VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. — As early voters lined up outside the Virginia Beach Board of Elections on Wednesday morning, the previous night's debate was on their minds.
It was the first time President Donald Trump and former Vice President Joe Biden met on the debate stage.
Some said the debate was a circus.
“Yeah, except the circus folks were upset that they used them as a description because the circus is more organized," voter Loretta Silvia said. “The debate was chaotic.”
Another voter, Billie Green, said there was too much arguing and not enough conversation about plans for the next four years.
“It was a train wreck. I don’t think I’m going to watch the next two,” Green said. “It was horrible the way Trump kept over-talking Biden.”
Many agreed there was too much back-and forth between the candidates.
“I thought it was just a jumble of craziness," voter Geri Linneball said. “I don’t think we really got any information that we needed, that Americans needed.”
A big moment from last night’s debate: the president declining to condemn white supremacy. It sparked furor among a lot of voters who said it’s another failure by the president to address racism.
“I don’t want to use the word ‘racist’ but this is how you feel," Green said.
When given an opportunity by moderator Chris Wallace to address white supremacists, Trump instead asked a right-wing extremist group known as the Proud Boys them to “stand back and stand by.”
The group embraced Trump's remarks following the debate, including selling t-shirts with the quote on them.
“It’s who he is. It’s what you would expect, it didn’t surprise me. I just thought, 'What are we doing with this man running our country?' This is ridiculous," Linneball said.
But another voter, Nanette Miller said she doesn't find an issue with the president's comments.
“I assume he is denouncing it without asking the question," Miller said. "And I think it was moronic and childish to take the position that unless he denounces it, he must be one.”
For first-time voters like Bec Linneball, he said the debate didn’t offer enough insight into the candidate’s platforms.
“This is my first time voting, the last presidential election I was 16," he said. “Just a whole bunch of mess, honestly... Very childish for grown men to be doing.”
Some voters on both sides of the political divide agree there should be more rules in place.
“A little too much arguing," Miller said. "I didn’t think it was too chaotic because I kind of expected it to be that way.”