Screenshot of the presidential student debate hosted by FIU Honors College
Elise Gregg / Staff Writer
FIU students represented President Donald Trump and former Vice President Joe Biden in a mock presidential debate on Oct. 7, two weeks before elections.
The FIU Honors College hosted the online debate on Wednesday and its dean, Juan Carlos Espinosa, served as the moderator between the two teams of students.
The debate covered a broad range of topics, from COVID-19 to international relations. Each team was given two minutes to answer their question, and one minute to refute their opponents.
Starting off with COVID-19, teams were asked about their plans on how they would address the pandemic if they were elected.
“I’ve taken so many actions during my administration…to make sure that states [and] hospitals are prepared,” the Trump representative said, “I am proud of the work we have done.”
The Biden team said Biden’s plan to address the virus would involve more guidelines and increased funding for vaccines, and that Trump’s personal experience with the virus was very different from that of most Americans.
Espinosa moved on to questions involving the Supreme Court, asking the Trump team whether he would have a litmus test under his administration.
The test would follow a series of questions designed to assess the nominees for higher office, in this case, Supreme Court Justice nominee Amy Coney Barret.
The Trump representative said a litmus test wasn’t necessary and that they had a legal mandate to fill the position.
Espinosa asked the Biden team what their stance would be on packing the court if Trump’s SCOTUS nominee were elected.
Biden said they don’t support packing the Supreme Court, even if Barett is approved, though he said it wouldn’t be right to confirm her during elections.
“We do not support packing the court, but I think it’s appropriate to …now that they’re rushing to confirm Amy Coney Barrett as millions are voting,” said the Biden representative.
The Biden team added that Trump’s claim that he was legally mandated to fill the position was not necessarily correct and that the Constitution “[was] written to adjust to the times it’s in.”
The next topic was race and social justice. Espinosa asked the candidates how to close the black and white divide in the U.S., and about defunding the police.
“I don’t believe there is systemic racism…police are very consistent in who gets shot and who gets arrested,” said the Trump representative.“In order to close that divide, we need more unity between [parties and races].”
The Biden team responded by saying their candidate did not support defunding the police, but because ”systematic racism is alive and well…we want to work with the police and address misconduct…[through the] U.S. Department of Justice.”
Espinosa also brought up the economy, asking the Trump team about his plans for a future stimulus check and about reports that he paid $750 in federal income tax in 2017. He asked the Biden team to explain their plan to raise taxes.
The Trump representative said the administration is doing their best to get America back on its feet, providing future stimulus packages bringing America back to its former economic state.
In regards to Trump’s taxes, the team said the allegations are fake news.
The Biden team explained his tax raise proposals were only for individuals making over $400,000 annually, and that “for the vast majority of Americans, you don’t have any concerns whatsoever for your taxes.”
The next topic was election integrity, where Espinosa asked the Biden team about their experience regarding voter suppression or protecting the vote.
The Biden representative answered saying, “It’s reprehensible…that the other side…makes these people wait and calls it securing the election.”
Trump’s team rebuttal was that it was wrong to put democracy at risk, and what Biden calls voter suppression is necessary to protect the election: “..the fact that fraud is low…testifies that laws are doing their job.”
Espinosa also asked the Trump team about Russia’s previous interference with elections, and how they would benefit from his reelection.
Their response was that Trump has been very tough on Russia recently and that although they pose a threat to the 2020 elections, domestic issues with election security were equally important.
“I believe in the U.S.’s ability to keep us safe from foreign threats,” the Trump representative said. “[But,] we need to be aware of [domestic] threats.”
Espinosa’s next topic was international relations. The Trump team was asked to explain his relationship with China, and both teams were asked about immigration policies.
The Trump team said they were taking actions both to develop a good relationship with China and condemn certain actions taken by the nation, they “don’t treat [China] as a best friend.”
Regarding immigration, the Trump team said he believes in “ending chain migration…and moving to a merit-based migration system.”
On the other hand, the Biden team pointed out Trump’s administration had not condemned China’s oppression towards the Ughyur people, and though former President Barack Obama had deported large numbers of people, Trump deports those who have lived in the U.S. for a long time.
Espinosa ended the debate by asking candidates to explain their choices in vice presidents.
The Biden team said though Biden fully intended to serve four years in office, Kamala Harris would be an excellent vice president, and be “ready on day one to execute the office of president of the United States,” should the need arise.
The Trump representative said “[Pence’s] record is clean and out there…he’s been a politician for a long time. With Kamala Harris, we don’t really know what she stands for.”
At the end of the debate, participants were able to vote on who they thought the winner of the debate was. The results were 11 votes for Trump, and 18 for Biden.
Espinosa congratulated both teams at the end of the debate, saying he was proud of both side’s performance.
Alex Sutton, a freshman majoring in political science and representative for the Biden team, said as a student he also sees events like this as important.
“I do think they’re important because I think a lot of the time people forget how important politics [are] in general,” Sutton said
Another Biden representative, Sofia Uzquiano, a senior majoring in communications and international relations agreed that it’s important to generally be involved in politics, as well as to hold events that enhance people’s understanding of the political climate.
“Having that debate I think was really important so people can understand how we as a generation would feel and the different policies that each candidate has,” Uzquiano said.
Uzquiano says she was able to get insight into both candidates’ perspectives.
PantherNOW also reached out to several members of the Trump team, but they were unwilling to do an interview because they did not want to be associated with supporting President Trump.
To see PantherNOW’s live coverage of the event, you can find it on our Twitter.
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