U. Democrats, Republicans discuss presidential debate at watch party

On Tuesday, Vice President Kamala Harris and former President Donald Trump squared off in their first debate since President Joe Biden ended his re-election campaign and endorsed Harris. The Eagleton Institute of Politics' Center for Youth Participation held a live debate watch party co-sponsored by Rutgers College Republicans, Rutgers University Democrats, the Department of Political Science and Douglass Residential College.

Prior to the debate, students told The Daily Targum what issues they hoped Harris and Trump would address.

Avery Gordon, a School of Engineering sophomore and vice president of the Rutgers Democrats, said he hoped the candidates would speak to some Americans' disillusionment with politics. Greg Baek, a Rutgers Business School junior, echoed Gordon.

"I think that a lot of the talk right now is more mudslinging, less about policies," he said. "I think the debate would be a great stage to voice each candidate's opinions."

Additionally, Baek said he hoped the candidates would speak about young people's struggles with purchasing homes.

Michael Joseph, a School of Arts and Sciences and School of Management and Labor Relations junior and vice president of the Rutgers College Republicans, said he was excited about the debate, calling attention to a flag featuring a photo of Trump after the assassination attempt in July. He added that if he were moderating the debate, he would ask the candidates whether they can agree to not start any new global conflicts.

The debate began with Harris crossing the stage to shake hands with Trump at his podium, where she introduced herself. From there, the candidates addressed the economy. Harris touted her proposed child tax credit and attacked Trump's proposed sales tax increase. Trump's response quickly pivoted to immigration.

"We have inflation like very few people have ever seen before," Trump said. "On top of that, we have millions of people pouring into our country from prisons and jails, from mental institutions and insane asylums."

Harris then tied Trump to Project 2025, a controversial policy agenda made by conservative activists in case of a Republican victory, according to NPR. Trump responded by distancing himself from the plan and defended his administration's handling of the COVID-19 pandemic.

On abortion, Trump falsely claimed that Harris' running mate, Gov. Tim Walz (D-Minn.), supports abortion after birth and defended the Supreme Court's 2022 decision to overturn Roe v. Wade, the landmark decision that legalized abortion in the U.S.

Protecting democracy came up several times, with Harris attacking Trump over comments he made suggesting he would disrupt democratic institutions and his role in the insurrection on Jan. 6, 2021. When asked about the last presidential election, Trump refused to admit he lost the 2020 election.

On foreign policy, Harris reiterated her support for Israel's ability to defend itself in the Israel-Hamas war, also voicing her concern for civilian safety in Gaza and a two-state solution. Additionally, Harris offered support for Ukraine in the invasion by Russia, while Trump restated his claim that he would end the war immediately.

Lastly, the candidates touched on race, health care and the environment. Harris tied climate policy to jobs.

"I'm … proud to have the endorsement of the United Auto Workers and (Union President) Shawn Fain, who also know that part of building a clean energy economy includes investing in American-made products, American automobiles," she said.

Throughout the debate, the approximately 150 students in attendance reacted with cheers, laughs and boos. 

Large reactions came at Trump's assertions that migrants in Springfield, Ohio, are eating residents' pets and Harris wants to perform gender affirmation surgery on migrants. 

The largest reactions were in response to fact-checking from ABC News moderators David Muir and Linsey Davis. The student audience clapped for Muir when he debunked Trump's false claims about migrants eating pets and increasing crime rates. There was also widespread applause and laughter for Davis challenging Trump's assertions about abortion, a moment School of Environmental and Biological Sciences first-year Anamika Choudhary later pointed out as memorable.

After the debate, the organizers held a debrief session, where students were free to voice their thoughts. Several students said they wished the candidates addressed the job market and housing. While satisfied with Harris' performance, Gordon echoed some of these criticisms.

"I would have loved to have heard Harris speak more directly about the specifics of her own policy and where it differs from Trump," he said. "She kept being handed these policy questions that I feel like she should have answers to and then took the opportunity to fall back on 'Well, here's what Trump would do' … and that frustrated me."

Joseph also criticized what he perceived as centrism from the audience.

"Just give a real opinion — everyone here is too scared," he said, referring to the audience. "Clearly, I'm not too scared to give a real opinion. College Republicans and Turning Point at Rutgers will always be (steadfast) in their conservative values."