The eyes of the United States were on 24-year-old Singaporean Kenneth Sng, who found himself in the biggest task he’s ever had to face so far — deliver the opening remarks for the second presidential debate between Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump.
After all, he was the Student Union President of Washington University in St. Louis, where the debate took place on Sunday (this morning, in Singapore time). It’s exactly as nerve-wracking as anyone could imagine, bringing an international perspective to the latest development in what’s been a very bizarre presidential election for the United States.
But Sng executed an excellent job at the packed debate hall this morning, as he referenced how the “great democratic experiment has since spread like wildfire to much of the world — sometimes raging, but more often smouldering — including to Singapore, my home.”
Though Sng may not be able to vote, The Office of International Students and Scholars at Washington University noted in its official newsletter that his role in the event holds special significance to the international community of the college.
“Having the candidates greeted by an international student serving as student body president holds even greater significance considering how issues surrounding immigration policy have become so prominent in this election,” they wrote.
Watch below as the economics and mathematics major delivers his opening remarks. Then here’s a list of things that you might have missed in the second presidential debate, courtesy of The New York Times.
