On Sept. 30 Presidential candidates, Donald J. Trump and Joe Biden attended their first of three presidential debates.
“The first presidential debate was an embarrassment. It was insulting to watch, and I have never seen the Office of the President so tarnished in my life,” said Kolby Driscoll, President of Club Democrats. “A presidential debate is supposed to be a special experience where both candidates on stage passionately fight for their stances and explain to the American people what they will do for them.”
Trump and Biden debated over topics including Supreme Court nomination, healthcare, dealing with the COVID-19 pandemic, race relations, law enforcement and urban unrest, white supremacists, climate change and election integrity.
Biden said, “Under this President we have become weaker, sicker, poorer, more divided and more violent.”
“Joe Biden is clearly critical of the president and gives his argument in the full lip, but it is important to highlight that many of his statements during that debate were proven to be incorrect afterword, and his choice to download President Trump’s success and America was disappointing to say the least,” said Matteo Menta, President of Club Republicans.
“To an extent, I can see how this statement is true,” said Driscoll. “Over the last few years our country has been struck with a pandemic, we have seen a high unemployment rate and we now see a clear divide in this country.”
Trump was asked to nationally condemn white supremacy on national television.
“Trump’s response to this question was indeed weak and he should have used stronger language to condemn white supremacy and associated groups many times,” said Menta. “I believe President Trump chose to focus on left-wing violence instead, because a large portion of the political violence and destruction that has occurred over the summer was caused by left-leaning groups including the terrorist group known as ANTIFA.”
COVID-19 has been an intruder in everyday lives and both candidates gave their stance on the pandemic.
“I definitely believe that President Trump could have handled the COVID-19 pandemic a lot better than he actually did. He ignored the severity and importance of the virus and did not treat it the way it should have been treated,” said Driscoll.
During the debate, President Trump said, “I wear a face mask when needed, I don’t wear masks like him. Every time you see him (Biden) he’s got a mask.”
“I do not know what the intended purpose of the president’s remarks were, but I assume that he was attempting to portray Joe Biden as being zealous about responding to COVID-19, stemming from Mr. Biden’s statements that he would lock down the country again if necessary,” said Menta.
Law enforcement has become a critical topic in politics while urban unrest has been fuming throughout the country.
“The riots that have taken place all across the U.S. are deeply concerning to many Americans and will likely be one of the subjects which pushes many to go vote,” said Menta. “Trump’s response to the violence could have been quicker but I think many voters will appreciate the response that he has taken to deploy the National Guard to these areas.”
“To briefly touch on social injustice in law enforcement, we are living through a real-life example of that right now. Recently, we have seen a rising number of Black individuals being shot by police with no repercussions or penalties,” said Driscoll.
The upcoming election will take place on Nov. 3. Voting options vary.
Trump stated, “If I see tens of thousands of ballots being manipulated, I can’t go along with it. They cheat.”
“Some votes may not be counted or if a box is misplaced, then those votes are lost. It’s also important to note when registering you fill out the information correctly and update old registration information,” said Carlos Vargas, President of Pioneer Vote. “This will be the first step to ensure that you’re able to cast your vote for this election.”
