Here we go again! President Trump and Joe Biden are taking the stage at Nashville’s Belmont University on Thursday for their final in-person meeting before the November 3 election, which is just 12 short days away.
This debate is expected to look a bit different than their first exchange earlier this month, which saw dozens of interruptions from the President, who talked over both the moderator and his opponent. This time around, the Commission on Presidential Debates has ordered that each candidate will have his mic turned off while the other is responding to a question — a change that Trump is predictably unhappy about.
The 2020 election cycle saw only two presidential debates instead of the customary three. This is because Trump, who announced he’d tested positive for COVID-19 on October 3, refused the commission’s request to hold the second debate virtually out of precaution.
We watched the last debate while Gchatting with a few of our Teen Vote committee members to get their real-time reactions. What follows is a lightly edited transcript of that conversation.
Ava: Absurd that presidential candidates are so immature we are force to mute them.. what has this electoral system come to
River: “operation warp speed” for delivering the vaccine? wait what
Ava: I’m sorry, but when politicians start their answers like it’s slam poetry I cannot help but cringe
Hanna: LMFAO ava true
Ava: Trump is talking about how COVID is going in “other countries, in particular Europe.” screaming!
River: i wanna know what they gave trump in the hospital tbh
Denisce: why are they talking about a dark winter. they're not groundhogs
Julissa: Biden said "WINTER IS COMING"
Ruth: Not him saying swine flu was a total disaster...
Hanna: trump brings up this point maybe every 5 minutes
Denisce: I hate listening to him diminish the severity of COVID19. It's exactly the reason people are showing up to the polls without a mask or not wanting to use sanitizer.
Ava: This debate is so much more civil with the muting…even Trump on his own time speaks in a much calmer manner
Ruth: Literally the Brian Kemp, GA’s governor, sued the city of Atlanta for trying to institute a mask mandate…Trump: “I caught it, I learned a lot.” You think this is Upward basketball league? Like ??? We 👏🏾 are 👏🏾 in 👏🏾a 👏🏾 pandemic 👏🏾it 👏🏾 is 👏🏾a 👏🏾 VIRUS 👏🏾
Denisce: i forgot about him telling people to INJECT BLEACH
Hanna: yes! blame china !
River: blaming china again.........
Denisce: "dancing in the streets of chinatown in san francisco"???? why does he say these things
Ruth: Biden [was asked if he wanted to respond to a comment of Trump’s] and said “No.” 😭Mrs. Welker asking excellent questions, praise
Denisce: i don't understand why bars opened in Texas at 50%... cases are rising again. Sure young people recover, but many of us live with older people, sometimes our grandparents, aunts, uncles.
Ava: I’m shocked Trump isn’t even trying to interrupt. Someone must have told him he looks better as a candidate this way. He looks much more rational, which is dangerous for Biden
Hanna: right Ava, he sounds so normal. also some of us are immunocompromised young people!!!
Denisce: ufffff "teachers... not that many of you are gonna die"
Ruth: Didn’t the third Black female teacher die in Columbia, South Carolina? There was a recent story on this...yup.
River: this is literally so horrible all they care about is the economy
Denisce: wow Ruth. That's so heartbreaking. So young. Just people doing their jobs, dying because they were forced to work
Ava: The problem with this debate on COVID is that it’s not just a policy divide, it’s a moral divide. Do you value economy or humanity? There’s no agreement on policy if there’s disagreement on inherent morality.
Julissa: AVA FACTS.
Denisce: "i think he's a democrat"... so he's listening to advisors based on whether or not they align with his party and not their credentials ??
Hanna: i must admit though he sounds so much more agreeable ??
Ruth: *rubs temples* I’m so tired of this mess...
Denisce: "they don't want me to get elected because they know I know them. and they know I know me?" I'm sorry what
River: these two men are really the options for president huh
Denisce: dont remind me
Ruth: Like...this is really where we are...*sighs* What is Trump even going on about I—
River: this is like a measuring contest
Julissa: RIVER!
Denisce: isn't it illegal for the candidates to collect from people who aren't US citizens?
River: honestly does legality even matter at this point?
Denisce: he's been talking about releasing tax returns for the past 4 years i'm so tired. Wait. he said he doesn't have money in china. but this literally came out two days ago??
River: why are they being asked if their relationships with other countries are unethical arent there like. ways to simply investigate and verify no funny business
Julissa: Ima need some proof or else I'm voting them both as the Imposters
Ruth: Random, but really wondering if we’ll ever discuss immigration, gun violence, Indigenous issues, etc. — things that weren’t discussed last time...
