The most watched presidential debate yet?

Clinton and Trump, Face-to-Face

Written by Adriana Watson, Staff Writer

The time has come for all of us, young or old, to turn on the televisions, grab ourselves a bag of popcorn, and pretend we’ve been paying attention to the snow blizzard that has become the 2016 presidential election.

This election has been a year of firsts. Not only have we had the first female to reach the primary debates, we’ve also managed to vote one of the first non-politician into the same debates. Whether it’s the contrast in character or the strong differences in opinion, it’s an undeniable fact that the first presidential debate of the season was a strange one. In fact, it’s possible to argue for hours as to who won overall. However, one only needed to mute the television and watch the body language of the two candidates to see who got to the finish line first.

As Secretary Clinton smirked over the podium hurling accusations at Mister Trump, the red-faced business man began to stumble over his words and repeat himself again and again as the clock continued to tick down, leaving him much less time to make a solid statement. Despite this display, Mister Trump’s performance at the beginning of the debate should not be overlooked. For the first 30 minutes of the race to win over the crowds, Mister Trump had Secretary Clinton running away from questions and counter statements regarding her email scandal and her seemingly nonexistent plan for creating more jobs in America.

Sadly, as many experts predicted, Mister Trump began to lose his flair as the time dragged on. This opened the door for Secretary Clinton to sweep in and make a big impression on viewers and reporters alike, tripping Mister Trump up with accusations regarding his support of the war on Iraq and his mistreatment of women. Although content is certainly important, the two candidates composure should be considered as well. One of the more subtle, but still rather important details can actually be found in the manner the candidates used to address each other. While Mister Trump addressed his opponent as “Secretary Clinton”, he was addressed as simply “Donald” in return. Although this interaction would be perfectly acceptable in a regular situation, it comes across as an insult here, giving the impression that Secretary Clinton has no respect for her opponent.

Mister Trump isn’t completely innocent, though, as he interrupted Secretary Clinton on multiple occasions, cutting her off and denying her important time. This first debate, no matter how many people view it, nor how many analysts debate about it, does not determine everything. Although Secretary Clinton did get a boost in the polls, the only time we will truly know who is winning is after the polls close and the votes are tallied. Until then, we can all kick back and watch as the events of what is turning out to be one of the most entertaining elections yet, unfold.