As of September 31st, 2020, there are 64 days until November 3rd, and the presumptive presidential nominees for the Democratic and Republican parties are Joe Biden and Donald Trump respectively. Key issues that most Americans are looking to hear each candidate speak on include immigration, climate change, healthcare, trade, the economy, gun control, abortion rights, and international relations.
When it comes to my ideal candidate, I would have preferred Bernie Sanders. However, Biden has enough delegates to secure the Democratic party nomination, and no matter how different their policies are, I would pick Biden over Trump in a heartbeat. Trump’s campaign is emblematic of the hatred of white America towards minorities.
Trump’s campaign slogan is “Make America Great Again.” How could anyone possibly make America great again? This statement implies that as a society, we should return to a time when the only people who were allowed to enjoy America were white, cisgender, male, straight, and wealthy. Trump claims to care about everyone in the United States and is the best leader. One of Trump’s most infamous quotes was taken from his campaign announcement back in 2016.
“When Mexico sends its people, they’re not sending their best. They’re not sending you. They’re not sending you. They’re sending people that have lots of problems, and they’re bringing those problems with us. They’re bringing drugs. They’re bringing crime. They’re rapists,” he stated. My mind is still boggled at how Americans can continue to support such a person who is willing to be blatantly racist and discriminate against an entire population.
If I were to list every single time President Trump was racist, sexist, homophobic, transphobic, Islamaphobic, or discriminatory, this whole article would be filled with quotes. He has shown time and time again that he has no regard for anyone else but himself. Though his supporters, who are majority working to middle-class white people living in rural America, seem to think differently. It is quite ironic that they continue to support all of the policies he wants to put in place, even though they are directly being harmed. For example, the proposed tax cuts for the rich would benefit individuals like himself but not working-class farmers who rely on the government monetary assistance when the seasons don’t produce as much as they had predicted.
Trump has offended virtually every part of my identity, and Biden has also taken his fair share of shots, but he is a far cry from Trump. He has solid plans to help tackle climate change, including his $2 trillion climate plan, which will increase clean energy in various sectors of the economy. He also plans to prioritize loans to minority-owned small businesses, highlight the need for affordable housing, and fight against gentrification. His campaign also announced that the unity plan with the Sanders campaign. Attempting to unite the democratic party Biden partnered with Sanders to review some more progressive policy ideas regarding climate change, healthcare, education, criminal justice, and immmigration. At a time like this, we cannot afford to have voters stay home or vote for Trump because their ideal candidate didn’t win the nomination.
Though Biden may not be as progressive as Sanders, he is the better choice. Sanders has some of the most progressive agendas I have ever seen. Still, realistically speaking, he would not achieve most of his goals and would struggle to gain votes in both swing states and conservative states. As Hillary Clinton pointed out in 2016, “I am not interested in ideas that sound good on paper but will never make it in real life.” We need someone like Biden, who appeals to moderate voters who are tired of Trump’s antics but still have left-leaning ideas. The only way Biden can win the election is if everyone who can vote does because I am confident all the die-hard Trump supporters will.