We are living through a dark hour in American history.
And yet somehow, among all this pain, one 90-minute debate between the two men who believe they should be the President of the United States has managed to further depress a country already in crisis.
Last Tuesday’s horror show was primarily driven by the overt nastiness of President Trump, who seemed intent on making the debate as unwatchable as possible with his constant disruptions, personal attacks and odd tangents. 
Trump’s rhetoric has never been pleasant, but he used to at least acknowledge some of the issues voters cared about (however disagreeable his solutions often were.)
During the Sept. 29 debate, the President made almost no attempt at all to speak on the severely consequential policy issues happening in this country and instead resorted to bizarre, ineffectual attacks on his opponent. 
Claiming Joe Biden is a socialist puppet of the radical left has got to be one of the most ridiculous political arguments to ever come from the Trump campaign, and that’s really saying something. 
Biden is as moderate as they come, representing a brand of Democratic politics that could not be more distinct from the progressivism of contemporaries like Bernie Sanders or Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez.
Trump’s 2016 criticisms of Hillary Clinton were effective because they played into the public’s belief that she was corrupt; meanwhile, two-thirds of voters view Biden as a more conservative Democrat, quashing the salience of Trump’s socialist attacks.
In one memorable moment, Trump told the far-right organization known as the Proud Boys to “stand back and stand by,” prompting online celebrations from members of the group, who have adopted the line as part of their merchandising. Yes: the sitting president of the United States of America instilled such delight in a neo-Nazi fascist group that they literally put his words on their uniforms.
Moderator Chris Wallace desperately tried to get the president to condemn white supremacists during the debate, but Trump struggled to choke out what should have been a shockingly easy declaration. His response was so objectionable that even Senate majority leader Mitch McConnell felt the need to distance himself from Trump’s remarks.
And naturally, the President couldn’t end the night without a little undermining of our democratic processes. Spewing endless lies about mail-in-voting, the President only succeeded in reaffirming his cowardice; after all, active efforts to suppress civic participation don’t exactly project an image of confidence. 
The President showed a true disdain for this democracy and those who participate in it. For Trump to stare the public in the eye and complain about how unfair the past few months have been for him is truly reprehensible.
In 2020, small businesses have closed due to the pandemic, child hunger has reached new heights and towns have been ravaged by flames. The President offered no sympathy during the debate, instead focusing on strange political squabbles and shifting the blame onto others.
At the same time, Joe Biden failed to be a truly calming figure among the chaos, giving weak answers to obvious questions. That said, his words didn’t manage to create an active atmosphere of fear for our democracy, so…good job, Joe? 
Following this disaster, many people have called for the cancelation of future presidential debates.
Still, this debate — as horrendous as it was — served a purpose.
It was a scathingly honest picture of the state of our union, highlighting the unprecedented corruption, apathy and incompetence that has seeped into every level of government at a time when this nation is in desperate need of leadership. 
American democracy is in crisis mode. It is unclear how much more stress the public can take. 
Removing Trump from office is the first step. Afterwards, this nation must go to work to address the system that enabled his rise to power — a system that, so far, has left most of us behind.
Claire Sullivan is an 18-year-old coastal environmental science freshman from Southbury, CT.