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You Might Not See Chelsea's Kids At The Debate

by Noor Al-Sibai

Presidential debate season officially starts tonight, and Clinton fans might already be asking: Are Chelsea Clinton's children at the first debate?

It's unlikely that Chelsea would bring a two-year-old and/or a three-month-old to a debate that begins at 9 p.m. ET, given how early most toddlers and babies go to bed. Events of this nature also tend to be pretty loud and crazy, and the last thing either candidate would want is a baby crying while they're talking about foreign policy or any other serious topic. Chelsea didn't bring Charlotte or Aidan to the Democratic National Convention, and although Aidan is a few months older now, he's still too young to be expected to sit still and quietly for an event of this length.

Given how young both children are, Chelsea hasn't yet taken either of them out to public events of this size, further solidifying the expectation that they won't be attending the debate with her either.

Although Aidan and Charlotte probably won't be in the audience watching their grandma debate Donald Trump, they'll definitely be in their mother's thoughts. During her speech at the DNC, Chelsea perfectly summed up why her role as a mother makes this election so crucial:

This election is so important to me, because I'm now a mom. And as proud as I am of my mom, this election to me is fundamentally about my children, about Charlotte and Aidan.

Given that she's a mother and that the future of her children is a major factor in her support of her mom for president, Chelsea's discussed her children multiple times during this election season. Just before the DNC, she sent out an email to Clinton campaign supporters that hit the nail on the head when it comes to the gross rhetoric some Republicans have engaged in:

When Republicans repeatedly get on stage at their national convention and toss attack after attack at my mom, calling her things I’d never say in front of my children — let alone on live TV — they’re talking about a caricature they’ve imagined, not the woman that I love and respect.

It's a powerful image, and not only demonstrates the affection Chelsea has for her mother and her children, but also aptly argues one of the many reasons the overwhelmingly sexist discourse used against the Democratic nominee should offend American sensibilities. While they'll probably be asleep while their grandma gets on live television with her opponent for the first time, Charlotte and Aidan will definitely be in her thoughts, and perhaps even in her remarks.