On Sept. 29, the presidential debate between Joe Biden and Donald Trump quickly spiraled out of control and provided a chaotic show for viewers watching at home.

“My first thought [after the debate] was the same thing that everyone else thought,” said Joshua Schoenman, a sophomore. “No one won, but the country lost.”

This hectic debate was planned to be the first of three presidential debates. Debate organizers had already revealed the six topics for the first debate beforehand: the tax records of Trump and Biden, COVID-19, racism in the U.S., the economy, the Supreme Court and the integrity of the election. However, even with such important topics to be discussed, there were many who had already expected the debate to go awry.

Tricia Wu, a sophomore, summed her expectations up in one sentence. “Knowing current President Trump and both candidates’ tendency to avoid questions and instead attack each other, I did not come into the debate with high expectations,” she explained. 

While the moderator, Chris Wallace, succeeded in introducing these topics, nothing could’ve prepared him for the candidates’ behaviors towards one another, weaving in immature insults and even pulling family members and personal matters into the debate. As a result, jokes spawned all over the internet following the debate, discussing some of the most immature moments between the two candidates. 

“Although I expected Trump’s demeanor to be how it was, it exceeded my expectations with the unprofessionalism of the whole debate,” Wu said. “It was almost laughable in a satirical way with the seriousness of this situation.”

Many have speculated that the debate became so unmanageable because of Trump. However, Mr. Corrao, an English teacher, offered a different perspective. 

“[What made the debate get so out of hand was] the political landscape,” he said. “We’ve been so divided by politics for some reason, I don’t think it could’ve gone any other way. It was a recipe for disaster.”

Schoenman laid the situation out bluntly. “It’s a loudmouth and a man with dementia. That is what our parents have to choose between.”

Since this debate, little has been learned about either candidates’ policies. Both candidates spoke over each other and neither candidate treated the other with respect. The one thing that is certain is that this debate will go down as one of the most infamous presidential debates in U.S. history.