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The First Presidential Debate Had Me Both Laughing & Crying, But I Know Where My Vote is Going

The opinions expressed in this article are the writer’s own and do not reflect the views of Her Campus.

By Jacqueline Wostrel

The opinions expressed in this article are the author’s own and do not reflect the views of Her Campus.​

One of the best parts of being a human being is that every one of us individuals is different—and those differences make up much of what was debated between Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump Monday night. Unfortunately, this whole presidential debacle has left nothing but a nasty taste in my mouth. From talking up temperament to avoiding policy plans, Monday’s debate was something to behold.


Throughout the debate, my roommate got to hear my frequently snide comments mixed in with some snaps and laughter. This is certainly an election like no other before —and hopefully, like no other after it. We the people of the United States of America have an opportunity to elect either the first woman for president, who, according to Chuck Todd “over-prepared” for a debate that has the ability to impact her run for presidency—or some angry orange man who says he has a “winning temperament,” even though he acts like a sniveling infant who has way too much sass.

Y’all, all the interruption and not sticking to the two-minute time allotment had me developing a headache.

Let’s deviate from that really quick and talk about how viewers of the debate still don’t know Trump’s plans for maintaining a relatively peaceful world. I’m hoping that it doesn’t include starting a war on Iran’s waters, as Clinton brought up. He didn’t even mumble “wrong” into the microphone for that one. In fact, he made sure to point out that their sailors were the one’s doing the taunting.

Sir, if you can’t handle someone taunting you, then please step down from your endeavor to become the main ruler of the free world. I don’t need you shoving your sexist, bigoted, trigger-happy fingers all over the chessboard that is this nation.

We’ve had enough human disasters, and I’d like to prevent any more from happening. To be frank, I’m quite done with you.

Trump is fond of commenting on his credentials, isn’t he? He’s also fond of commenting on his experience as a business person. I don’t know about y’all, but I really like the idea of a president who has worked in politics before, who has dealt with foreign nations and who doesn’t want to deport my friends. Hillary Clinton being a female is literally a big, fat cherry on top of the sundae at this point.

Let’s take a step forward for womankind and give girls someone to look at up to in the highest office in the land, and let’s make sure the world stays safe while we’re at it. Despite the different standards that Trump and Clinton are held to (apparently, he just needs to be coherent, but she must lay out her presidential plan—I’d like to hear his plan) the playing fields are still about the same.

To be honest, Monday’s debate probably didn’t sway any voters from either side. Those who are with Hillary are still with her, and those who follow Trump are still avidly at his side. This is an election like no other. I think many people didn’t expect for Trump to make it this far. He kind of reminds me of a snowball rolling down a hill, gathering momentum and more snow as it rolls. The questions I’ve been asking myself are these: What happens to him once there is no more hill to roll down? If he wins, what are the consequences? If he wins, how much power would we the people actually grant him?

We run off of checks and balances, but what happens if this glorious democratic system ceases to work? Would you trust him enough to run the country? To give him executive power? He would be the figurehead for the people of the U.S.—Are you okay with him representing you?

I’m not. I’m not at all. The debate just cemented that for me. I want a leader with poise and plans to better this nation, not one who degrades my sex and insults people because he doesn’t understand them. I want freedom over my body, to leave this earth in a better condition than I found it, to work with people in other parts of the world, and to learn about what they have to offer and what we can do for them in return.

I do not want a leader filled with so much hate.

Katherine Mirani is the News Editor for Her Campus. She graduated from Northwestern University's journalism school in 2015. Before joining Her Campus full time, she worked on investigative stories for Medill Watchdog and the Scripps News Washington Bureau. When not obsessing over journalism, Katherine enjoys pasta, ridiculous action movies, #longreads, and her cockatiel, Oreo.