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Trump and Harris will meet face-to-face for the first time on the debate stage

Supreme Court Justice Sonia Sotomayor (right) administers the oath of office to incoming Vice President Kamala Harris in front of the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 20, 2021, as outgoing Vice President Mike Pence (wearing blue mask) watches.
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Supreme Court Justice Sonia Sotomayor (right) administers the oath of office to incoming Vice President Kamala Harris in front of the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 20, 2021, as outgoing Vice President Mike Pence (wearing blue mask) watches.

This story also appeared in NPR's live blog of the presidential debate between Kamala Harris and Donald Trump. See how the night unfolded.


Tuesday night's debate isn't just the first matchup between former President Donald Trump and Vice President Harris. It's their first time meeting in person.

"I was a little bit surprised, people might be surprised to hear that you have never interacted with him, met him face-to-face," CNN's Dana Bash said to Harris during their August interview.

Trump and Harris served in the federal government at the same time, but some logistical quirks and unusual decisions kept them from interacting directly in recent years.

Harris was elected to represent California in the U.S. Senate in 2016, during her second term as the state's attorney general. Trump donated twice to reelect Harris as California attorney general, in 2011 and 2013, though she did not keep the money.

Trump won the presidential election the same year Harris was elected to the U.S. Senate, and both were sworn in to their respective positions in early 2017.

Harris was a member of the Senate during Trump's first impeachment, in 2019, and voted to impeach him on both counts (he was ultimately acquitted along party lines).

Presidential candidate Trump and vice presidential candidate Harris didn't meet in person during the 2020 election (granted, the COVID-19 pandemic had forced much of the world online).

Harris did debate Trump's running mate, Mike Pence, in October 2020. Remember the fly?

Trump and Harris might have crossed paths at President Biden's inauguration in January 2021, two weeks after the Capitol riot that Trump is accused of stoking. But Trump decided not to attend, becoming the first former president to skip his successor's inauguration since Andrew Johnson in 1869.

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Rachel Treisman (she/her) is a writer and editor for the Morning Edition live blog, which she helped launch in early 2021.

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SOMOS CONNECTICUT is an initiative from Connecticut Public, the state’s local NPR and PBS station, to elevate Latino stories and expand programming that uplifts and informs our Latino communities. Visit CTPublic.org/latino for more stories and resources. For updates, sign up for the SOMOS CONNECTICUT newsletter at ctpublic.org/newsletters.

SOMOS CONNECTICUT es una iniciativa de Connecticut Public, la emisora local de NPR y PBS del estado, que busca elevar nuestras historias latinas y expandir programación que alza y informa nuestras comunidades latinas locales. Visita CTPublic.org/latino para más reportajes y recursos. Para noticias, suscríbase a nuestro boletín informativo en ctpublic.org/newsletters.

The independent journalism and non-commercial programming you rely on every day is in danger.

If you’re reading this, you believe in trusted journalism and in learning without paywalls. You value access to educational content kids love and enriching cultural programming.

Now all of that is at risk.

Federal funding for public media is under threat and if it goes, the impact to our communities will be devastating.

Together, we can defend it. It’s time to protect what matters.

Your voice has protected public media before. Now, it’s needed again. Learn how you can protect the news and programming you depend on.

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