Since watching the debate last night, I have had many discussions both in and out of classes about its content. The majority of people I’ve spoken with seem to have had the same impression while watching: when can we turn this off? I have to agree with them.
From the moment the debate began, it was a mess. The points that stick out to me the most include when in the very first segment, Trump’s arguing with the moderator, Chris Wallace, got to the point where Wallace had to tell Trump, “You’re debating [Biden], not me.” Like Hector_Zeroni said, this was a common theme throughout the whole debate, during which Trump not only raised his voice at Wallace, but interrupted Biden almost every other word. Though Biden did his fair share of interrupting as well, it was nowhere near Trump’s level.
I think Wallace should have done a much better job controlling both candidates, and if he wasn’t capable, then someone else should’ve been selected to moderate. I acknowledge that keeping the peace between the two was a very difficult task, but that is basically the moderator’s whole job.
Another moment that stood out to me was when Trump attacked Biden’s dead son, who served in the military, along with his other son who struggled with addiction. It deeply saddened me to hear Trump defame Beau Biden, and I can’t imagine how Biden must have felt on the podium at that moment. It is one thing to attack your opponent, even though that is still disgraceful for a presidential candidate to do, in my opinion. It is another thing completely to attack your opponent’s deceased family members who are not there to defend themselves, and who have no relevance to any of the issues that were at hand.
The last moment that stood out to me, similar to Hector_Zeroni, was when Trump refused to denounce white supremacists. Though it did not come as a surprise to me due to Trump’s support of supremacist organizations like the KKK in the past, I was disgusted to see so blatantly that a presidential candidate can refuse to denounce racist hate groups and still be considered a valid candidate for American voters.
I did not learn much from either candidate about their plans due to the fact that the constant talking over each other was so chaotic it made it difficult to concentrate on what either one was saying in the first place. However, what I could make out did not impress me. I heard from Trump that his plan to combat the wildfires in California caused by climate change is to pick up the leaves. I also learned that Trump believes a vaccine will be available very soon, despite no evidence to support that claim and accredited scientists saying it will not be available until the summer.
I also wouldn’t say I “learned” anything about either man’s character, but I did see demonstrations of what I already knew. Trump proved once again that he is a lying, racist, childish person with no class, and that was in the first 45 minutes. Though Biden was more consistently levelheaded, he acted immaturely at many points in the debate as well, even going so far as to say, “Will you shut up, man?”
The whole debate felt more like an argument between children who both wanted to get the last word, which aren’t the characteristics of leadership that I would look for in a president. However, in my opinion, character is extremely relevant to leadership, which is why it is so disappointing that that of both presidential candidates is questionable.
I also agree with Hector_Zeroni in the sense that this debate will not affect the election that much. Mail in voting has allowed many people to cast their votes before the debate even took place, and in addition to that, most people watching the debate have already made up their mind. If Trump’s or Biden’s actions in the past haven’t been enough to change their respective supporters’ minds already, then it is doubtful that anything they said last night would accomplish that task. Overall, I thought this debate was an embarrassment to the country. Razzledazzle8 said it perfectly. "That was the most disrespectful and unprofessional debate in American history."
