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This debate was unlike any other that anyone in the United States has ever witnessed. The words being delivered were far from presidential, the interruptions were at an astonishing 73 count, and barely any real points were made. This debate left everybody shocked and frankly disgusted. Is this what the United States represents? Two men supposed to be our candidates for presidency fighting like two toddlers? It was disappointing and frustrating to sit through, and I wouldn’t be surprised if the next debate does not occur.

It is quite difficult to choose only a couple of key moments that stood out to me due to the fact that the whole debate was one big joke. Trump’s racist remarks, while not shocking, were outrageous and inappropriate. Calling Warren “Pocahontas” and referring to the coronavirus as the “china virus” while on the podium for a presidential debate was quite in character for him. Another moment that really stood out to me was when Trump refused to condemn white supremacists and told the Proud Boys to “stand back and stand by”. This resulted in celebration from the Proud Boys, prompting them to make a new logo and remarking that they would indeed stand by. On the other side of the podium, Biden’s actions, although not as horribly nauseating as Trump’s were still quite aggressive and out of place in a debate. Not only did Biden ask Trump to “just shut up man”, but he also proceeded to call him a clown. In no way do I disagree with either of those statements, however they do not belong in a presidential debate. There were so many other key moments that really stood out to me, but I would have to write for hours on end. That’s how extremely insane this debate was.

In all honesty I did not learn anything from either President Trump or former Vice President Biden. There was a very small amount of real points made, as well as a very small amount of staying on topic. I found it to be very petty and childish rather than professional and informative. As @fidget said, “This was not a debate, because Trump refused to follow the rules, to respect Wallace. Neither Biden nor Trump opened up and discussed any policies in full…” None of the actions from either side shocked me which is sad to say.

I didn’t learn anything new about Trump or Biden’s character per say, however much of my previous views on their characters were merely strengthened. Trump did not fail to be the narcissistic, bigoted, and irrational person that exists in my mind. Biden on the other hand surprised me a little bit with his comebacks, however other than that his character of being very moderate as well as uninspiring stayed the same.

Character most definitely affects leadership. Having a leader who has horrible character results in a terrible leader, an example being our current leader. How can somebody be a good leader if they aren’t even a good person?

I fear that this debate may have lost Biden some votes. Because of the ridiculousness and lack of real discussion, it was very unconvincing for anyone still on the line. I think that this was a good way for Trump to show that he can do whatever he wants and still have a scary amount of supporters. It’s honestly terrifying to think of Trump winning again.

If this had been anything other than presidential debate, it would have been hard not to laugh throughout the hour and a half “debate” that occurred last night. However, debates are a core part of our democracy and what occurred last night was absolutely horrifying. We witnessed our president’s blatant racism, watched as both candidates struggled to get out any sort of response, and saw the stage turn from a place of a civil debate to an argument, complete with attacks from both sides.

The moment that stood out to me that most was when Donald Trump refused to condemn white supremacists. He was given every opportunity to and he could not. If anything he encouraged white supremacists, saying that they should “stand back and stand by”. This is concrete evidence that he is a white supremacist which is beyond terrifying as he is the leader of America.

During the debate I didn’t really end up learning much about either candidate’s plan for the nation. Trump’s strategy at times seemed to be made up of avoiding questions and preventing Biden from answering, and if I’m honest, it worked. Although Trump did not get out anything close to a plan, neither did Biden and the few moments that showed potential were ruined by an interruption. So much of the debate was simply an argument, not only between the two candidates, but the moderator, Chris Wallace, added to the chaos as well. While I understand that Wallace did have a difficult task, I felt like he dealt with it poorly as so much of the debate was made up of Trump interrupting Biden and Biden trying to come up with a comment to say back to him.

In general I did not learn much more about the candidates, character wise too. Much of what Trump said (including his many interruptions) was honestly expected. On that stage he proved that he is rude, disrespectful, and ignorant, but it is awful to think that he has so much power and will likely never feel (or at least show) remorse for some of the terrible things he said during the debate. He truly never seems to stop. Biden on the other hand, remained relatively calm which I think was expected, and showed quite a bit more empathy than Trump and even addressed the American people a bit. I think that character is very important when it comes to leadership. Part of what makes a good leader is dependent on character: The ability to work with others, the ability to listen, the ability to make yourself heard as well as others. Donald Trump showed none of those characteristics in last night’s debate, although to be honest Biden exhibited few as well.

