On Tuesday, the College Republicans and Young Democrats at ASU both hosted watch parties for the Trump-Harris presidential debate. Both groups shared their views on the candidates' performances after the debate.
In the Memorial Union, the College Republicans at ASU transformed their room with red, white and blue decorations along with Trump-themed posters, setting a patriotic tone for the evening. Some members donned MAGA hats and Republican-themed attire.
College Republicans at ASU President, Carson Carpenter, a senior studying political science, said he hopes the event inspires his peers to engage more deeply in the political process.
“I hope that they have a renewed sense of optimism for this country, as well as an reinvigorated fight within themselves to be a part of the political process,” Carpenter said.
Haakon Carraher, the treasurer for College Republicans at ASU and a sophomore studying psychology, said he was particularly interested in seeing how Trump would handle Harris compared to Biden.
“She was more coherent than I thought she was going to be," Carraher said.
Elliot Aw, a sophomore studying mechanical engineering and a member of the College Republicans said he found Harris lacking in substantive policy discussions, feeling she relied more on emotional appeals than concrete plans.
“She made a lot of appeals to emotion without actually naming what her policies were,” Aw said.
Aw also said he believed former President Trump could have made more "solid arguments" when discussing his performance.
However, Carraher said Trump performed better in the latter half of the debate. While Carraher stayed "open-minded" about Harris, he also said he didn't believe she proved herself overall.
Carraher also said he felt that immigration was the number one issue. He said that his mother was an immigrant, and the process for her to become an official citizen took a long time.
"I want people to immigrate here," said Carraher. "It's a great country, but I want them to do it correctly."
In Lattie F. Coor Hall on the Tempe campus, the Young Dems at ASU created an entertaining environment, handing out debate bingo cards and setting up two projector screens, one streaming the event and another presenting live social media posts.
Ella Wicoff, a Young Dems at ASU member and a freshman studying mechanical engineering, said this event was meaningful for her because she believes it’s important to get involved in politics. She said she wanted to make her voice heard on policies that could affect the future.
“I was surprised the most by, number one, how much Trump decided to attack Kamala instead of choosing to defend his own policies,” said Wicoff.
Students at the Young Dems at ASU also said they were interested in how the candidates would address issues ranging from economic policies to reproductive rights.
Reilly Klug, a Young Dems at ASU member and a sophomore studying political science and business public policy, said that the issue she is most passionate about this election is reproductive rights.
“I definitely align more with Kamala Harris on reproductive rights," Klug said. "She is fighting so hard to make sure that they are going to be codified into law."
For the Young Dems at ASU, the presidential debate strengthened their decision to advocate for Harris’s campaign.
When asked how they thought both candidates performed, Ishani Mehta, a freshman studying biomedical sciences, said "it was kind of a blood bath.”
She then went on to share how she thought that there were a number of times when Trump contradicted himself, even when he was fact-checked by the moderators.
“I was always going to vote for Kamala," Nishal Mehta, a freshman studying economics, said. "I was never considering voting for Trump. I think this debate really just showed me everything that I really need to know about both candidates."
For the College Republicans, the debate reinforced their support for Trump’s platform, but Aw said that both performances could have been better.
“In not saying much, they said a lot about themselves,” said Aw.
Edited by George Headley, Sophia Ramirez and Madeline Schmitke.
Reach the reporters at tjsoren2@asu.edu and emuslim@asu.edu and follow @teannaJsorensen and @emra_m1 on X.
Like The State Press on Facebook and follow @statepress on X.
Teanna is a freshman studying journalism and mass communication. This is her first semester with The State Press. She has also worked at Utah Bride and Groom Magazine and as a National Youth Correspondent for the Washington Journalism and Media Conference.
Emra is a junior studying political science with a minor in Spanish. This is her first semester with The State Press. She has also worked at the League of Women Voters of Arizona, USG-WV, Honors College Council at Barrett and the Center for the Study of Religion and Conflict.
