The first, and potentially only, presidential debate between Vice President Kamala Harris and former President Donald Trump took place on Tuesday, Sept. 10 in Philadelphia and on screens across America.
Many Loyola students joined their millions of fellow Americans in watching the debate. Across campus some chose to sit and watch with friends, some chose to watch by themselves, while others chose to go to a watch party co-hosted by the American Politics Club, SGA, and Loyola Votes. Vice President of the American Politics Club, Noah Barker ‘26 believes that Harris won the debate and that most people at the watch party agreed with him. He also thought that her statements on fracking could hurt her with her base, but that Trump’s bad moments were worse and likely hurt him with undecided voters.
“It seemed like most people thought that Harris won as well, but there were of course varying opinions. But, it seemed like the majority thought Harris won,” Barker said.
Baltimore County Councilman and Loyola adjunct instructor David Marks believes it was clear that Harris had won due to her better discipline and more memorable lines. According to ABC, the majority of people believe that Harris won the presidential debate. Marks believes that Trump hurt himself a lot in the debate and that he failed to effectively tie Harris to the failures of the current presidential administration.
“I think he ventured into some very strange topics that some people would maybe see in a tabloid magazine. The thing about people eating pets, that’s probably what the whole debate is going to be remembered for,” Marks said.
According to NBC, Trump made claims against the Haitian migrant community residing in Springfield, Ohio. Marks refers to the moment when Trump spoke.
“In Springfield, they’re eating the dogs, the people that came in. They’re eating the cats, they’re eating the pets of the people that live there, and this is what’s happening in our country and it’s a shame,” Trump said.
Ethan Russo ‘26, believed that Harris won the debate and plans on voting for her. The most important and memorable moment of the night was Trump’s cats and dogs comment.
“Definitely what’s going to be the headline now, what he said about, it was Haitians right in Ohio about how he heard some definitely incorrect information about them eating cats and dogs,” Russo said. “It was not anything that surprised me as I expected him to say something insane at some point.”
Ailin Oberlies ‘26, who plans on voting for Trump, agreed with the majority consensus that Harris won the debate.
“In terms of performance and laying out a policy plan for this country I would say that Kamala outlasted Trump last night,” Oberlies said. He also said her relative calmness and keeping her cool provided a contrast that hurt Trump.
Oberlies did think Trump had several good moments, including his closing statements.
“His closing statements of course were very strong, tying Kamala to the last four years of her presidency with Joe Biden and highlighting the facts and points that affected Americans like immigration and the economy and then touching on the national security pieces I think that really helped him out,” Oberlies said.
However, he wasn’t satisfied with either performance. “I was disappointed in both performances, to be honest, I think it’s going to help a lot of moderates move towards Kamala but no I didn’t think it was convincing personally.”
Oberlies and Russo both said that the debate did not change their minds on who they would vote for in November. Marks says this is par for the course with presidential debates, that while they can be important they are unconvincing to most voters.
“I think debates can have a role in a close election, particularly in the final days of an election. Now, we still have two months until all the votes are cast, but people are going to be early voting very soon. So, I think this debate will have some role in maybe shifting the needle a few points in her direction,” Marks said.
Barker said that the most important message to come out of the debate is that it’s time to start paying attention and get involved.
“Go register to vote and make sure that you’re registered for the upcoming election since we’re in college you can order a mail-in ballot through your state government. It’s just important that you get your voice heard and that you vote.”
On Tuesday, Sept. 17, Loyola Votes will be holding a voter registration drive in the middle of the Quad from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. Loyola Votes is not politically affiliated. The organization’s goal is to get as many Loyola students to vote in the election as possible.
