With the election nearing, the two candidates held their first debate Tuesday night. All over the U.S., people, including many Chico State students, stopped and listened to Vice President Kamala Harris and Former President Donald Trump share their visions for the country.
Jose Cruz Lopez, a senior, only watched half of the debate, but he felt confident in Harris’s performance. He noted her notetaking and demeanor during the debate. A big issue for Cruz Lopez is immigration, being from the Central Valley, and he didn’t feel like Trump’s statements about immigrants reflected his experience. He was also disappointed in Trump’s refusal to share his economic plan.
But watching the debate is not something everyone did, many students opted to follow it on social media, watching snippets of the debate.
Shyniece Cordoba, a sophomore, said she didn’t care about the debate but plans to vote for Harris in the upcoming election.
“I like how she supports women’s empowerment,” Cordoba said.
Logan Flansaas, a new masters student, followed the debate through social media. Flansaas felt confident in Harris’s performance and ability to communicate her ideas for the nation.
“[Harris] easily baited him into rhetorical traps and tricked him into being Donald Trump instead of talking about policy,” Flansaas said.
However, others weren’t so sold on what Harris had to say.
Caden Titus, a freshman, watched the debate and felt like Harris didn’t convey her platform.
“I thought Trump talked a bit better than her,” he said.
Titus plans to vote for Trump, confident he will win the election. He felt like both candidates brought up great viewpoints and are trying to do something good for our country. For Titus, gas prices and fracking are important issues.
Anthony Gogliano, a freshman majoring in business finance, plans to vote for Trump after watching the debate but felt like both candidates neglected to speak about their policy. To Gogliano “border control, taxes and inflation” are important issues for him in this upcoming election.
Despite Robert F. Kennedy Jr. ending his campaign and joining Trump. Some students still desire the RFK Jr. presidency.
Ethan Johnson plans to vote for RFK Jr. but is still looking out for policies from each of the current candidates.
Chris Hutton can be reached at [email protected].
