Last Monday, 84 million people tuned in for the first presidential debate of the 2016 election season. Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton faced off against Republican nominee Donald Trump.
As someone who has never been involved in politics, this was a heck of a first presidential debate.
I am not here to talk about the individual issues discussed in this debate; instead, I want to look at how the two candidates represented the honesty, integrity and personality needed to be president of the United States.
As for the moderator, NBC’s Lester Holt, I thought he did a great job. He was calm, collected and patient.
But he wasn’t the star of the show.
Clinton and Trump took the stage for the historic first debate between a male and female nominee. The two greeted each other cordially and took their places.
The debate took off, and it was immediately clear that Clinton had done her homework. Her opponent was obviously not as prepared.
Clinton answered questions deliberately and thoroughly, demonstrating her vast knowledge, experience and abundance of plans for our country.
True, at times she may have had too many ideas. Her first response to Holt’s question was lengthy, long-winded and it was hard to pinpoint one idea she had.
But I would rather take long-winded answers over blatant disregard for questions and personal attacks.
While Clinton took her fair share of stabs at Trump, like any presidential debate entails, Trump seemed to be more focused on his opponent’s “stamina” rather than the pertinent issues in this country.
Trump was not composed, and it’s hard to argue that. No matter how you feel about our current president and his family, they have always conducted themselves with class and grace. I have a hard time following a presidential candidate who conducts his campaign with bigotry, anger and lies.
While Clinton attempted to stay calm and in control, her opponent continually interrupted and belittled her. This was apparent in his frequent use of the word “wrong” in response to many of Clinton’s comments.
At one point, Trump criticized Clinton’s presence in states where racial issues are most pressing, and her seemingly lack of concern for such issues, to which Clinton replied, “I think Donald just criticized me for preparing for this debate … And yes, I did. And you know what else I prepared for? I prepared to be president. And I think that’s a good thing.”
Clinton armed her responses to Trump’s attacks with similar zingers and held her head high throughout his constant personal attacks.
Throughout the debate, many websites hosted live “fact checkers” in response to the scrutiny Trump has received for his not-quite-true comments during his campaign. When looking at these, it was clear that Trump was not as well-informed as his opponent.
This debate was undoubtedly a historic and entertaining one. Clinton, against her opponent’s intentions, proved herself to be more than up to the task of taking on Trump. After watching this debate, and focusing on the integrity of the candidates as people rather than their ideas, I would have to agree with U.S.A. Today’s historic comment, Trump is “unfit for the presidency.”
