The stage was set and the world watched on as Donald Trump and Kamala Harris went head to head in their first election debate, which was also the first time they had both had set foot in the same room.
Vice-President Kamala Harris’s election odds have shortened since the clash on Tuesday and she even received an endorsement from global pop sensation Taylor Swift afterwards.
During the debate the pair butted heads on all manner of policies from abortion to immigration to the economy. Each accused the other of weakness and lying in the 90-minute war of words.
Former president Trump faced awkward questions about the Republican party’s hardline stance on abortion, his involvement in the January 6 insurrection and his unfounded claims that migrants are “eating pets” in Ohio as he sought to turn the debate to immigration at every opportunity.
Meanwhile, Ms Harris had to defend her role as vice-president in Joe Biden’s administration, including the withdrawal of troops from Afghanistan and the way the country has responded to the wars in Israel and Ukraine.
But, along with the seriousness of the event in the race to the White House, the internet did not disappoint.
Viewers took it upon themselves to create hilarious posts and memes off the backs of the pair’s reactions throughout the debate.
These are our favourites.
Cat frenzy
Even Trump got in on the action, making AI-generated images of him surrounded by moggies amid growing controversy surrounding recent claims pushed by him and his allies. They have been promoting a false narrative that Haitian immigrants in Springfield, Ohio have been capturing and eating pets.
I did not expect my feed to be full of Donald Trump Cat Memes - its Hilarious! USA! MEMES! Ai for the WIN! pic.twitter.com/CJnDc0zCk3
— Ris ᵍᵐ (Risbrian.eth) (@RisBrian) September 10, 2024
I missed Twitter pic.twitter.com/hamGO5STK8
— jbulltard (@jbulltard1) September 11, 2024
A Day in the Life of an Immigrant, According to Donald Trump:
— Ginny Hogan (@ginnyhogan_) September 11, 2024
- wake up in jail
- get your transgender operation
- for breakfast, dog
- take over Seattle
- for dinner, cat
Trump is posting cat memes in the hours leading up to tonight's historic Presidential debate
— The Pleb 🇨🇦 Reporter (@truckdriverpleb) September 10, 2024
LMFAO I love this man pic.twitter.com/CaBykFxwV0
But they weren’t the only topic of conversation:
I guarantee this is how Kamala Harris shows up to the debate. pic.twitter.com/Z3SFg6Gpdl
— Planet Of Memes (@PlanetOfMemes) September 10, 2024
Debate night!
— CJ Wolf 🐺 (@mizapa) September 10, 2024
First rule of debate night. Show off your memes. pic.twitter.com/J5AjpK2UmU
And some even joined in to mock the celebrity supporters of both parties.
This is where we are pic.twitter.com/UDmcSC3kp7
— Planet Of Memes (@PlanetOfMemes) September 11, 2024
While others were just there for the ride.
Me refreshing my timeline to see Debate memes pic.twitter.com/uzJu5650j8
— alan (@neolithicobject) September 11, 2024