Donald Trump and Kamala Harris faced each other on the debate stage Tuesday night for what could be the only time before the election. Here’s what students had to say.
The tone for the 90-minute debate was set at its opening as Harris walked across the stage to Trump’s podium and shook his hand. Harris controlled the conversation at times, lobbing jabs at the former president’s refusal to concede the 2020 election loss, laughing when he made false claims about immigrants eating cats and dogs and baiting him into defending his rallies.
Trump was calm early on but grew more annoyed as the debate went on, notably reacting to Harris’ mention of his rallies being boring.
Students who talked to The Scribe had a clear direction in mind for where they wanted the country to be: back to civility and professionalism in the White House and less polarization between parties.
Vice President of College Republicans Gerardo Martinez Salinas said Trump was the clear winner of the debate. While Trump shouldn’t have fallen for Harris’ baits, Martinez Salinas said that the vice president failed to explain any of her plans, unlike Trump.
“He really delivered on the difference between the two candidates: that one has been the president and has a record. And the other … hasn’t been able to demonstrate to the American people a solid record that indicates that she would be capable of being president,” Martinez Salinas said.
He also felt Trump managed his temper well, opposed to the 2020 debates where he said the candidates often resorted to name-calling.
Senior Will Pranchak felt Trump didn’t stray away from his tendencies to sling insults at his opponent, but he felt Harris handled it well. “She was prepared and almost led him in to get off track, so he looked a little bit crazy,” he said.
Pranchak, who planned to vote for Harris before the debate, regardless of performance, wants to see elections go back to being more civil and the debates being more professional and policy-focused, a feature he noted this debate lacked.
Other students, including Martinez Salinas, echoed his statements. Senior Diego Castros said none of the candidates appeared to be presidential, adding that many of the issues discussed went unresolved because the two were focused on shifting the blame.
“It felt like I was watching two kids argue back and forth,” he said.
Senior Tabby Richardson said Harris’ performance was impressive, especially relating to the topic of abortion and the overturning of Roe v. Wade. During the segment, Harris blamed Trump for the overturning of the nearly 50-year-old law because he “hand-selected” three justices who intended to overturn it.
Trump defended himself by saying he did a great service that took courage by returning the issue to the states, an outcome he said many Americans wanted. He also repeated the false claim that Democrats support abortion even after babies are born, a claim he stuck to even after he was corrected by an ABC moderator.
Trump said that he was not in favor of an abortion ban but did not give a direct answer when asked twice if he would veto a national abortion ban if it came to his desk.
“Trump seemed to largely deflect the topic,” Richardson said about the segment. “He came in really focused on trying to blame everyone else for the issues happening in this country and very much how he just wanted to be the one to fix it.”
Martinez Salinas disagreed, saying Trump covered abortion beautifully. “He’s always wanted to give the power back to the states,” he said. “It should be a government for and by the people, not a government that is being served by the people.”
A majority (57%) of Americans disapprove of the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision to overturn Roe, according to a 2022 survey done by Pew Research after the law was overturned.
A moment in the debate that drew students’ attention was Trump’s claim that Haitian immigrants are eating the cats and dogs of residents in Springfield, Ohio, which an ABC moderator noted that local officials say is not happening.
Both Pranchak and Richardson said the moment looked bad for Trump. Richardson also appreciated the moment when Harris told Trump that 81 million people fired him from office after he denied the 2020 election results during the debate.
Many of the over 20 students The Scribe spoke with said they did not watch the debate. Some said it was out of disinterest or a waste of time, but senior Zack Washco said that he didn’t watch it because the polarization stresses him out.
While he said he wasn’t a huge fan of Harris, Washco strongly opposes Trump and his rhetoric, saying statements like the cat and dog claim were ridiculous, tiring and irrelevant in steering the country in a more positive direction.
“Everyone is treating politics like a football game … we’re treating it like there must be a victor, and it’s just not plausible when we have so many people in the U.S,” Wascho said. “This cannot be how our country is run. Nothing good can come from that.”
President of College Democrats Abby Kinsey said Harris’ encouragement of bipartisanship was a “breath of fresh air” amid the country’s division, noting the spread of harmful misinformation like Trump’s false claim about Democrats supporting abortion up to nine months and after pregnancy adds to the division.
Debate aftermath
Polling shows Harris is up over Trump after the debate:
- Harris is up 50% to 45% over Trump in a Morning Consult Survey conducted Wednesday of 3,317 likely voters.
- A Reuters/Ipsos poll that closed Thursday also shows Harris leading Trump by five points at 47% to 42%. In the poll, 53% of voters familiar with the debate say Harris won.
- According to a poll, which takes averages of other polls, accounting for recency, sample size, methodology and house effects, from FiveThirtyEight, Harris is up 2.8% as of Friday.
The debate is likely to be the last one before the Nov. 5 election, as Trump said in a social media post on Thursday that he will not be doing another one.
“Kamala should focus on what she should have done during the last almost four-year period. There will be no third debate,” Trump said.
Harris also took to social media Thursday, saying the candidates owe it to the voters to have another debate.
With the presidential race being so close, Kinsey emphasized that it’s important for college students to vote, as the demographic has one of the lowest voter turnouts.
“We must step up and make our voices heard by voting,” she said. “It is essential for the future of our country. Get registered, get informed and get to the polls. Your nation needs you.”
Colorado residents can register to vote or check their status by visiting the state’s website. Students out of state can visit the National Association of Secretaries of State’s website to learn how to register and check their status in their state.
Photo Courtesy of Saul Loeb/AFP via Getty Images