform, “When asked if Kamala would support ANY restrictions on abortion, she says ‘We need Roe v. Wade back.’ There is your answer: She wants NO restrictions on abortion, in ANY trimester. That's called murder.”

During their debate Harris accused Trump of wanting to pass a national abortion ban, something the former president has denied in the past.

Trump would not commit to vetoing abortion limitation legislation if it came to his desk during a second term, however.

"In Springfield, they’re eating the dogs. they’re eating the pets," President Donald Trump claimed during the debate.

"Donald Trump repeats the disgusting lie that immigrants are stealing people’s pets to eat," the Harris War Room posted on X.

"Meanwhile it’s his friends like @KristiNoem who are killing their own pets," the group added, referring to the South Dakota governor.

Police in Springfield, Ohio, said there is no evidence to support the claim, advanced by the Trump campaign, that Haitian migrants are stealing and eating people's pets on Tuesday.

“Months ago, I raised the issue of Haitian illegal immigrants draining social services and generally causing chaos all over Springfield, Ohio,” Sen. J.D. Vance wrote on X on Monday. “Reports now show that people have had their pets abducted and eaten by people who shouldn't be in this country. Where is our border czar?”

Noem admitted to killing her own dog in a recent memoir.

A Harris campaign email said Trump's official Republican platform "would wipe out abortion access nationwide and threaten access to IVF. His extreme Project 2025 agenda would do the same."

"FACT: Donald Trump has both publicly and privately supported a national abortion ban. Trump’s official Republican platform would ban abortion in states across the country. And Project 2025 has a plan for Trump to ban abortion nationwide without Congress or the courts," the email said.

Former President Trump has repeatedly stated he does not support a nationwide abortion ban and would leave abortion rights up to individual states.

The Trump campaign posted a clip of Project 2025 director Paul Dans insisting Donald Trump has "nothing to do with" the transition project created by the conservative Heritage Foundation.

"Sure a lot of us who worked in the admin came together, but this started long before he even announced his presidency," Dans said in the clip, which came from an interview he conducted Monday with CNN's Kaitlin Collins.

During the first few minutes of the presidential debate Tuesday night, Kamala Harris sought to tie Trump to Project 2025. "What you're going to hear tonight is a detailed and dangerous plan called Project 2025 that the former president intends on implementing if he were elected again," Harris said.

Meanwhile, in response Trump insisted he has "nothing to do" with the presidential transition project created by the conservative Heritage Foundation. Trump pointed out he has never read Project 2025, and does not intend to in the future.

"This was a group of people that got together, the came up with some ideas -- I guess some good, some bad -- but it makes no difference, I have nothing to do [with it]," Trump said in response to Harris' accusations.

Just minutes into the debate, the Harris campaign has already declared victory.

"She is... winning," declared Harris deputy campaign manager Rob Flaherty on X on 9:21 p.m.

David Plouffe, senior advisor to Harris, agreed. "Undecided voters who are dialing this debate are pretty clear so far that Kamala Harris is delivering what they want. Donald Trump, not so much," he wrote on X at 9:15 p.m.

Republican Vice Presidential candidate JD Vance , R-Ohio, mocked Vice President Kamala Harris for introducing herself to former President Trump at the top of their ABC News debate.

“Did she really just say ‘Kamala Harris’?” Vance posted on X minutes after the debate began. “I think he knows who you are.”

Harris and Trump shook hands at the top of their debate, which is the pair’s first time meeting ever. The vice president approached Trump as they both arrived on the stage.

Vance did not speak to reporters when he arrived in Philadelphia ahead of the debate on Tuesday.

He’s one of several Trump surrogates present at the debate, alongside Rep. Byron Donalds and Sens. Marco Rubio and Rick Scott, all Florida Republicans, and North Dakota Gov. Doug Burgum, among others.

Ahead of Tuesday night’s debate the Democratic National Committee released a statement arguing former President Donald Trump is "so desperate” to find people to talk on his behalf in the post-debate spin room that he had to resort to picking “critic” Robert F. Kennedy Jr. to assist.

“Donald Trump is so desperate for support he’s scraping the bottom of the barrel and coming up with RFK Jr. as his spin room surrogate," DNC Spokesperson Matt Corridoni said. "Equally desperate, RFK Jr. is willing to sell his soul for attention— abandoning any integrity he had left. Both of these men are driven by their egos and desire for attention and that will be on full display after the debate tonight.”

The pre-debate press release from Democrats listed a number of instances when Kennedy attacked Trump in the past, of which there were many. For example, Kennedy once called Trump "a threat to Democracy," said Trump didn't have the "right" to wear an American flag pin and argued Trump's first term was "catastrophic," according to the list of incidents provided by Democrats. Other examples included Kennedy criticizing Trump's foreign policy, his tax cuts and other measures that Kennedy said scammed workers.  

