The 2024 presidential debate between republican candidate Donald Trump and former democratic candidate Joseph Biden on June 27 proved disappointing and displayed the downward spiral of America’s political landscape. The live debate covered many pressing topics such as abortion laws, immigration, national debt, and more. But what captivated viewers most during this presidential debate was the sheer lack of manners and intelligence shown by both Biden and Trump.
The debate was hard for viewers to watch, as both candidates verbally attacked each other and failed to answer questions in a proper manner. Both candidates refused to admit any wrongdoing during either of their presidencies and blamed any of the country’s issues mentioned during the debate on each other. Biden accused Trump of lying, Trump called Biden’s policies stupid, Biden called Trump a “sucker” and a “loser”, and Trump insulted Biden’s intelligence repeatedly. Overall, the footage showed of this debate made American viewers begin to question either candidates ability to be president.
Prior to the debate, most Americans were already concerned with the choices for their future presi- dent. Trump recently faced scandal when he was charged and convicted of 34 felony counts of falsified business records in May 2024. Throughout his presidency, Biden became questioned as a suitable leader due to his inability to remember important facts, hearing problems, and age. In fact, age is an issue to voters when it comes to both politicians, as Biden is 81 years old and Trump is 78 years old. Biden notably seemed confused and disoriented throughout much of the debate, causing uneasiness in voters. Pressure began to build on social media as citizens began saying Biden should step down as the democratic candidate. While both former presidents certainly left American citizens disappointed, shocked, and horrified, Biden’s underwhelming performance in the debate ultimately led him to step down as the democratic candidate and his current vice president, Kamala Harris, becoming the democratic nominee.
The prospect of potentially having not only a female president but a South Asian/Black American president is exciting, but voters have begun to question if Harris is the right choice for presidency as well. Harris is currently finishing her four year term as vice president, and her rise to power in politics led to her being made a walking meme by the youngest
generation of voters, generation Z. Moments of Harris’ career that should have been serious, such as many of her speeches and the moment she found out she and Biden had won the 2020 election, have become jokes to young voters. These memes escalated drastically in the past month when popular singer Charli XCX posted on X, “Kamala IS brat.” This led to generation Z making edits of Harris and her voice using songs from Charli XCX’s electro-pop album “brat”
and Chappell Roan’s pop album “The Rise and Fall of a Midwest Princess”.
While the trend of making fun of the Harris is helping involve younger voters in the election, it also discredits her as a candidate. Presidents are supposed to be powerful, respectable people that are taken seriously. Making unflattering edits of a powerful political figure to pop music certainly does not make the United States of America look like a respectable nor honorable country. Harris’ inability to be taken seriously by voters will only make her a weak leader as she will not be perceived as a person of power nor a respectable president by foreign countries.
Trump and Harris will debate against each other in the second presidential debate on Sept. 10. Americans can only hope that this second debate will be far more civil and respectful, but the hot mess that is American politics can only lead citizens to believe that the 2024 presidential election will not be one of honor.
