The 2016 presidential election has been at the forefront of the media’s attention during the past year, honing in on not just the candidates’ platforms but questioning who they are as people.

The race between Republican nominee Donald Trump and Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton is one of the most controversial and heated elections.

Both candidates have spent a lot of energy attacking their opponent instead of focusing on their platforms. Trump has called Clinton “Crooked Hillary” in many of his tweets, campaign ads and even in a Snapchat filter promoting the first debate.

Clinton, in turn, has denounced Trump many times as “unfit” to be the President of the United States and has even called his followers deplorable.

This behavior on both sides is not something that we, the editors of the Old Gold & Black, want to see in our next president.

While it is important for both to question the effectiveness and potential success of their opponent as president, name-calling and personal attacks do not get them anywhere and does not show the voters how they will handle themselves in the presidency.

This type of behavior is unacceptable when it comes to dealing with foreign leaders that our president may not agree with.

Voters want a president who can handle themselves professionally,  like an adult — not one who acts childish and presents themselves as immature.

Who they are should not be ignored during debates and during the election since there are indiscretions and scandals to be addressed, but what the candidates should be focusing on is their opponent’s platforms.

Trump should stop calling Clinton “Crooked Hillary” and judge her on her platforms and political beliefs. Clinton should not call voters deplorable; she should challenge and question Trump’s political stances.

Questioning their opponent’s characters should be a supplement to these statements, not the main focus. Voters should know who the candidates are but also what they stand for.

Attacking their character is not  helpful while engaging in productive dialogue in debates and is tired and inefficient.

Both candidates need to swallow their pride and shift their focus to political ideologies.