Former President Trump's campaign said VP Kamala Harris is "the most radical candidate to ever disgrace the top of a ticket for president — and try as she might at tonight's debate to distance herself from her weak, failed, dangerously liberal ideology" in an email blast that included more than a dozen examples showcasing how "her values have not changed" since she first ran on a progressive platform during the 2020 election.

"Comrade Kamala's 3.5+ years in office have already devastated Americans' safety, security, and prosperity," rapid response director Jake Schneider wrote in the email. "Now, she's running to finish the job of destroying the country."

Alex Floyd, the Democratic National Committee's rapid response director, released a statement ahead of Tuesday night's debate saying that "Donald Trump is sending out extreme election deniers like Ohio Sen. JD Vance and RNC Chair Michael Whatley to shill for him because he knows they’ll cover for his defeat by over 7 million votes in 2020."

"But even if Vance and Whatley are willing to debase themselves today, voters remember Trump’s loss in 2020 – and they’re ready to deliver the same result again in November," Floyd said.

Whatley was asked by ABC News' Kyra Phillips that if Trump loses, "is this going to be a peaceful transition?" “Look, if we have a fair, accurate, secure, and transparent election, we obviously are going to accept the results," Whatley said Tuesday.

North Dakota Gov. Doug Burgum said the ABC News moderators of tonight’s presidential debate have a “responsibility” to press Vice President Kamala Harris.

Asked what he was looking for during the match-up between Harris and former President Trump, Burgum told reporters on Tuesday, “Well, I think we'd like to see the, the ABC moderators – they've got a responsibility to the American people. And part of their responsibility is to actually ask Vice President Harris real questions and tough questions.”

“It is 55 days away from the election, and she's done one short interview and has never had a debate. And this may be the only one. And so I think America's going to be outraged if we find out, a few hours from tonight that she got through a debate and nobody asked her tough questions about her past positions.”

If they do not meet expectations, he said, “Then you can throw the whole debate out because it was a three-on-one tilted a playing field from the start.”

The Trump campaign released a statement ahead of Tuesday night’s presidential debate on ABC, urging voters to keep an eye out for “lying” from Vice President Kamala Harris once the event gets underway.

“Her campaign is based upon lying to voters about two things: her ownership of Joe Biden's failures and her radical agenda,” the campaign statement said.

The pre-debate press release sought to tie Harris to Biden administration policies, such as the American Rescue Plan, which it said "even liberal economists admitted caused inflation,” and the border. The Trump campaign pointed out Harris, as vice president, cast the tie breaking vote to get the American Rescue Plan passed and highlighted how President Biden tapped Harris "to lead [the] response to border challenges," the results of which have been "horrendous," the campaign insisted.

Meanwhile, the statement also sought to highlight Harris' "radical agenda." It cited a recent report from CNN showing as a presidential candidate in 2019, Harris told the ACLU that she supported providing tax-payer funded gender transition surgeries for illegal migrants, decriminalizing all drugs and defunding federal immigration authorities. The statement added that Harris was named "the most liberal senator in 2019" by GovTrack, an organization that tracks congressional voting records, and argued Harris needed to come out and "explain her support for defunding the police, ending cash bail, or banning gas-powered vehicles."

Former presidential candidate Vivek Ramaswamy criticized the Biden-Harris' border policies in a post on X.

Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., said former President Trump would “expose VP Kamala Harris’ radical record” during their debate in Philadelphia tonight.

Johnson has become a key ally of Trump’s since he became House Speaker in late October 2023 after the surprise ouster of his predecessor.“

As Vice President, Harris has failed to lower costs or secure the border over the past 3 and a half years. Lying about her record and positions will not work,” Johnson wrote on X on Tuesday, hours before the debate.

“Instead, President Trump has a strong agenda that will secure our border, fix our economy, and deliver peace through strength once again!”

It comes after Trump publicly urged Johnson and the House Republican Conference to force a partial government shutdown if Senate Democrats rejected their bid to force a bill to require proof of citizenship to vote in U.S. election through a short-term government funding bill.

The Democratic National Committee released a statement Tuesday ahead of the debate, insisting former President Donald Trump's embrace of Robert F. Kennedy Jr. ties him to the former third-party candidate's "baggage," such as his fringe theories on topics like 9/11 and vaccines. "RFK Jr. being asked to spin this evening should tell you everything you need to know about the type of unserious, dangerous, and extreme cast of characters Trump plans to surround himself with if re-elected," DNC spokesperson Matt Corridoni said.

The message slamming Trump on his ties to Kennedy alleged the former third-party candidate's rhetoric on vaccines once led to "one of the deadliest measles outbreaks in history," while suggesting he has denied confirmed facts about the tragic attacks on Sept. 11, 2001. Kennedy also "spent years" attempting to frame two innocent men for murder in an attempt to absolve his brother, the statement argues, while simultaneously accusing Kennedy of using "racist language" in his attacks against the men, and profiting off the accusations.

