On September 29, the 2020 presidential debate between President Donald J. Trump and presidential candidate Joe Biden was streamed in homes all across America. It was a heated debate that has sparked a lot of controversy with the question, “who won the debate?”

There are many people who believe Joe Biden’s passive nature to be what gave him the victory. While others agreed more with Donald Trump’s aggressive strategy and believed he won. However, countless other Americans were appalled by what occurred during the debate and disliked both canidate’s strategies.

The debate sparked heated discussions between the candidates with topics about the economy, race, violence, the Supreme Court, and COVID-19. Many have called the debate unpresidential and hard to watch. Both candidates interrupted and disrespected the other; in fact, one of the quotes from the debate was “Folks, do you have any idea what this clown is doing?” Which was said by Biden after getting frustrated from one of Trump’s many interruptions. Many people have very strong opinions on the debate, especially teens who are nowadays very politically aware and active.

Despite most teens not being able to vote, many still have strong political viewpoints and are vocal about it. In fact, at Faith Lutheran there are a wide variety of diverse people who fall in different sides of the political spectrum.  Students have strong political beliefs and watched the debate vigorously in order to be aware of the current political climate.

Adrienne Anderson, a left leaning student, described her opinions on the debate and when asked who she believed won the debate, she stated, “I don’t think there was a clear winner in the debate, but I do think Biden composed himself more and showed more respect to the moderator and opponent compared to Trump.” She stated that despite Biden also adding to the many interruptions that occurred during the debate, he tended to listen more than Donald Trump did.

However, Kenneth Lozich, a republican, had an opposing opinion on the same matter. He stated, “Trump has won the debate because I believe his plans work better.” He agreed with President Trump’s aggressive approach and said, “He defended himself because the moderator of this debate seemed to be very biased.” He even attacked Joe Biden’s strategy by saying, “I feel like Biden’s approach was a little lazy.”

Mr. Tonniges, a debate teacher at Faith Lutheran gave more of a neutral stance on the candidates. He could not state who won the debate, but he did give some insight on how debates should be handled, which differs from what occurred during the Presidential Debate. He explained that the debate was difficult to watch because of how both parties acted. He stated, “It is important that when we debate, that we have reasoned opinion and listen to the other side to be civil and better understand the reasons why we disagree.”

With the 2020 presidential election nearing, people are deciding on which candidate they should give their support to. There have been many other debates that occurred after the first, including the Vice Presidential debate on October 7, 2020. Then there was a final presidential debate on October 22.

This is a crucial election that could go to either party because of all the mixed reviews of each candidate. However, it is important for people to go out and vote no matter what side of the political spectrum they are on. Currently, Biden’s polling average is 51.4 percent while Trump’s is 42.9 percent (RCP). Despite Biden currently leading in the polls, there is no knowing what will unfold on the days leading up to November 3, 2020, Election Day.