Trump Vs. Biden - The 2020 US Election Thoughts and Commentary
- jiggy J-J
- Nov 3, 2020
- 7 min read
The 2020 US election is upon us and the world is watching with keen eyes. This election has been poised as one of the most important in American history. The stakes for democracy, international order and human life could not be higher. Joe Biden is approaching office with a message of hope, a message that things can change, and having Kamala Harris as his running mate is signalling that the future looks to be more inclusive, more diverse, more equal, with more opportunity. Indeed, his original issue was those who saw him as a continuation of the status quo, a “return to normalcy”. But a return to normalcy is what America needs right now. In 2016, Americans chose who they saw as the lesser of two evils, a standout candidate from the political swamp that D.C. still finds itself in today. But Trump has proven that extremism is not the answer. His approach to governance, democracy and human life has been devastating, and the prospect of another four years in office brings sadness and fear to people the world over. I have reservations about Biden and am cautious about areas where his shortcomings may arise, but Biden’s message has been an inspirational one, reminiscent of the hopeful Obama days, even if he isn’t quite the spring chicken Obama was.
In this article I’d like to share some of my thoughts on Trump’s past four years and shed light on the intentions and consequences of his brutal, corrupt and hypocritical policies and actions. More than anything, I urge American citizens to vote, and vote like their life depends on it, because now more than ever before, it does.
The Midterms
Democrats saw relative success in the 2018 midterms with a large increase in diversity and representation, as more people of colour and women, especially young women, were elected to Congress. What this meant was a dramatic shift in control of one the central pillars of American governance towards not just a democrat-led Government, but a Government led by an increasingly diverse, youthful and representative set of representatives. Although the gains in the House were welcome, the power of the Senate has continued to gridlock Governance and force legislation to be halted – an unfortunate tenet of the American Constitution.
Biden winning the vote will not be enough to restore and recreate America. It will require the continued control of the House and significant gains to be made in the Senate, which is currently under Republican control. Biden’s ability to legislate, and his proposed policies and plans to do so, can only be fully realised through a democratic-led Congress. We may otherwise see significant Republican pushback on measures that require immediate attention – something American can sorely afford right now.
The Era of Trump: Intentions and Consequences
Trump’s COVID-19 response has been catastrophic and may well be the core issue that costs him the election. An economic disaster, millions unemployed, rampant denial of science and extreme infection and death rates show the true scale of his incompetency. But his ability to destroy American lives had manifest far before he let the virus loose on citizens.
Trump has used the executive order power to attempt to “repeal and replace” the Affordable Care Act, or Obamacare as it is commonly known. An overwhelming majority of Americans see this as a incredible, landmark policy that has saved millions of lives, provides affordable healthcare to millions and ensures access to healthcare like never before. Although falling short in several areas, and having issues of underfunding (what health service isn’t underfunded? #Austerity), the policy targeted Americans regardless of their race, and was a milestone in developing a functional healthcare system across America. Republicans were jumping at the chance to reduce Obamacare’s impact and reach, and a vote in Congress to repeal the law fortunately failed – in part because of how overwhelmingly supported the law is. Thankfully, to complement his attempt to strip people of their basic right to healthcare, Trump also launched a full-scale attack on women’s rights by heavily restricting abortions. His legal attempt to completely ban abortions was cut down by the Supreme Court (upholding Roe v Wade) but this does not mean other methods have been used. In some parts of the US women are berated for entering Planned Parenthood clinics, in others the absurd decrease in funding has led to closures in facilities, effectively making thousands of women unable to even reach an abortion clinic. Driving for 7 hours may seem like something you would do if you were desperate, but those who may have to make that drive can almost never afford it, and must cross state lines to even have the chance of access to safe healthcare. We’ve seen it time and time again, restricting abortion rights doesn’t work. Women will always seek it out if they feel it is what they need, so why force them into dangerous, illegal clinics that operate without any regard for their safety? Trump took this particular crusade global when he announced that any country supporting abortion rights would struggle to renew trade agreements and receive US aid, a policy that has left many African countries in dire straits, as they attempt to revitalise healthcare in their own countries.