In addition to Kennedy's outlandish theories, Trump's embrace of Kennedy also means he "claims ownership" over Kennedy's "personal baggage," which according to the DNC includes sexual assault allegations, a history of adultery, "stunts" like dumping a dead bear cub in Central Park after running over it with his car and Kennedy's history with addiction. The statement highlighted the former third-party candidate's support for a national abortion ban as well.

Kennedy will be present in ABC's post-debate spin room Tuesday to talk to the press on behalf of Trump. Ahead of the debate Kennedy doubled-down on his support for Trump. "A Trump victory is a Kennedy victory," he said on social media ahead of Tuesday night's presidential debate. 

Vice President Kamala Harris has been vice president for nearly four years, and some critics have questioned why she didn't push the changes she needed to make in that role.

"What will Harris say if Trump asks her why she didn't do any of these things she was proposing when she was vice president?" Bloomberg TV asked Harris senior advisor Ian Sams ahead of the debate.

"I guess Trump may need to be reminded what a vice president does, which is to advise the president. I don't know if Trump would like it very much if we asked him why Mike Pence did not get everything done when he was in office. I think we know how he feels about Mike Pence."

"I think what you're going to hear from Vice President Harris is her own vision, her own list of priorities for the country if she gets elected president," Sams went on.

"She's proud of the record that she and President Biden have been able to accomplish ... but she's also her own candidate."

Shortly before the night's presidential debate, the Harris-Walz campaign will fly a drone show over the Philadelphia Art Museum for approximately 15 minutes in the 8 p.m. ET hour.

"Tonight’s show will echo some of the popular messaging this campaign and grassroots supporters have latched onto since the start of Vice President Harris’ candidacy, and build on our Philly-themed advertising and new ad launched earlier this morning trolling Donald Trump’s weird obsession over his small crowd sizes," Harris campaign spokesperson Kevin Munoz wrote in an email.

Munoz said Harris supporters "have rallied around the joy that the Harris-Walz campaign has embodied over the last month, and this drone show will serve as a perfect opener as eyes turn to the debate stage, where Vice President Harris will make her case for her popular New Way Forward agenda to fight for freedom and America’s future in contrast with Donald Trump’s toxic Project 2025 plan to take this country backwards."

Vice President Kamala Harris posted a new graphic giving insight to what she would promise in tonight's debate: that she would grow the middle class by cutting taxes on them and helping small businesses grow, fight to lower costs of housing, groceries and prescription drugs, and "defending reproductive freedom."

Former President Donald Trump, by contrast, would "take unchecked power," cut funding for small businesses and raise costs for everyone by over $3,900 per year, and "ban abortion nationwide."

"In this election, Americans have a choice," she wrote on X, formerly Twitter.

Abortion has proven to be a winning issue for Democrats, even as Trump insists he wouldn't sign a nationwide abortion ban. Republicans, meanwhile, try to drive home to voters the cost increases the nation saw under President Joe Biden.

Sen. Rick Scott, R-Fla., predicted that the mainstream media will not "acknowledge" a debate win by former President Trump tonight, because they are "all in for" Vice President Kamala Harris.

"He’s going to do a great job. He’s going to have a big win tonight," Scott told Fox News Digital of Trump.

"Now, the question will be after he wins tonight, 'will the mainstream media acknowledge that he won?' They probably won’t because they’re all in for Harris," he said.

As for what the former president needs to do to succeed, Scott advised he should "let Harris talk. She’s got a lot to prove tonight. She’s has to explain how she’s different from Biden…. She was there the whole time, she’s part of every issue….the pressure’s on her tonight to explain how she’s different."

Fox News Digital's Paul Steinhauser contributed to this report.

Top Trump surrogate Rep. Byron Donalds, R-Fla., said he’s not worried about the former president and current Republican 2024 candidate staying on-message during his debate with Vice President Kamala Harris.

“I think you’re going to see what you saw in Atlanta two months ago when Joe Biden’s political career ended. I think tonight, Donald Trump’s going to do an incredible job tonight and then that will be the beginning of the end of the Kamala Harris political career,” Donalds told Fox News Digital in Philadelphia.

Donalds said he had not spoken with Trump in the last day or two.

“I think too many people calling in, it’s actually not what you want in this position,” he said. “He's focused on – in my view – two things. The first is setting up the contrast between himself and Kamala Harris. Who did a better job when they were in the White House. Without a doubt, it was Donald Trump. The second thing is calm, cool, and collected and not letting Kamala Harris try to bait him into some foolishness.”

Fox News Digital's Paul Steinhauser contributed to this report