Pizza and Presidents: The 2024 Presidential Debate

Kimberly Chen ’26

Donald Trump and Kamala Harris’ 2024 Presidential Debate, and NMH’s take on it.

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Emily Liu ’27 | Emery Vitrano ’26

Shortly before 8 p.m. on September 10th, students filed into Grandin holding blankets and computers, stopping briefly at a table piled high with drinks and pizza. The room was buzzing with anticipation for the only scheduled debate between the two leading candidates to become the United States’ next president - Kamala Harris and Donald Trump.

Initially, the debate screening was only intended for students in specific history and social science classes. However, dozens of students not enrolled in these classes showed up. Crowds of students were lined up, waiting for faculty members to take their attendance. At the same time, other faculty yelled at over-excited students, warning them that they were not allowed to be in Grandin if their teachers didn’t assign the debate as homework. Still, many sophomores and other upperclassmen stayed. Lorelai Galway ‘27, a day student, chose to stay on campus to watch the debate because she was curious about other students’ reactions, and felt “part of something important” watching in Grandin. With the debate starting soon, faculty did not have enough time to distinguish who was supposed to be there from who wasn’t.

As the big screen lit up with ABC’s channel, moderators David Muir and Linsey Davis explained the rules for the debate. Each candidate was given two minutes to answer a question, two minutes for rebuttals, and one minute for follow-ups, clarifications, or responses. The debate captured nearly 58 million viewers, and started with a handshake and former president Trump saying, “Nice to see you. Have fun.”

The first question of the night was directed to Harris.“When it comes to the economy, do you believe that Americans are better off than they were four years ago?” To this, Harris talked about growing up in the middle class, and having a “second mother” who was a small business owner. She mentioned having “a plan that is about lifting up the middle class and working people of America.” Harris also stated that she has “a plan to build an ‘opportunity economy’.” However, she never specified what her plans were and what they entailed. 

Galway commented on Harris’ statement, saying that, “You don’t see a lot of people with a lot of power supporting small businesses. But every business starts off as a small business.”

In Trump's response to Harris’ statement, he claimed that he “created one of the greatest economies in the history of [America],” and that he will  “do it again, and even better.” He also argued that “many [prices] are 50, 60, 70, and 80 percent higher than they were just a few years ago.” 

In his response, Trump also mentioned China, which brought many students’ attention from their pizza to the screen. Laughter filled the room, and some exchanged smirks with their neighbors. Continuing his response, Trump claimed Harris was agreeing with his philosophy on trade policies, and then said, “In fact, I was going to send her a MAGA hat.” Grandin filled with roaring laughter.

Following questions about the economy, Trump was asked about his conflicting views on abortion. Confused faces were present throughout Trump’s response, but they turned into gasps and shocks of horror when he mentioned that Harris was allowing “execution after birth.” The crowd had a mixture of laughter and facepalms too, accompanied by expressions of confusion. The loudest reaction of the night from students came when Davis corrected Trump by stating “There is no state in this country where it is legal to kill a baby after it’s born.” Students clapped and cheered, giving their support for the moderator’s response. 

Next, the topic of immigration came up. Muir began by addressing Vice President Harris, and how she was tasked by President Biden with “getting to the root causes of migration from Central America.” He then commented on how “[illegal] border crossings have reached a record high,” questioning Harris, “Why did the administration wait until 6 months before the election to act?” He also asked, “Would you have done anything differently than President Biden on this?” In response, Harris brought up her prosecutorial record against transnational criminal organizations. She then mentioned a border security bill that she supported which would have put 1500 more agents at the border, but claimed that Trump called his supporters in Congress and told them to “Kill the bill.”

Trump responded to Harris’ statement by saying, “Our country is being lost, we're a failing nation.” He also stated that “If [Harris] becomes president, this country does not have a chance of success.”

In an interview following the debate, Julia Tochihuitl ‘27, commenting on the topic of immigration, said, “Where I come from, there is a really big Hispanic population. When the news was going around that Trump was running [back in 2016], a lot of people - undocumented or not in my hometown - [were scared]. I feel like the fear was definitely transferred to me growing up.” 

Moving onto the wars in Israel/Palestine and Ukraine, Davis first stated that “An estimated 40 thousand Palestinians are dead, and nearly 100 [Israeli] hostages remain” while addressing Harris. Davis then asked her, “President Biden has not been able to break through the stalemate, how would you do it?” In her response, Harris answered that  “Israel has a right to defend itself…[but]  how it does so matters.” Later, she conveyed some anti-war sentiment with statements such as: “This war must end,” “We need a ceasefire deal and we need the hostages out,” and “We must chart a course for a two-state solution.”

Trump's response was, “If I were president, it would have never started.” He also said that Russia would have never gone into Ukraine and there was no threat of war for four years. Trump made a statement about Harris saying that “She hates Israel. She wouldn't even meet with Netanyahu [the Israeli President] when he went to Congress to make a very important speech. She refused to be there because she was at a sorority party.” 

Hisu Kang ‘26, an international student from South Korea, mentioned how she was interested in the election because of how America influences other countries. She also understood how domestic policy changes may affect people like her. “I think [the election] will really affect my future. Especially after the college fair, I’ve been thinking about some potential places I want to go, but how would the education system or free speech change with the tide of who’s in power?” 

NMH currently has approximately 145 international students, all of whom need a F-1 student visa to enter the United States. Back in September 2020, the Trump administration sought to limit the student visa to two years, a cut to the current policy that keeps a visa valid until the student completes their education. A Vox investigation has found this proposed rule would impact students from 59 countries, and target those from African countries. If a second Trump term were to happen, this proposed plan could turn into reality. 

Among the class of 2025 are the nation’s newest voters, who will decide on which plans will continue into enforcement. “There are so many issues that will profoundly impact this generation of students”, said history teacher Charlie Malcolm. “It is critical for young people to engage and not accept the current direction of our country, because the consequences are too profound.”

 As the debate came to a close, students filed out of Grandin, with chatter filling the night air about the highlights and lowlights of each candidate.