I do not really think that this debate will influence many voters. I would be surprised if any undecided voters even kept the debate on, as it was a complete mess to watch. Although I don’t think this debate will affect many of the votes for the election this November, it does definitely bring up questions about the direction our democracy is taking and what will happen as the election draws nearer. Last night left me with a deep sense of dread and embarrassment, and I can only imagine what the future may bring.

The Presidential Debate last night was embarrassing for America. It’s hard to believe that this is the reality we are facing. Joe Biden and Trump both acted in a very unprofessional and immature way. Everybody was talking and nobody was actually listening.

What stood out to me was when Trump refused to condemn white supremacists and Joe Biden saying “I am the Democratic Party right now” rather than saying that he is representing the Democratic Party.

I learned that Biden is vowing to eliminate tax cuts under Trump’s tax law. He is also urging everyone to vote any way they can. Trump does not support mail-in voting. He argues that there is voter fraud. He also says that he should be able to fill the U.S. Supreme Court seat.

Both candidates showed that they are disrespectful and rude. Biden showed that he struggles under pressure. Trump displayed his ignorance. The debate was full of personal attacks on family and insults. It lacked real discussion of policies and plans. When asked questions, both candidates avoided what was really being asked. This debate showed that neither of them are fit to lead. It will make the election closer than the polls have been predicting.

Now I don’t usually dabble in politics, and this was actually the first presidential debate I watched in full—how tragic to say the least. I can say that before watching the debate, I had (and still have) some very strong biases against Trump. This live debate only solidified my strong dislike for how he presents himself and his avoidance of prevalent topics. Is it fair to say that I am afraid for the fate of this country?

To say the whole exchange was a disaster would be an understatement. The term “debate” would not be applicable in this sense as it was more of an angry exchange between two old men. Rather than using this opportunity to discuss his future plans and visions for a second term, Trump instead resorted to getting under Biden’s skin—which in my opinion seems a bit unpresidential. One moment that stood out to me is when Trump declined to condemn white supremacists. Not only did he refuse to condemn the Proud Boys, he also told them to “stand back, stand by” as if encouraging them to continue their supremacist ideals. As if that wasn’t enough proof of his racist tendencies, Trump’s comment on ending racial sensitivity training in federal agencies “because it’s racist” only solidified his ignorance. Following this comment he adds, “we have to go back to the core values of this country. They were teaching people that our country is a horrible place, it's a racist place, and they were teaching people to hate our country, and I'm not gonna allow that.” The first thing any history class teaches is that one must learn of the blemishes in history in order to change the future and avoid repetition. How is learning about our country’s dark but important history “teaching people to hate our country”? Acknowledging our faults as a nation not only shows dedication but also a great sense of patriotism.

Although this debate lasted for a whole 90-minutes, no prominent progress was made in terms of proposing plans for the nation on either side. Biden attempted to voice his ideas but was interrupted multiple times and succumbed to Trump’s snarky remarks. I found it rather low of Trump to go after Biden’s son Hunter, claiming that he was “dishonorably discharged for cocaine use”. Given Biden’s calm reaction to this as well as previous interruptions, I found it rather respectable and professional on his part. Trump on the other hand, I expected nothing more from him than to actively taunt and go after his rival’s family.

I think this debate will discourage people to vote seeing as we’ve been made a spectacle by the rest of the world. It’s definitely embarrassing to see that every other country is pitying our political situation at the moment. Hopefully this gives people more of an incentive to vote.

@JokerBra I completely agree with you. This debate was not only disturbing but embarrassing in many ways. It’s hard to believe that these are the people representing the face of Americans.

The presidential debate last year was surreal. Despite having a moderator and rules that were set beforehand, both candidates still interrupted each other constantly. It was hard to hear what each person was saying. Like @JokerBra said, it was more like three people arguing rather than a real debate. They were constantly attacking each other instead of giving clear answers for the questions; there were no real points made on both sides.

