After fiery debate, Harris and Trump at 9/11 memorial

NEW YORK: Kamala Harris and Donald Trump shook hands Wednesday at New York's 9/11 memorial to mark the anniversary of the attacks, hours after they clashed in a combustible TV debate.

The Democratic vice president delivered a strong performance against her Republican rival, most analysts said, as the two head toward the November election neck-and-neck in the polls.

Both candidates declared victory after coming face to face for the first time on the biggest night so far of the campaign — although any major shift in support may be unlikely.

The ABC News-hosted debate in Philadelphia was punctuated by tense exchanges, with Harris focused on policy while Trump's answers were littered with wild falsehoods and were often about his past grievances.

On Wednesday, Trump came out swinging in an early morning interview with Fox News, claiming — without evidence — that the debate was "rigged" against him.

"It was a rigged deal, as I assumed it would be, because when you looked at the fact that they were correcting everything and not correcting with her," he complained.

Republican strategist Liam Donovan said Harris scored points on Trump, and the Republican "largely whiffed" in his efforts to tie his opponent to President Joe Biden, instead "going on angry tirades."

"It will surely boost morale at a time when Democrats are getting anxious," he told AFP.

9/11 memorial

In New York on Wednesday, Biden looked on as Harris and Trump greeted each other again, with all three wearing blue commemorative ribbons.

They watched as the names of the almost 3,000 victims of the attacks were read out.

"We stand in solidarity with their families and loved ones. We also honour the extraordinary heroism on display that fateful day by ordinary Americans helping their fellow Americans," Harris said in a statement.

Harris heads Thursday to North Carolina — one of a handful of states expected to decide the election, where she has erased a six-point Trump lead to draw level.