This past Monday, September 26th, I attended the Presidential Debate Party to watch the presidential candidates Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton discuss issues that are important to Americans. The event was held in the Board of Trustees room in the Campus Center and there was a decent turnout. Snacks, including popcorn and soda, were provided to those who attended the event. Before the debate officially began, the event coordinators welcomed everyone and offered bingo boards to people who wanted to play. In order to win bingo, the participants had to match the words or phrases on the bingo board verbatim to statements that were made by the candidates during the debate. For instance, if Donald Trump mentioned the word Florida in his address, the participant could cross the box with the corresponding word off on their bingo board.
In the debate, the candidates mostly centered their discussions around the topics of prosperity, direction and leading America. These debates are extremely significant for Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton because they must try to attract additional support from undecided voters for the upcoming election as well as voice their presidential goals. Throughout the course of the night, there was a lot of disagreements between the candidates on particular issues such as taxes, crime, race relations and the economy among others. As the debate went on, many people at the event started cheering or laughing when Trump and Clinton quarreled or insulted each other. The dynamic of the two candidates made the debate very interesting to watch, even for people like me who are not really into politics.
Overall, I am happy that I went to this event and watched the debate along with many other students. Hearing the reactions of people with many different political views while watching the debate definitely made me more interested and engaged in the conversation.
Although I have never sat down to watch a presidential debate before, I am glad I took the time to attend this debate party. I look forward to attending the next presidential debate party in the near future.