There were many moments that shocked me because I did not expect them to take place in a presidential debate. When Trump was asked to condemn white supremacists, he initially said he would do so, but needed a name to call them by, even though Wallace already said it in the question. In the end, he never condemned them, but told them to “stand back and stand by.” To me, that is telling them to be prepared to act when they are needed. At one point, Trump kept questioning Biden about the three and a half-million dollars given to his son, Hunter Biden. Biden denied his accusation, yet Trump still went on asking while Biden was trying to answer other questions. That scene made it feel more like an interrogation session and not a debate. Biden made snide comments about Trump in some of his answers too. I expected both to be more composed and able to talk about the problems at hand rather than focusing on attacking each other.

The point of the debate was for people to learn more about what to expect from their presidency, but neither of them gave clear answers, making it close to impossible to understand what the future of our nation will look like. Biden tried to answer the questions, even though most of his answers did not give an explicit idea of what exactly it is that he would do. On the other hand, Trump used his time to insult Biden.

I agree with @penguinsintherain on the influence that this debate had on voters. For some voters, the presidential debate influences who they will vote for. After this debate, I doubt they have clear answers, and I would expect similar results from the other debates, if they even happen. It is concerning what will happen on November 3rd.

I’m glad I’m on the same page as everybody else in saying whatever that was, it was horrible. A debate is supposed to be a formal argument. This was not a debate.

I don’t think there was much Chris Wallace could have done to ease the chaos. Really, the only problem was Trump. Biden and Wallace didn’t interrupt, they only responded to Trump’s interruptions. I’ve seen plenty of other debates with Biden and he always comes off as fairly presidential. He’s always the one who stops mid-sentence, even mid-word as soon as the moderator tells him to. The thing is, it is clear what Trump was trying to do. I think he was trying to appeal to his own base above all things, and it worked out fine for him, as well as leave as little time as possible for Biden to speak. Biden may not be everything we’ve wished for, but relatively speaking he kind of is.

My point in saying these things is I think I missed out on tons of important information I could have got from a more presidential debate. Nevertheless, there was still a lot of substance that, even if just briefly mentioned, was tremendously important. I even missed some of the most outrageous things that were said because of how quickly, and almost rushed, the topics were covered.

One of the worst things the president said by far was “Stand down, stand by,” specifically to the white supremacist group Proud Boys, as if telling them to wait for orders from him. What aggravates me about Biden and even Wallace a little bit, even though I know it’s not his role in the debate, is that neither really followed up on that too much. Of course, it has been blowing up all over social media, and sooner or later Trump will come up with a silly excuse when confronted about it. Yesterday, Ed Markey tweeted, “Donald Trump won’t condemn white supremacists because he is one.” I don’t think that’s too far from the truth.

There were some other moments that were totally uncalled for, as well as some that we all saw coming. First, it was very inappropriate for Trump to bring up Biden’s son Hunter and his drug problem out of the blue. It seemed like Trump was just waiting for an opportunity to bring it up and eventually realized he was running out of time. The debates are not supposed to be for personal attacks. It was really hard to watch. Then Trump said at one point, “Don’t ever use the word ‘smart’ with me,” another moment that stood out to me.

Of course, there were things talked about that didn’t surprise me too much. For the Supreme Court vacancy, Trump said it ought to be filled while he’s still President, not even mentioning all the things that were said during Obama’s last term. Then he went on about how the mail in votes would be fraud. Again, nothing new. What was really scary was the fact that Trump would not guarantee he would accept the election results. I’ve never been so frightened of a person in power during my lifetime as much as I am of Trump right now.

To be honest, I thought Biden could have been a little stronger, mainly because he didn’t get a chance to talk most of the time. He understandably missed several opportunities to rebuttal and fact check. However, Biden on the other hand did say some things that were a bit more comforting, such as, “I’ll be a President for Democrats and Republicans.”

To reiterate, I had trouble focusing on either candidate’s plans for the nation because of the chaotic nature of the debate. I will say that I trust whatever Biden has in store for us more than Trump, with my evidence being the last four years. Trump is not a good leader, and I don’t think that’s something that is up for interpretation. I think some stability in the White House would be a good change. Biden may not be able to work miracles, but at least we know he’s capable of that.

I can’t see how this debate would be a deciding factor for undecided voters in any way, and I think for the most part each candidate is maintaining their base. Again, based on Trump's refusal to accept the election results if he loses, I think I have a pretty good reason to be worried. I hope we can watch these two in a couple more debates, preferably debates where one person talks at a time.