Students discuss presidential debates

With the 2020 Presidential Election on everyone’s mind, many students in the Anne Arundel County area said they have mixed feelings about both of the candidates. The first debate, on September 29, 2020, was described as “Chaotic, childish, grueling” by the French newspaper Liberation. 

Some students, like South River High School senior Morgan Douglass, said they prefer former Vice President Joseph Biden to current President Donald Trump. “I would vote for Biden because he cares about human rights.” She said she supports his policies of climate change activism and his anti-fossil fuels stance. 

Crofton High School sophomore Chase Nester wrote, “While not a particularly huge fan of either candidate, I prefer Biden over Trump.” He says that he supports Biden’s Covid-19 policies on reopening businesses. “His proposed economic plan would create millions of jobs while boosting the economy and cleaning the earth and supporting local communities,” Chase wrote. Sophomore Crofton High School student, Ashley Ewing said, “I would be voting for (Biden) because he is truly devoted to American citizens.” 

Others said they preferred Trump. Bailyn Smith, a Crofton High School freshman, said that “at this point, I believe that Trump is a better candidate.” She explained that she agrees with Trump’s actions to build a wall to prevent illegal immigration. “I believe that if you want to come into this amazing country, you shouldn’t able to just come,” she explained further. 

Many media outlets called the behavior displayed in the first debate shocking to both sides. Biden and Trump spoke over each other constantly during the debate. The mediator was unable to get a word in with all of the bantering between the candidates. The behavior left some of the students I interviewed shocked, and Smith compared the candidates to elementary schoolers. Nester wrote, “I think both Biden and Trump acted very unprofessional at the debate.” Both Douglass and Ewing expressed that they think that Biden acted accordingly with how Trump was treating him.