Ava: Trump knows his base, though. His responses speak to his base. Biden is attempting to reach all the bases of a disjointed coalition party, and that will always be unsuccessful to some extent
Ruth: The fact that college students won’t be able to stay on their parents’ healthcare if ACA is repealed. WHAT is this “brand new beautiful healthcare” YOU SPEAK OF?!
Denisce: I don't think republicans will be winning the house-- or down ballot elections. Texas seats are gonna flip and turn blue
River: “i think we're gonna win the house” this isn't Game of Thrones. literally please just details
Ruth: when Trump said “socialized medicine”...like...??? Access to healthcare is a human right.
Julissa: Alright y'all my class is about to start so I'm going to head out. HANG IN THERE
Denisce: bro I WISH Biden wanted socialized medicine. I WISH Biden would support stopping fracking
Ruth: Not you calling Kamala Harris more liberal than Bernie Sanders, now Donald...
Denisce: Kamala being more progressive than Bernie?? She doesn't even support medicare for all. the BARE MINIMUM
Ava: To be fair, Trump’s argument that Biden does not follow through with his promises is not untrue. It’s just hypocritical.
Denisce: the same way we have socialized education? roads? Drainage? socialized libraries?
Ruth: Next topic coming: “what’s happening on Capitol Hill” so I imagine Supreme Court...
Denisce: ooo we're gonna talk about immigration
Ruth: This is so disgusting. “Through cartels, coyotes and gangs” absolute lies. The trauma these children will have already endured, the PTSD in the aftermath
Denisce: I've listened to some of these kids & adults at the refugee centers and settlement houses. it's so heartbreaking. being locked in actual cages, sleeping on cold floors for weeks. maybe being fed, bright fluorescent lights always on, if they happen to sleep from exhaustion and miss lunch time, they wouldn't be fed until the next time bread and water are being disbursed. monstrous inhumane acts happened in those detention centers — and yes the Obama-Biden admin was also at fault.
But we're not going to talk about how Trump ended DACA? or how he wanred to end birthright citizenship?? oh ok
Ruth: Are you going to reverse visa bans? Are you going to abolish ICE? “We owe them,” but what will you concretely do?! Over 100+ Cameroonian and Congolese asylum-seekers were deported from Texas last week.
Ava: I love that the moderator is equally critical. Necessary for legitimacy.
Ruth: “a murderer would come in, a rapist would come in,” disgusting. Only gave 5 minutes to this topic that literally marked the ascension of his entire campaign.
River: not trump talking about rapists when he is one.......
Ava: I can’t believe a white man has the nerve to say he’s done the most for the black community.
Ruth: Can you name one HBCU, Donald? Literally JUST one and where it’s located. Always find it interesting that there’s this binary in discussion as if Black immigrants aren’t deported as a result of our communities being overpoliced
Denisce: "I ran because of you, I ran because of Barack Obama" soo... you admit it.. you're racist and couldn't stand to see a Black president because you're a xenophobic white supremacist.
"russia russia russia hoax" why is he rapping lmaooo
Ava: It’s sad that our two choices argue over who did the most harm to minorities because they can’t deny they both did.
Denisce: so THIS is the Bad Place
Ruth: We didn’t forget the “sons of b*tches” comment regarding Kaepernick! “I think I have great relationships with all people” you thought wrong, Donald
Ava: “I am the least racist person in this room" THE NERVE
River: does trump, like. hear himself when he talks
Denisce: is it me or did he get extra tan. not since Abraham Lincoln... I-- I think the worst part about this…."I do love the environment but I love the clean water and cleanest air" Pres. Trump is the Lorax
River: SDFGHJGFDERFTGHJ
Ruth: you took me out with Lorax 😭
Denisce: we're all just hoppin' through hoops for AOC + 3… omg i had forgotten about trump saying that windmills caused cancer and were environmentally disastrous because of the birds. AHHHHHHHH. HE SAID IT AGAIN. " I know more about wind" ok airbender. stop forcing our tios to work at dangerous oil rigs to escape poverty
Ruth: “making more money than ever” so they deserve to die upon being exposed to and living around toxic chemicals?! Okay now we're talking about leadership. “Success will bring us together” success for whom? Rich white straight males?
Ava: Say it 👏
Denisce: Biden's biggest fault is his inconsistent views. Supposedly opposing environmental racism while supporting fracking that harms our communities. He also opposes medicare for all that would provide life saving procedures, and medicines that would allow our communities to thrive. Election Day is November 3rd, but go to the polls during Early Voting!!
Ruth: Already voted for the first time! 🥳
Want more from Teen Vogue? Check this out: Why Vote in 2020? The Election Is Not Just About Trump vs. Biden
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