After Joe Biden’s less-than-stellar debate performance against Donald Trump in June, he took the advice of Democrats and Republicans alike and dropped out of the 2024 presidential race. On Aug. 22, Vice President Kamala Harris formally accepted the Democratic Presidential nomination, making history as the first woman of color to lead a major party.
Election forecasters currently project Harris to take a slight lead against Trump in November, but as seen with Biden, poor debate performances can wreak havoc on presidential campaigns. Temple students are looking forward to watching the candidates face each other on Sept. 10 in Philadelphia at the National Constitution Center.
“I think the interesting thing is a lot of Trump’s early campaign was based around Biden’s age, and now Trump is the older candidate,” said Ethan Shanahan, a freshman psychology major. “I think it’ll be interesting to see how he handles questions about that.”
While Trump dubbed 81-year-old Biden ‘Sleepy Joe,’ his ridicule surrounding Biden’s age is starting to backfire. An Aug. 7 poll conducted by Marquette Law School reports that 57% of respondents say Trump, who recently turned 78, is too old to be president.
Temple students are also eager to hear the candidates discuss abortion during their debate, especially after the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade in 2022, ending the constitutional right to abortion.
“I also think that abortion right now, especially with Roe v. Wade, and the status of where it’s at, should be talked about,” said Grace Sullivan, a senior film and media arts major. “I’m a woman from the South myself, so I’m obviously kind of worried about what’s going to happen to us depending on who gets elected here.”
Following the overturn of Roe v. Wade, fourteen primarily southern Republican-controlled states implemented total abortion bans with limited exceptions. Florida, Georgia, Iowa and South Carolina banned abortions after six weeks of pregnancy.
Trump’s updated abortion position leaves decisions regarding reproductive rights to the states, while Harris has historically supported national abortion rights and condemned the Supreme Court’s ruling.
Abortion has been a topic of contention throughout the campaign since Trump nominated three Supreme Court justices during his term. His choice to replace the now-deceased Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg with a conservative, Amy Coney Barrett, generated fear within the Democratic Party. Barrett, along with Trump’s other two picks, all voted to overturn Roe V. Wade.
“I hope that they can talk about who they’re going to put as a Supreme Court nomination because we know what Trump did and what that led to, and Kamala is going to have, I think, two options for it based off of who’s retiring,“ said Lillian Huber, a junior exercise and sports science major. “So doing that and making sure, like abortion pills, like nationwide, all those types of laws that we can protect and what bills we want and won’t sign.”
While Trump has not explicitly endorsed a national abortion ban, Project 2025, the Republican-led blueprint for his potential second term, would place restrictions on emergency contraceptives, birth control and at-home medication abortions. Trump claims to have no involvement with Project 2025, but more than 140 former advisors from his administration have been involved.
A major priority among students ahead of the debate is hearing what Harris and Trump have to say regarding the Israel-Hamas war. The United States’ longstanding allyship with Israel has yet to crack amid increasing pressure from protesters for a ceasefire agreement.
The Biden Administration has received significant backlash from college-aged protesters for financially supporting Israel’s military during the war. Harris contrasted Biden’s pro-Israel views in July, telling Israel’s Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, that it’s time to end the war.
“I don’t think we can ignore the fact that Kamala is actively vice president during all of this like she’s not just a candidate going on,” said an environmental engineering student who was granted anonymity. “So I do think there’s an added level of pressure for her to speak on these things.”
Some feel Harris’ verbal support for Palestinians is not enough to secure her Gen Z vote; many students want to hear her develop plans to reduce Israeli allyship. Although the Biden Administration received criticism for supporting Israel, students are hopeful Kamala will be a strong voice that the Democratic Party lacked in the last debate.
“I think this is a great debate and great opportunity for the Democratic Party because Kamala Harris contrasts Donald Trump a lot and contrasts Joe Biden a lot,” said Evelyn Consolla, a freshman hospitality major. “She is a very concise speaker that has her talking points together, I believe, and has a youthful edge over Donald Trump.”
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