Politicians discuss 'sharp contrast' between candidates in Spin Room after presidential debate

PHILADELPHIA (WPVI) -- The National Constitution Center in Philadelphia was the focus of the political world for over 90 minutes on Tuesday night as it hosted the first presidential debate between former President Donald Trump and Vice President Kamala Harris.

But once the debate was over, the action moved to the so-called Spin Room at the nearby Pennsylvania Convention Center.

Building the space there was a massive endeavor by ABC News.

SEE ALSO | ABC News presidential debate fact check: A look at the claims made by Donald Trump and Kamala Harris

"This massive Spin Room space was built in just five days," said ABC News Congressional Correspondent Jay O'Brien. "So many eyeballs will be on that stage."

The Spin Room is a tradition after debates. It's a space where those representing the candidates come to talk to the media about how they performed.

More than 1,000 journalists from across the world are set up under tight security, each eager to catch up with campaigns with their own questions their viewers have about how the two candidates plan to address topics that affect their country.

The Action News team was front and center alongside ABC News.

We were able to catch up with some major names in politics on how they felt each candidate performed.

"I think you'll see a sharp contrast in how Trump draws on issues and policies that he championed when he was president in the White House versus Kamala Harris's record as a San Francisco liberal," noted Republican Arkansas Senator Tom Cotton.

"I think it's made easy because she understands who she's talking to. At the end of the day, the focus is on the American people and the future of this country," noted Quentin Fulks, the principal campaign manager for the Harris campaign.

"I thought he had an awful night, I thought Kamala Harris did an excellent job of prosecuting the case against Donald Trump. I thought what you heard from him were more lies and conspiracy theories, and really just a lot of nonsense from him. And that's what we really come to expect from the former president. I think we gotta look forward," added Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro.

"On issue after issue, the dangerous far-left agenda that she has -- tonight, she either said, 'I am,' or 'Joe Biden was.' They learned about the position she has was even more radical than Joe Biden was. A lot of people didn't know that. I think that will prove to be quite decisive in the days to come," countered Republican Florida Senator Marco Rubio.