Dorothy Ha, Contributing Photographer

As Americans across the country tuned in to last night’s presidential debate, over 400 Yalies watched the Trump vs. Harris faceoff in one of Yale’s largest lecture halls. 

The debate on Sept. 10, which was hosted by ABC News, was the first between former President Donald Trump and Vice President Kamala Harris. Harris assumed the position of the Democratic nominee after President Joe Biden dropped out of the race in July; many pressured Biden to drop out of the race after his poor June debate performance against Trump. 

Yalies gathered at the watch party hosted by YaleVotes, a non-partisan, student-led organization that promotes voter turnout. The organization received funding from the Office of the Secretary and Vice President for University Life for party decorations, food and promotional material. 

The debate was highly anticipated as a chance for both candidates to further showcase their respective platforms. 

“Compared to the debate with Trump and Biden, I think this one painted a much, much better picture,” Violet Dorsey-Reyes ’28, who attended the YaleVotes debate watch party, told the News. “We were able to get more out of each candidate, rather than the kind of comical back and forth which was the last one.” 

YaleVotes leaders told the News that over 700 people registered to attend the event, including students from every residential college, graduate and professional school as well as some faculty members. About 400 people attended, filling up SSS 114, where the event was held.

The crowd was energetic: often cheering, clapping, laughing or booing as the candidates sparred. 

“We’re a nonpartisan organization, so we can’t really comment on the substance of the debate,” YaleVotes President Alex Moore ’26 told the News. “But, I would say it’s really exciting to see how amped up people are about watching the debate and the reactions to the candidates tonight.” 

Moore and YaleVotes Vice-President Julia Lin ’26 told the News that the debate watch party served as an important opportunity to register voters and distribute absentee ballot forms. About 40 students came to their voter registration table throughout the event. 

Although the event was non-partisan, the crowd clapped and cheered when Harris articulated her policy points on abortion, immigration and the middle class. 

One of the biggest cheers of the night came when Harris spoke about restoring Roe vs. Wade, specifically her line: “the government and Donald Trump certainly should not be telling a woman what to do with her body.” 

The audience often reacted with incredulity or laughter when Trump made misleading or false statements, including his claim that immigrants are “eating the cats” and that Harris and Democratic Vice-Presidential Candidate Tim Walz support abortion in the ninth month or even post-birth “execution.”

“I’ve been really impressed with Vice President Harris. She’s effectively brought the fight to Trump, especially on issues that he’s weaker on,” Giuseppe Di Massa ’28 told the News. “Trump, on the other hand, has shown who he really is. He’s ranting and raving, unable to coherently deliver sentences and talking about dead puppies being eaten rather than the concerns everyday Americans have like food, gas prices and housing.” 

Some students were less than satisfied with Harris’ performance at the debate. 

Diego Victoria ’27 said that Harris was not specific enough with her policy points. 

“I think that Kamala, instead of being actually direct, always kept saying, ‘I have a plan. I have something to help the people,’ but was never really specific on what she actually would do” he said. 

Victoria added that although Trump “for the most part did a good job,” he should have spent more time on topics “such as the Afghanistan withdrawal and the economy.” 

Ainsley Kroon ’28 told the News that she took away from the debate that Harris was more successful at appealing to moderate voters. 

“Kamala was doing her best to appeal to the greater population of our country, whereas Trump, even if he was trying to, was unable to really speak to people other than his base,” Kroon said. “I don’t think Kamala lost any votes. I think she only gained them, which I’m very excited about.” 

Voter registration and absentee voting regulations differ across states.