As America stayed glued to the television for the first-ever 2016 U.S. Elections presidential debate between Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump last Monday, Sept. 26, children were also observing how it played out. These kids might be too young to cast their votes but they sure have a lot to say about the way the candidates behaved during the debate.
Some 16 student council leaders from middle schools in New Jersey were asked about what they have seen from the debate and many said that the presidential hopefuls were not in their best behavior. Donald Trump's constant interruption of Hillary Clinton didn't escape the kids, who cited Trump was rude and disrespectful. However, some of the children also observed that Clinton seemed to be laughing at Trump's ideas and came off as arrogant.
The children thought that Hillary Clinton generally did a better job over Donald Trump in the first debate, but majority said that this election is the most frustrating. "The thing that makes me most frustrated is how they're treating each other like enemies, like they don't even respect each other, and they don't have any tolerance for each other when they're talking," seventh grader Jade Hieger told CNN.
The kids proposed that the presidential candidates should probably fight less in the next debate, which happens Oct. 9. "They should let the candidates speak and then tell what they want to do but propose a plan on stage," eighth grader Michael Usatine said.
SheKnows Media also asked another group of kids about their observation of the first presidential debate. Most of them believed that Hillary Clinton did better than Donald Trump. Watch the children discuss the debate at the end of this article.
Meanwhile, Quartz reports that some parents have deliberately not let their children watch the debate for fear that it would require explaining the candidates' behavior at great lengths. However, this can be a good teaching moment, especially for teenagers, to show them the best ways to say their opinion without being disrespectful
