The 2024 presidential debate took place on Tuesday, Sept. 10, and it lived up to its electric hype. Over 67 million American voters saw the unprecedented and fiery meeting of the presidential candidates, separated at their podiums by a few feet, yet separated on their political views by miles. The previous debate in July gave rise to the voluntary choice of Joe Biden to cede his nomination to Vice President Kamala Harris, a decision that altered the democratic party’s psyche from acquiesced despair into a fervor of support for his replacement. What followed was excitement, memes, absurd rumors, and still, indecision.Â
Discourse surrounding Kamala Harris was exciting yet elusive in its conclusions, as many Americans found they lacked a solid understanding of her policies, who, as per usual Vice President status, has resided in the shadow of the Biden presidency. Thus, the undecideds, democrats, and republicans alike had their curiosity thawed from its frozen state, usually attuned to the distinctive personalities of Trump and Biden. Even as an avid political follower, I too was curious, keen to observe the candidates’ behavior while they navigated a volatile environment as election season is brought to an apotheosis. So, come 7 p.m. MST, I parked myself on the couch with a blank google document open, ready to absorb whatever came next.Â
For the point of summation, there were clear points of contention on issues such as immigration, abortion, Middle East relations, the Russia-Ukraine war, the economy, and climate change. Each candidate played the cards they felt best supported their position and attacked the other; usually this manifested as Trump remembering the ideal America he left for the Biden administration to take over, while Harris insisted they were given a bad hand. Trump was left to defend himself over many sensitive topics, of which included his plans of deporting mass numbers of immigrants, fluctuating views on abortions, a lack of knowledge surrounding Project 2025, and reluctance at offering support for Ukraine. At every turn of conversation, Harris redirected back towards her own policy plans including fracking, foreign relations, housing, and Israel, in attempts to make a name for herself outside of the reigning Biden views she gets looped in with.Â
Anyone can read the transcript and form an opinion on their policies. But what was occurring in those spaces between the words, the glances across the room, the laughs and smirks and interruptions? There was another conversation being played out right in front of viewers, a dynamic power battle where punches were thrown with eyes and dodged with laughs. It was hard to ignore the dichotomous behavior displayed for viewers; Trump stoic and tight-lipped, keen on ensuring the only thing he looked at was the camera in front of him— and Harris, expressive and engaged, never passing an opportunity to look bewildered at one of the many memorable comments from the night. Weakness was a recurrent theme of the conversation— once used by Harris to disparage Trump’s foreign relations to one of puppeteer and master, or Trump’s insinuations that Harris simply isn’t up to the job. This fight reflected their behavior, as Harris didn’t shy away from interrupting attempts to move the conversation on, or even Trump trying a reverse tactic by pausing the debate to highlight Harris’s interjection in a showcase of control.Â
Many undecided voters looked with hope to this debate not for its entertaining quips and off-hand remarks, but rather to seriously gauge who they would cast their vote for. In a study by The Washington Post and George Mason University that surveyed the opinions of 25 undecided voters, 23 believed Harris performed better in the debate. Within each party, Harris solidified the support of those already leaning her way, while participants inclined towards Trump were still hesitant to commit to him. As of Sept. 17, a week after the debate, there are still seven key swing states with margins between Trump and Harris at or under 3%. The fight to claim these states will likely be the deciding factor in who takes office on Jan. 20, 2025, and it will be in large part due to voters that have yet to decide their vote.
Thus, the debate didn’t win the election for either Trump or Harris. However, it did spark political and cultural tidal waves across media platforms and continues to pervade conversations across the country between peers, family members, coworkers, and even strangers— if you’re brave.Â
While I believe the words exchanged in the debate and those we will continue to hear in the next vital weeks leading up to the election should be received with significant weight, the humanity of our next president is what we should judge with utmost importance. As voters, we have the power to pick the next leader of our nation, and we cannot disregard the values of kindness, respect, and unity in a world that constantly seeks to divide. We are fortunate to carry the responsibility of a vote, and come November, regardless of the name that we pick, it should be placed with meaningful thought and consideration.Â
No matter where you stand, I implore you— go vote! To confirm that you are registered or to register, use this link: https://vote.gov/