By JANICE KWON, SARA ZIMMERMAN and GRACE GAGLIANO
With election day upon us, it is clear that former President Donald Trump and Vice President Kamala Harris are increasingly motivated to get the vote of the younger generations. Harris recently appeared on the extremely popular “Call Her Daddy” podcast, and Trump was recently interviewed by Theo Von and Logan Paul on each of their podcasts, all of which are popular among younger audiences.
Sophomore Ariana H. called upon her school lessons about propaganda to handle some of the media blitz she experienced during the campaign. She said, “Kamala’s media team is way too focused on marketing towards Gen Z. I mean, not all of us can vote yet. Speaking of that, most people can’t even tell what’s real propaganda anymore just because it’s coming to us in the form of trends.”
Jericho High School students have strong opinions about this election and the issues our next president will face. We conducted an anonymous survey to see what is on the minds of JHS students in regards to this presidential election. Eighty-nine students responded and their answers are as varied and interesting as they are.
Jericho students responded to our survey and revealed what issues they feel are most important for our next president to address.
Many Americans feel the most important issues facing the next president are the economy, immigration and gun control, and these were the same issues Jericho students rated as most crucial. Sophomore Dylan G. feels the first two are connected. He said, “I believe that a secure border is essential for national security and economic stability.”
Sophomore Jinglan C. felt reproductive rights is one of the most important issues. They said, “Healthcare is a basic need for every human on earth.”
They added, “There is no argument that reproductive rights should or shouldn’t be a thing, it needs to be a thing and protected just like every other right of Americans.”
Jericho students demonstrated their interest in this presidential election with large numbers watching the only debate between Harris and Trump.
On September 9, 2024, Trump and Harris had their first and only presidential debate. This particular debate left many Americans stunned with Trump’s accusations that Haitian immigrants who reside in Springfield, Ohio, were eating dogs. Sophomore Ariana H. said, “Kamala ended up attacking Trump rather than vice versa, which was mildly surprising to me. The whole debate was a spectacle, and I felt Trump kept getting off point and it was getting infuriating.”
With one more day until the election, students can’t wait to hear the results. Along with the rest of the country, they will be checking the news and social media for the final outcome.
Good job delivering nonpartisan news on a difficult topic!