As former President Donald Trump and Vice President Kamala Harris faced off in their first official debate of the election season, UT students attended various watch parties on campus and in West Campus.
Pizza and Politics at the DMC
The Annette Strauss Institute for Civic Life hosted a “Pizza and Politics” debate watch party. The event provided food, drinks and debate bingo cards to attendees with bingo spots including mentions of Project 2025, Joe Biden and election interference.
Around 300 people gathered in the downstairs DMC auditorium — almost all seats were filled, and about 50 people watched the debate in an “overflow room.”
Ariana Hernandez, human development and family sciences freshman, said she did not expect a high turnout for the watch party and was excited to hear everyone’s thoughts about the debate.
“I’m really passionate about this election because of how much it has to do with human rights, personally,” Hernandez said. “Just like hearing what Trump said and his ideas, I don’t really align with them, so I want to see Kamala pull through for a lot of us minorities.”
During commercial breaks, the host of the event, Mark Strama, director of the Strauss Institute and professor in the department of communication studies, asked the crowd if the debate had swayed their decisions about who they will vote for.
Joseph Stepniewski, a second-year journalism and media PhD student, said he thought both candidates were speaking about what their campaigns “told them to do.” He said he thought Trump got off track but it was not unexpected.
“I think the dogs and cats thing is definitely going to be a headline,” Stephniewski said. “The transgender prisoner, whatever (Trump) said, is going to be a headline.”
After the debate, Maria Piedra Castillo, a government and rhetoric and writing senior, said she thought neither side was particularly energized after seeing the debate, and both sides heard what they expected.
“It was also really just nice to see that people still care,” Piedra Castillo said. “I feel like apathy is definitely trending, especially about politics, and so to see such a great turnout, I thought it was really, really encouraging.”
Not Our Texas and National Black Law Student Association
The National Black Law Student Association and Not Our Texas hosted a debate watch party in the Jester Auditorium, drawing approximately 100 students by the time the debate began at 8 p.m.
Marketing sophomore Kaitlyn Koba, who helped organize the watch party, said the event was meant to provide a space for students regardless of race, class and gender.
Koba said NBLSA provided pizza and decorations for the event, but organizing the event was a community effort between individuals from various groups.
Government sophomore Folakemi Elekolusi said there’s been a shift in energy since Harris became the democratic nominee, and said she was interested to see how “racial politics” influenced the candidates’ performance.
“Everybody’s excited to see how this really goes down,” Elekolusi said. “Kamala Harris is a phenomenal debater. She has very interesting strategies, especially how she carries herself as a black woman in public, so I’m interested to see how she goes hard on Trump, but also, in a way, carries herself with a lot of sophistication.”
During a commercial break, Tytianah Mckinley, a government and English junior, said it was inspiring to see Harris, a Black woman, on the national stage and motivating to see Black students come together to watch the debate.
“This is the first presidential election where I can actually vote,” Mckinley said. “I’m very curious, and I really want to know more about who I’m voting for, regardless of parties, just so I can be well rounded in a discussion.”
After the debate ended, Jonathan Lewis, a government and Plan II freshman, said it reinforced the perceptions he previously held about both candidates.
“I feel like Kamala performed really well and did what she had to do … to be successful,” Lewis said. “Donald Trump, he kind of did what I feel like most people expected him to do, and that really wasn’t beneficial for his campaign.”
Victory Lap
Around 90 people showed up to Victory Lap, a bar located in West Campus, to attend its debate watch party outside.
During the debate, students walking past the venue were seen stopping outside the fence of the bar to watch the event with the crowd.
The crowd throughout the debate remained generally calm, but had a large reaction when Harris called Trump a felon. People in the crowd cheered and laughed when Harris stated “you’re not running against Joe Biden, you’re running against me.”
When Trump said immigrants were “eating the dogs” in Springfield, OH, the crowd appeared to find the statement jarring. ABC News anchor and moderator David Muir denied the claim. He said Springfield’s city manager had no credible reports of pets being harmed.
