Harris-Trump Debate Sparks Student Reactions Across Campus

The presidential debate between Vice President Kamala Harris and former President Donald Trump took place this Tuesday in Philadelphia, Pa., and was hosted by ABC. 

Harbinger Student Media sought student opinions on the debate. Funny, poignant, and intense moments quickly went viral and sparked widespread discussion both during and after the event. Harbinger Student Media interviewed 10 students and employees at ICC about their thoughts on the debate. Most students reported watching the debate either on television or via a YouTube livestream with family or friends. Others said they caught up by watching the debate later. 

While the moderators were generally viewed as fair, many felt they lacked firmness. Makayla Niles, an education major at ICC, said, “I think they should have been more strict. I think there was a lot of tangents that they went on that they probably should have stopped.” 

Nearly half of the respondents shared this sentiment. Shri Majety, another student at ICC, said, “the moderator shouldn’t work in the news,” and argued that a partisan news organization should not have hosted the debate.

Students felt that Vice President Kamala Harris performed well for a newcomer to presidential debates. Four students agreed that she was the strongest, with student Zachary Webb stating, “I’d vote for her.”

Former President Donald Trump, however, was generally not seen as performing well. Shri Majety, a conservative, thought that nobody in the debate performed well, not even Trump, his favored candidate. This sentiment was shared by four other respondents. No respondents thought that Trump won the debate. Students Bridgette Lefebvre and Berkley Burgess thought that he seemed unprepared and unprofessional. 

The 2024 presidential election will be held Nov. 5, there will be no school on that day.