On October 29, the Institute of Politics (IOP) hosted a student debate between Kate Davis and Chris Phillips, both fourth-years representing the UChicago Democrats and UChicago College Republicans respectively, on the upcoming presidential election. Moderated by NBC Chief Political Analyst Chuck Todd, the students discussed topics ranging from student debt to border security in an attempt to sway UChicago student voters on why the candidate from their party is better suited for the White House.
The debate covered four key sections: the economy, personal rights, security, and immigration. For each topic, the representatives received 90 seconds to respond to every question as well as a potential rebuttal (30 seconds) at Todd’s discretion.
Starting off with economic issues, Todd asked both candidates to address how their candidate would bring down the cost of living, particularly for young voters.
Phillips started off by arguing that government spending and the Biden Administration’s Inflation Reduction Act, which he labeled the “Inflation Explosion Act,” were the top causes of inflation and the rise in costs of living. “Gen Z Americans will receive reduced inflation through curtailing government spending, increasing and encouraging energy production under various other tax incentives,” Phillips said.
In response to Phillips’ attacks on the Biden-Harris administration, Davis discussed Harris’s plan to target price-gouging companies, which she believes to be the true cause of inflation. “In 2021, we saw prices skyrocket as companies took advantage of COVID supply chain disruptions and changing consumer behavior to hike up prices and give themselves historically fat profit markets,” Davis said, mentioning that Harris would cut taxes for those making under $400,000 a year.
The debate then shifted to the topic of reproductive rights. Todd directly addressed Davis with his next question: “With a divided Congress, what is realistic that a president Harris could do in order to restore reproductive rights for citizens in all 50 states?’
Davis started off by citing the negative effects of the overturning of *Roe v. Wade*. “Kamala Harris is going to make [abortion access] a top priority the moment she gets in the White House,” Davis said. “She’s going to fight tooth and nail against every state that’s creating hurdles for women to purchase contraception products in this country.”
In response, Phillips said he believed the overturning of *Roe v. Wade* did not ban abortion but rather shifted the authority to establish abortion laws to individual states.
“With regard to the federal level, Donald Trump is committed to not implementing any abortion bans, because he understands that this is now a state issue,” Phillips said. “Any sort of discourse otherwise is nonsense.”
Davis responded to Phillips’s claims by arguing that Trump takes a pro-life stance only to gain voters.
“Donald Trump was asked this very question, why has he been back and forth on the pro-life issue? You know what he said? He looked into the camera to the American people and said, ‘You gotta do what you gotta do to win elections.’ That’s what Donald Trump thinks. That’s what Donald Trump thinks about the right to your body.”
Phillips then went on to argue that abortion restrictions reduce abortion rates, which Davis refuted, saying abortion bans instead increased rates of maternal mortality.
Moving on to the discussion about gun laws, Phillips characterized the Democrats’ gun control policy as faulty and ineffective at preventing violent crimes.
“All it’s done is make it harder for people to defend themselves in the case of a mugging or other sort of violent crime. Meanwhile, criminals are left to run and roam freely on and around our campus and rob people,” he said.
Davis argued that, on the contrary, gun control hasn’t been effective because criminals are able to purchase guns from neighboring states with minimal gun control laws, and said Harris would implement an assault weapons ban, universal background checks, and making sure those experiencing mental illness cannot gain possession of a firearm. She specifically argues for the implementation of the ‘red flag’ program—laws designed to allow the courts to temporarily seize firearms from anyone believed to be a danger to themselves or others.
On border security, Todd asked both candidates to address the border crisis and their respective candidate’s plans to resolve it, as well as whether the United States had enough immigrants.
“[Donald Trump] will seal the border,” Phillips said. “He will deport the people, starting with the murderers, the rapists, and the criminals, who should not be here, and he will make this country safe again.”
Davis stated migrants are half as likely to commit violent crimes as compared to U.S citizens and said Trump’s border policy had led to migrant deaths. Phillips countered by arguing the Biden administration’s border policy had enabled illegal migrants to enter the United States and commit serious crimes.
“One killing, one rape, one incidence of theft is too much. People who shouldn’t be in this country in the first place come here and then commit a crime,” Phillips said, calling the Biden administration’s approach “insanity” and an “open border policy.”
Countering Phillips’s claims, Davis argued Trump does not care about the border crisis and has no plan to resolve the issue.
“[Trump] doesn’t have a single long term solution, and as I said before, the best way to solve the migrant crisis is through diplomacy,” Davis said.
Todd then asked about foreign policy, starting with the Russia-Ukraine war and the U.S role within the conflict.
Davis argued in favor of Harris’s plan for Americans to rally support for Ukraine and stop Putin from advancing into Ukrainian territory.
“Kamala Harris knows that Russia is one of the greatest threats to American national security as well as she promises to continue supporting the will of the Ukrainian people because it’s the right thing to do. She also knows that giving as much aid as needed to Ukraine is in the best interest for the American people,” Davis said.
Phillips, referencing Trump’s claim that he could end the Russia-Ukraine war within 24 hours of entering office, blamed the Biden administration for wars beginning during their tenure.
“All of the chaos, all of the wars, all of the conflicts that have occurred across the globe over the last three and a half years have been the fault of Joe Biden and Kamala Harris, with regards to the disastrous pullout from Afghanistan,” Phillips said.
Both candidates then went on to discuss the Israel-Hamas war.
Phillips argued that under Trump’s leadership, the Israel-Hamas war would have never occurred. He went on to reiterate that during Trump’s presidential term there were no major geo-political conflicts throughout the world.
“Whose watch was it under this eruption of this recent conflict? It was Joe Biden and Kamala Harris, another episode of their weak leadership,” Phillips said.
On the contrary, Davis stated that Harris was the only candidate out of the two who actively called for a ceasefire in the Middle East. Additionally, she asserted that Trump had abused his power and illegally called up the Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and told him to ‘do what was needed’ to end the conflict in the Middle East.
“I encourage you to look at the facts as I have: one candidate in this space has called for a ceasefire. That’s Kamala Harris. Donald Trump, last week, called Netanyahu… and he told Netanyahu to do whatever he needed to do. He didn’t criticize Netanyahu for not bringing the government hostages home, for not stopping the unnecessary murder of people in Gaza, and for not stopping democratic erosion in the State of Israel,” Davis said.
For the closing remarks, both candidates reiterated support for their candidate.
“We are voting for the ability to get on a stage like this one and tell each other what we think and not be scared to go outside because of the fear of the IRS, military, or Department of Justice knocking on our doors,” Davis said. “Join me in voting for Kamala Harris to protect our democracy.”
On the opposite side of the podium, Phillips made his closing statements. “Donald Trump has faced attacks on all fronts. They’ve tried to tarnish his reputation. But he is never deterred. He believes in this country. He’s fighting for us,” he said.