In my final year of university, I spent the first semester in Washington, D.C., interning for a lobbying firm’s healthcare team. I saw first hand the devastating effects the Government’s healthcare policies had: women of colour are likely to die from giving birth; women searching for abortions are berated and cannot access facilities; rural citizens have almost no access to healthcare; and the prioritisation of ensuring drug companies make a profit has left millions of people dying from opioid addiction and subsequent fentanyl addiction (ironic to think that some Americans consider marijuana a gateway drug). I found my time in the US extremely difficult. To see such a blatant disregard for human life, in a country that founded democracy and is supposed to provide the unalienable rights of life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness, was morally and emotionally a difficult experience. What should have been a right, is sadly, now a fight.
Not only has Trump directly attacked healthcare and people’s right to live, but he has actively impeded people’s attempts to live and be healthy. Hurricane Maria devasted Puerto Rico and Trump’s response was to do…nothing. Trump failed in providing aid and relief funding and we were left with a poignant video of him chucking around paper towels. If he were even to make the rather blunt argument he doesn’t care about Puerto Rico, then where was his relief efforts for the people of Florida, devasted by Hurricane Michael? Where was his climate centred policy to stop the blazing fires that devasted California and Oregon for the past three years? Where is his attempt to provide the people in the Midwest with clean drinking water? That’s right, some people in the USA don’t have clean drinking water. You can deny climate change all you want, but you cannot deny that your citizens are dying, and they are dying because of you.
Almost all of Trump’s agenda devalues life and causes death in its wake. In immigration, the Muslim ban propagated religious hate and stoked far-right radical groups to commit thousands of domestic terrorist incidents in the US. In agriculture, deregulation has meant food standards are even worse in the US (a dreaded prospect for those who already know about chlorinated chicken). In civil rights, Trump’s emboldening of far-right extremism and support for institutionalised racism has facilitated and perpetuated police brutality.
Where critics of Trump provide ample support for him is often in his approach to foreign policy. The big, tough, independent man who strides into international organisations and declares them unfair. The strong, courageous man who almost starts a nuclear war with North Korea and a war over oil in Iran. The smart man who thinks the answer to improving domestic agriculture is to start a trade war with China; he must’ve heard about that Smoot-Hawley Tariff Act (hint hint - that helped crash the world economy in the 30s). Has Trump made comments that are relevant to international bodies and the actions of other countries? Yes, and I am well aware of the failure and hypocrisy of global bodies and world powers that Trump is so eager to point out. But to say that Trump’s ham-fisted approach is some sort of movement against multilateral international order is untoward. Maybe I’m wrong, maybe the Make America Great Again mantra does in fact refer to those American golden years of isolationism. You know, those years where one of the worst global wars in human history followed.
Final Thoughts
I haven’t written this article to define every policy and action undertaken by the Trump administration. I’ve written this article to highlight the true intentions and consequences of his time in office – to devalue and degrade human life. This next election is being poised as one of the most significant elections in history and it is easy to see why. The election will have global effects for international order, real impact within the UK, who is on the cusp of making a trade deal with the next administration, deep consequences for American citizens and those looking to the United States as a place of refuge, and indeed the concept of democracy as a whole. With democracy in turmoil the world over, Trump has threatened the peaceful transfer of power process, a staple of democracy, and seeks to inhibit voting rights through suppression and intimidation. Long lasting damage has been dealt through policy actions and through Supreme Court nominations, but a continued fight for the rule of law, equal opportunity and justice can combat these detrimental actions.
It has given me great joy to see that these autocratic actions are being met by early voter turnout the US has never seen. People are starting to see the Trump administration for what it is, an attack on democracy and an attack on human life. I urge Americans to go out and vote and make sure that Trump cannot cling onto the grips of power for any longer. Democracy works when people vote, and people are voting. The past is tainted, but the future is bright. Biden’s victory is not won yet, so good luck Americans…the world will be watching.
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