I can’t watch another presidential debate.
It’s not because I disagree with some points the candidates made — that’s perfectly normal. What isn’t normal is the lack of professionalism in politics today, where constant name-calling and attacks from both parties are a given. American voters deserve better.
The first presidential debate on Thursday, June 27 should have been a professional, well-monitored discussion on American politics. If anything, it was the complete opposite. Then-Democratic nominee Joe Biden and Republican nominee Donald Trump favored hurling insults — ranging from attacking family members to name-calling the other a “sucker” — over discussing policies.
While some real debating happened, it was often ungrounded or misleading. According to the Washington Post, Trump “confidently relied on false assertions that have been debunked repeatedly” while Biden “stretched the truth occasionally.” Some highlights were when Trump claimed that doctors can abort babies after birth and said rioters during January 6th “in many cases were ushered in by the police”.
While the debate has failed to create constructive discussion, it did have a few seconds of brilliance. On Biden’s part, he tried to dissect a lot of Trump’s failures, with some success. When he accused Trump of cheating on his wife with a porn star, or when he addressed Trump’s anti-military comments, it was pure cinema.
If you’re looking for dozens of personal attacks and/or viral moments, the first presidential debate was great. From a policy perspective, it wasn’t. Viewers like myself were left shocked with how little “president talk” was brought up. Despite a presidential debate’s significance, this one felt trivial. All we got was a reaffirmed impression of “Sleepy Joe.”
Months later, we receive news of a second debate, this time between new Democratic nominee Kamala Harris and Trump. I hoped this one would be different — more policy, less bickering.
When I tuned into ABC News on Tuesday, September 10, I was disappointed. What seemed like a friendly debate at first quickly turned into a battle of insults. Similar to the first presidential debate, policies were talked about, but they were often overshadowed by attacks from either side. A moment where Harris insulted Trump’s crowd size stuck with me — why would she talk about crowd sizes? Trump’s voter base is perhaps the most vocal in the world, and that’s evident at a Trump rally. Comparing each other’s rallies was a hotly debated subject, more debated than Trump’s indictments, rape, and every other scandal — which were all glossed over.
At times, the debate was serious — or at least tried to be. Harris backed Trump into a corner, with moments like Trump’s hilarious “concepts of a plan” for healthcare, without specifics. The most viral moment of the debate were Trump’s claims about immigrants eating dogs in Springfield, Ohio, a ridiculously false claim with zero evidence supporting it.
The debate was funny, I’ll admit it. That doesn’t disguise the fact that 67 million Americans were coerced into watching what felt closer to a Saturday Night Live skit rather than a presidential debate.
For how rarely we receive presidential debates, the quality of what we’re given is lacking. Think about it — this is the second presidential debate in four years. In that time, we’ve watched the rise and fall of COVID-19, AI going mainstream, and TikTok shifting from a dance app to a news outlet. As a teenager, 2020 felt like an eternity ago. Presidential debates impact the election in numerous ways, and we can’t be ignorant to them.
Presidential debates are meant to give the average person an understanding of each candidate — how, as president, these people will support the working-class American, create more jobs, and help our country. Modern presidential debates completely fail at this .
As much as I wish there were more policies and ideas brought into presidential debates, that’s simply never going to happen. Public debates, as they currently stand, are more for entertainment and publicity than anything else. Nuanced discussions on economics and social issues don’t get eyes on screens, Trump yelling and making fun of people does. Maybe it’s not the right thing, but it’s what gets attention. In the era of social media, the shock factor is what gets views. That’s why Trump has so much success: he’s entertaining.
At the same time, the entertainment factor doesn’t give an excuse for how unprofessional presidential debates have become. Presidents are supposed to be the representatives of the people of America, and quite frankly, the debate exemplified all of the harmful stereotypes we’re victim to — it was loud, brash, lacked manners, and worst of all, insulting.
Presidential debates represent everything wrong with our country’s politics. They are unserious, superficial, and representing arguably the world’s most powerful country, they are an embarrassment.
