by Tamuira Reid
I asked 6th, 7th and 8th grade NYC public school students – ranging in age from 11-14 – if they had any thoughts on the upcoming Presidential election. Here is what they had to say.
Kamala for President. She cares more about poor people and mothers and Americans who are really struggling, you know, to buy food and stuff for their babies and to get money for their rent. My mom said hot dogs are almost $8 now and those aren’t even the natural kind. I don’t think hotdogs should cost that much and that means milk and other foods cost too much now, too. I eat breakfast at school and lunch at school and it’s really gross but it’s free and it helps my mom save money. Then we can maybe buy the hotdogs.
–Katarina, grade 8, Manhattan
Trump. He was making America great again and won the election. Biden stole the presidency.
–Joey, grade 7, Brooklyn
Someone who will protect all Americans regardless of what color skin they have and what god they worship and who they choose to love. Someone who will stand up for all the people sleeping on the streets and who don’t know how to get help.
–Naomi, grade 7, Brooklyn
My mom.
–Oliver, grade 6, Brooklyn
Nobody. The two party system is stupid if you think about it. Why only two options? Starbucks has more latte flavors than we have choices when it comes to who we want to run this country.
–Lauren, grade 8, Manhattan
Not Trump because he is a true monster. But I think Biden lost a lot of his base because he funded the genocide against Palestinians and this is gonna hurt Kamala bc she’s his VP. Now we might be stuck with another Trump regime. I hope not but I don’t feel too sure Harris will get as much of the Muslim vote as she needs to win. My family is from Yemen and they are very hurt by the administration’s actions.”
—Leila, grade 8, Brooklyn
Anyone with common sense. I don’t know who that is but it’s not Trump and probably not Harris either because she’s like really really radical.
–Rebecca, grade 8, Brooklyn
A woman. We would have less war with other countries and less fighting in this one.
–Mercy, grade 7, Queens
Kamala because she chose Walz for her VP and he actually served our country and I think only veterans should be able to send other Americans off to war. Vance was a reporter not a soldier.
–Carlos, grade 8, Manhattan
Trump because he will build a wall and keep all the drug dealers and rapists out. I think they’re coming in from Mexico.
–Matthew, grade 7, Staten Island
Harris because she cares about the environment and wants to make sure we protect it for future generations. Trump doesn’t think the climate crisis or global warming is real. He’s an idiot.
–Patricia, grade 7, Brooklyn
Trump is a narcissist and only does what he wants, whatever will help him get more power and fame instead of doing what the country wants. Kamala said she will do what’s best for the most Americans. I believe her.”
–Raul, grade 8, Manhattan
I should be president because I’m good at lying. Politicians have to lie a lot to be effective. Trump might be too good at lying. Probably I’d vote for Kamala Harris because she was a prosecutor…she knows how to bend the truth just enough to get the job done but not so much that people get hurt in the process.
–Maribel, grade 8, Manhattan
Anyone but Trump.
–Brittany, grade 6, Brooklyn
Anyone but Comrade-Kamala.
–John-Michael, grade 7, Manhattan
I don’t know how anyone could vote for Trump. He hates anyone who isn’t white and a man. He also hates gay and trans people. He reminds me of Hitler and that is a really scary thing to think about.
–Sebastian, grade 8, Bronx
We can’t have a convicted criminal running our country.
–Carmen, grade 8, Bronx
Neither. I’d choose Joe Rogan because he’d be a dope president. He always says what people are thinking but too scared of getting canceled to say out loud.\
–Leo, grade 8, Manhattan
My body is my business. Trump will never be my president. He’s nasty.
–Katie, grade 8, Manhattan
My family came to the US from Haiti a long time ago. We are New Yorkers and good regular people like everyone else. We don’t want to eat your pets. Trump is a racist and he’s causing a lot of problems for Haitians in Ohio and other states right now. He spreads dangerous lies that will get innocent people hurt and even killed. He is not a Christian. He’s the opposite.
–Frank, grade 7, Brooklyn
It’d be cool to see a non-man in the White House. I don’t think it’s ever happened.
—William, grade 6, Manhattan
JD Vance is a legit white supremacist. And if Trump dies that’s who we’d be dealing with so I’d vote for Harris just based on that.
–Micah, grade 8, Queens
My grandpa would be the best POTUS but he’s dead so I guess that is a stupid answer.
–Yusef, grade 6, Staten Island
Kamala, because she will protect my right to exist and punch everybody in the face that says trans kids are a social disease or whatever. I’m a human being with rights and freedoms and dreams like cis kids. We’re all the same and deserve the same treatment. Kamala will protect us from dumbass bigots like that weird Moms For Liberty group, the one that quoted Hitler on their website and keeps banning books for queer kids. My mom told me Trump was like the guest speaker or whatever at a M4L party a couple weeks ago. He said a bunch of trash about us. Kamala wouldn’t do that because she’s not a transphobe. And because she knows God loves all of us. And because she’s smart and good. Trump is dumb AF and evil to the core. He’d probably exterminate all the trans kids in this country if he could get away with it.
–Kasey, grade 8, Manhattan
A mother or step-mother like Harris. Because they are really patient and can multitask better than anyone else. My mom has three jobs and four kids and never even chips a nail.
–Bellamy, grade 7, Manhattan
I’d vote for Kamala, not because she’s a woman, but because I’m a woman.
–Erin, grade 7, Manhattan
I’d vote for Trump because he would build a wall and not let all of the drugs into our country that are killing so many young people here. My neighbor died last year from a fentanyl overdose…. it was put inside another drug, like a party drug, forget what it’s called? And she didn’t know it was in there. She was sixteen.
–Abigail, grade 8, Manhattan
Well, I’m a future ‘cat lady’ because I don’t want children, so I’d vote for Kamala. JD Vance hates women almost more than Donald Trump and that’s hard.
–Shah, grade 7, Brooklyn
I think we are in big trouble if Donald Trump wins and if he doesn’t win. If he wins, we will essentially have a dictator for a president. If he loses, he will just say he won and then we will have another J6. I don’t want another J6.
–Ursula, grade 7, Brooklyn
Kamala Harris. Because Black women know what’s up.
–Tyree, grade 8, Bronx
Trump said he would deport anyone protesting against what the US is doing to Palestinians, the ones who want a ceasefire and for the genocide of the innocent people there to end. I think he can’t do this because of our constitution and the first amendment. People have the right to assemble together and to say what they want. And the first amendment is also for free speech and freedom for reporters…to be able to question the government and the ones who have power. Trump wants to take all of our freedoms away….he’s kinda already said this a bunch of times if you just pay attention really closely to what he says on TV and on X.
–Felipe, grade 8, Manhattan
I’d vote for Trump because my uncle Ron is a recovering criminal and he said prosecutors are the worst people. They’re all a bunch of liars.
–Stephen, grade 6, Queens