Last Monday, the first presidential debate broke records as the most watched in history. According to CNN, the debate garnered over 84 million viewers. Donald Trump, the Republican candidate, and Hillary Clinton, the Democratic candidate, faced off in heated discussions on important issues such as the economy, terrorism, and racism. After the debate, the media seems to be split over who exactly won. By traditional standards, Clinton won; but this election is not exactly what you would call traditional. While not armed with conventional methods, Trump was able to solidify his supporters in a way unique to politics.

 The debate started out surprisingly civil, with both sides opening without interruptions. Clinton opened with a detailed description of how she wanted to improve the United States, covering a broad range of topics. Trump began in similar fashion, but talking more about the issues he believes to be the most pressing, such as getting rid of our 20 trillion dollar debt. However, after the opening statements, the interruptions began. Juliana Martinez, a junior, said moderator Lester Holt was “respectable when the candidates asked to comment, but…I think he should have cut them off when the 2 minute limit was over.” In general, Holt seemed unable to stop the candidates from speaking over one another.

 Hillary Clinton had a lot of strong suits in this debate, most importantly being her restraint. Despite numerous interruptions by Trump, Clinton was able to keep her cool and often laughed off accusations. She started off by going straight into her plans, giving plenty of specific details and making big promises. Junior Kyrese Washington says, “She was able to answer the majority of the questions without trying to go around them.” Overall, she did a good job of making sure her stances were clear while also poking holes in Donald Trump’s plans. There were a couple of eye-roll moments, such as her throwing in a self-promotion for her book and calling her deleting 33,000 emails simply a “mistake”. Clinton’s biggest fault was her inability to make an emotional connection with the audience, which is what drew people to Obama in the 2008 and 2012 elections. She had solid plans, but said nothing to stir people into action.

 Donald Trump is an anomaly when it comes to presidential candidates. With no prior political experience, he uses his business as a replacement qualification. His inexperience actually seems to be a positive for citizens that are sick of politicians promising too much but never delivering. Trump avoided the topic of him not releasing his tax returns and could not resist jumping at Clinton’s bait. While he tended to air on the vague side of things, often avoiding specifics, he did what Donald Trump does best: speak his mind. No one ever has to guess at what Trump’s opinions are, as he has never been shy about stating them. Where Clinton can be lacking in her emotional response, that is one place where Trump excels. His strong suit is tapping into people’s anger at the government and using it in his favor. He most likely did not draw in many new supporters, but he did a good job at solidifying himself with his voters.

 The general consensus to this debate appears to be pretty apprehensive, as both candidates have likability issues. This first presidential debate reminded people how fast the election is coming up and how important it is, now more than ever, to choose their candidate. Make sure to tune in to the Vice Presidential debate on October 4th and the second Presidential debate on October 9th.