Donald Trump denigrates office of US President: Kamala Harris

US Senator Kamala Harris has criticised President Donald Trump's conduct during the first night of the presidential debates as one that "denigrates the office", as she extended support to the Democratic Party's presidential nominee, saying Joe Biden understands who are important — the American families.

President Trump and Democratic challenger Biden had heated exchanges on the first of three Presidential Debates in Cleveland, Ohio on Tuesday night.

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"I think the American people deserve to have an ability to compare and contrast the candidates. I think tonight provided a very clear contrast. On the one hand, you have Joe Biden who looked into the camera, who spoke to the American people continuously, who understood who was important on that stage, which is the American families," Harris told CBS News in an interview.

"And then you have Donald Trump, who I think really denigrated the office of the president of the United States as much as he has done over the course of the last four years," Harris, the Democratic Party's vice presidential nominee, said in her first reaction after the conclusion of the first round of debates.

Harris, 55, is the first-ever Black, African-American and Indian-American woman to be the vice-presidential candidate of a major political party.

She dodged questions on whether Biden supports ending the filibuster and expanding the Supreme Court. Filibuster is an informal term for any attempt to block or delay Senate action on bill.

"I think he's very clear. He is focused, and should be, on the next 35 days. And he is focused on the process by which we're even having the conversation about the United States Supreme court. Now we see that the president and the Senate majority leader are pushing through a nominee while Americans are voting," she said, referring to Trump selecting a Supreme Court nominee ahead of the November 3 Presidential election. Biden has decried the move, saying the country is in the middle of an election.

"We're talking about literally during an election, almost a million people have voted, and they're trying to ram this nominee through clearly for political purposes," she said.

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“So, I think Joe (Biden) was right to require the discussion to be focused on what is actually happening right now and the unfairness of it and the hypocrisy with which it is being done,” Harris said.

In a series of tweets later in the night, Harris said, "Tonight, America was presented with a choice: a leader who offers a clear path forward vs. an angry, interrupting bully."

"Trump has inflamed the racial divides in our country these past four years. But getting Trump out of office won't be enough. Joe Biden and I have a plan to root out systemic racism across our laws and institutions — in everything from policing to housing," she said.

Her spokesperson Sabrina Singh tweeted that Biden showed to Americans what leadership should look like. "The only way we are going to bring this country together is if we bring everyone together."

Harris will face Vice President Mike Pence in the vice presidential debate Harris in Utah on October 7.