A tale of two candidates — Vice President Kamala Harris met former President Donald Trump for their first debate on Tuesday, setting the stage for the election on Nov. 5. From foreign affairs to inflation and climate change, they discussed major issues facing the nation today.
The two candidates took the stage on the ABC-hosted debate, meeting each other for the first time live on television in front of 57.5 million viewers. Topics discussed in the 90-minute debate were broad, including large-scale issues such as the wars in Gaza and Ukraine and domestic initiatives, like healthcare plans and inflation worries. These are the key quotes from each candidate about the issues that affect Texas A&M students the most.
Issue #1: The economy
With seven business major options and over 6,000 undergraduates in Mays Business School, A&M is poised to reap either the benefits or the losses of the economic environment small businesses face.
“My plan is to give a $50,000 tax deduction to start-up small businesses, knowing they are part of the backbone of America’s economy,” Harris said on Tuesday night. “[I will] address what we must do to support our small businesses.”
“Everybody knows what I’m going to do,” Trump said. “Cut taxes very substantially. And create a great economy like I did before. We had the greatest economy … We handed them over a country where the economy and where the stock market was higher than it was before the pandemic came in.”
Issue #2: Foreign relations and energy
According to the admissions website, A&M is home to international students from over 50 countries. Foreign policy and affairs matters remain relevant for over 8% of the university population. A&M frequently advertises international enrollment opportunities to try and welcome a diverse student body, but the nation’s relationships with other countries have been historically volatile in recent years.
“Other countries are going to finally, after 75 years, pay us back for all that we’ve done for the world,” Trump said. “And the tariff will be substantial in some cases. I created one of the greatest economies in the history of our country. I’ll do it again and even better.”
International issues often impact life in Aggieland — especially after a report alleging A&M was sharing research in Qatar contributed to the shutdown of A&M Qatar earlier this year. The university’s heavy involvement in the oil and petroleum industries is also dependent on America’s relationship with oil-producing countries.
“My position is that we have got to invest in diverse sources of energy so we reduce our reliance on foreign oil,” Harris said. “We have had the largest increase in domestic oil production in history because of an approach that recognizes that we cannot over-rely on foreign oil.”
“But if she won the election, the day after that election, they’ll go back to destroying our country, and oil will be dead,” Trump said. “Fossil fuel will be dead. We’ll go back to windmills, and we’ll go back to solar, where they need a whole desert to get some energy to come out. You ever see a solar plant? By the way, I’m a big fan of solar.”
Issue #3: Abortion
Women’s health and the overturning of Roe v. Wade took center stage at the debate. Following the overturning of the landmark decision in 2021, Texas prohibited abortions after a fetal heartbeat is detectable. The abortion ban sparked protests, similar laws in other states and legislative disagreements over women’s healthcare throughout the country.
Over 47% of Aggies — roughly 36,420 students — are women, and an August poll showed 54% of Texas women wanted state abortion laws to be less strict. The candidates were asked about their standpoint on whether or not state-specific abortion bans are here to stay or if they would sign or veto a nationwide abortion ban if it arrived on their desk.
“As far as the abortion ban, no, I’m not in favor of abortion ban,” Trump said. “But it doesn’t matter because this issue has now been taken over by the states.”
“And I pledge to you, when Congress passes a bill to put back in place the protections of Roe v. Wade, as president of the United States I will proudly sign it into law,” Harris said.
Issue #4: Healthcare
A&M also provides students with access to University Health Services that treats most concerns except extraneous circumstances — and with the number of students enrolled in Medicaid increasing from 8% to 13% since the passing of the Affordable Care Act, healthcare continues to be a topical issue impacting students daily.
“If we can come up with a plan that’s going to cost our people, our population, less money and be better healthcare than Obamacare, then I would absolutely do it,” Trump said. “But until then, I’d run it as good as it can be run.”
“The value I bring to this is that access to healthcare should be a right and not just a privilege of those who can afford it,” Harris said. “And the plan has to be to strengthen the Affordable Care Act — not get rid of it.”
