“Two Grown Adults Arguing Like Children”: Seniors Weigh in on the Presidential Debate

On Sept. 10, former president Donald Trump and Vice President Kamala Harris took the stage at National Constitution Center in Philadelphia, PA in an ABC moderated presidential debate. Trump and Harris spent the 110 minute segment debating issues ranging from reproductive rights to foreign policy and the economy.  

“This debate,” Niamh O’Donovan (‘25) said, referring to the second official debate of this presidential election cycle,  “was incredibly refreshing compared to the one with Biden…this really gave us hope and more confidence in the candidate.” 

O’Donovan, like many Americans, was disheartened by the June debate during which President Biden’s presentation faltered as former president Trump offered dozens of false or misleading statements. The chaotic debate spurred calls which eventually prompted Biden to drop out of the race. 

Sirin Toal (‘25) remarked that, “Trump is making less and less sense by the day.” Charlotte Mendelson (‘25) agreed, noting that “there were a large amount of false statements.” However, both Toal and Mendelson appreciated the moderator’s fact checking. CNN reported that Trump made over 30 false claims during the debate. 

Others were less enthusiastic of the moderators’ fact checking of Trump’s claims. Cole Hoffman (‘25) thought “the debate was heavily biased against Mr. Trump,” adding that “Mr. Trump was debating three people instead of one.” 

Others still found the debate underwhelming. According to Josh Black (‘25), “Neither of them did a great job addressing the issues; they were just focused on attacking each other.” Eden Dresner (‘25) also wished the debate “focused more on their politics and data.”  

Dresner was concerned that the lack of concrete policy discussed might make it “hard for people to make informed votes.” This election will be Dresner’s first time voting, so it holds special importance. “Voting is your civic duty,”  Dresner said, and pointed out that “local elections are important too.” 

Dresner is the minority of seniors who will be able to vote though. Xavier Miller (‘25) is frustrated that his “birthday is a month after election day” so he cannot vote, especially because he “feels so strongly about this election.” 

Some students only watched the debate because it was an assignment for Kerry Sylvia’s DC History and Government classes. Wesley Freed (‘25) said that he tuned in in order to fulfill the assignment but he “was too tired to focus on it.”  

Living in the nation’s capitol has given some Walls students a unique perspective on the upcoming election. For O'Donovan, the stakes seemed particularly high when considering the debate and election because “DC is controlled by the federal government.”