On September 10, Kamala Harris and Donald Trump met in Philadelphia for the first time in person to face off in one of the most-viewed presidential debates of all time. Both candidates gave the American people opinions on almost every issue that is relevant today.
One of the first issues discussed was the economy. Harris started off by promising tax cuts for poor families and small businesses, and she promoted what she calls an ‘opportunity economy’ which she believes would lift working-class Americans out of financial hardship. Donald Trump, on the other hand, criticized the Biden-Harris administration for higher inflation and prices compared to his presidency.
On the issue of abortion, an issue that Democrats are hoping can win them the vote of women, Trump said he wants each state to decide on the issue individually instead of the federal government. He praised the Supreme Court justices he appointed for being able to achieve that. Harris criticized this view, saying that “Pregnant women who want to carry a pregnancy to term suffering from a miscarriage, [are] being denied care in an emergency room because the health care providers are afraid they might go to jail, and she’s bleeding out in a car in the parking lot. She didn’t want that. Her husband didn’t want that.” Harris is looking to reinstate the protections of Roe v. Wade as president.
While abortion is a big issue for Democrats, immigration is just as big for Republicans. On immigration, Harris says that she supported a border security bill that Republicans proposed, and that Trump forced Republicans to shut the bill down so that he could run on immigration during election season. Trump never addressed this, and instead said that Biden and Harris have let in millions of illegal immigrants that are “eating the dogs. The people that came in. They’re eating the cats.” This line instantly became the most talked about of the debate on social media. Other mainstream topics such as crime, climate change, and upholding democracy were debated as well.
Mrs. Olsen, a social sciences teacher, criticized the debate’s lack of talk about education. “I would have liked to have heard more plans or ideas about making sure that students in public schools are enriched and supported,” said Mrs Olsen.
WMC Senior Sean Howell also didn’t like how the debate never mentioned gun violence, which he said “should have definitely been talked about, especially because of the recent Georgia shooting.” This comes at a time when mass shootings in the U.S. have risen dangerously in the past 10 years.
Mr. Nicolosi, a social sciences teacher, found the debate interesting and commented on polarization in America, saying “We need to get back to the discussion of issues and rights rather than name calling. We have to put that away.” He believes the rise of social media is a big problem as to why we are divided as a nation, due to echo chambers and algorithms showing us only what we want to see.
After the debate, Taylor Swift endorsed Kamala Harris for president, and Kamala Harris asked Donald Trump for another debate, but Trump has since declined.
