Students and faculty packed the Alumni Lounge Sunday (October 9) to watch presidential candidates Hillary Rodham Clinton and Donald J. Trump faced off once again on stage for the second of three presidential debates, which was held at Washington University in St. Louis, Missouri.
The debate took a town hall style format with questions asked from selected audience members, who were all undecided voters, and questions submitted from voters at home. Moderating the debate was CNN’s Anderson Cooper and ABC News’ Martha Raddatz.
Trump showed up out for blood as he laid out his agenda his agenda for Clinton if he was elected as president in response to the 33 thousand missing emails.
“I didn’t think I’d say this, but I’m going to say it, and I hate to say it. But if I win, I am going to instruct my attorney general to get a special prosecutor to look into your situation, because there has never been so many lies, so much deception,” Trump said. “There has never been anything like it, and we’re going to have a special prosecutor.”
Clinton came back with a quick response saying expressing how great it is that Trump is not in charge of implementing the law to which he responded, “you’d be in jail.”
Controversy over Trump’s recent “locker room talk” was brought up expressing his apologies for the statements and how was not proud of what he said degrading women.
“I apologized to my family and I apologized to the American people. Certainly I’m not proud of it. But this is locker room talk. You know when you have a world where we have ISIS chopping off heads … where you have so many bad things happening, this is like medieval times,” said Trump.
Clinton question Trump’s leading ability and referred to how no matter the party all leaders feel the same.
“You know with prior Republican nominees running for President, I disagreed with them on politics, policies, principles, but I never questioned their fitness to serve,” Clinton said. “Donald Trump is different. I said starting back in June that he was not fit to be President and Commander-in-Chief. And, many Republicans and Independents have said the same thing.”
Trump did take the tactic of trying to appeal to fallen presidential nominee Bernie Sanders by mention him and how agreed with his different stance. He also slid in how he believed that Sanders was cheated out of the election.
Although the crowd at the debate hall at Washington University, those in Alumni Lounge cheered, laughed, and booed as the candidates faced off against each other. The watch party also provided a space for students to express their political and engage in meaningful conversation.
The Political Science Department sponsored the watchparty and also polled students both before and after the debate to gage the impact the candidates performances had on their decision.
The next and final debate will be held on Wednesday, October 19 at the University of Nevada in Las Vegas and will be moderated by Fox News’ Chris Wallace.
The communication department will hold a watchparty to celebrate the final debate in Maxcy 103 with food and beverages.
