The U.S. election - policies, scandals and everything in between.

There is no doubt that the build-up to the U.S. presidential debate has been nothing short of amazing to watch from a distance, even now so far from the November 5th election. Two angry pensioners fighting for control of the country's top job, each with different dreams of the America they want to build and both fighting their own scandals and issues throughout their respective campaigns. I am going to highlight several aspects of what we have seen so far throughout this post; namely the standout policies of the candidates, who they are personality wise, the scandals that linger behind both Trump and Biden and finally a look into how the recent attempt on Donald Trump's life could sway the outcome.

Standout policies of both candidates

This table is a basic overview of each candidate's view on 5 crucial policy areas. Source.

This is a useful indicator of the direction in which each candidate would take the country if they succeed. Biden looks to be largely continuing the direction in which he has taken the country over the last four years (although hopefully seeing a reduction in inflation and gas prices). Within a largely increasingly tense global landscape, it seems he is angling to give the USA greater involvement in international groups such as NATO (something he recently stressed the importance of at the summit). Biden has had a noticeable shift in his stance on illegal migration, with high numbers being a recent issue for the country during his tenure. 

In contrast, Trump's stance on international policy seems much more restrictive; he seems more focused on improving the US’s stance as a global superpower, spurred on by protectionism, deregulation, and tax cuts. One example of this deregulation is his push to shut down the Department of Education, giving control back to the respective states. Other key policy areas are his plans to “completely eliminate” U.S. trade dependence on China as well as one of the largest deportation projects in recent years. 

Both candidates will of course have to contend with both the Congress and the Senate, with Trump passing a whopping 220 executive orders during his term (only 56 less than Obama across both his terms), as well as Biden using 139 so far due to splits between the two houses becoming ever more exemplified due to partisan divisions, likely a key talking point both throughout this election and over the next four years. A more Republican Supreme Court could also spell issues for Biden if he retains office, recently coming to light through the Alexander v. South Carolina State Conference of NAACP ruling. This prompted a statement from the White House claiming the ruling allowing gerrymandering undermined black voters in South Carolina and therefore undermined democracy.   

Personality differences of the candidates

An aspect I found interesting while looking into sources for this comes from the differing personalities of Trump and Biden and how that affects their approach to governance. 

Biden takes a more collaborative power based approach, power exercised through working with legitimate institutions. Biden approaches politics wanting to be liked and looks to find cooperative approaches to solutions. This is in line with his approach to international policy making, with him largely working to make America big contributors to international groups such as the aforementioned NATO. Biden’s successes come from close ties to colleagues gained through years of political experience.

Trump’s approach is more in line with the theory of coercive power. He aims to be a more dominant and aggressive presence, acting with little regard for others reflected anti-establishment approach to politics outlined by ideas such as his “drain the swamp” mentality he had in the 2016 election. Trump acts as more of an individual than Biden, making himself more than just the figurehead of the Republican party, portrayed through a much more devoted grassroots support base. 

These approaches to politics come from both individuals backgrounds as well as what kind of voter base they are looking to appeal to, both proving effective at gaining their respective sets of supporters, Biden gains voters through his political experience and personal merit gained throughout his political career, as well as his support for green policies and cooperative international approach. Whereas Trump rallies voters behind his cause through the grounds of tackling big issues such as migration and with his firm approach to foreign relations which will be a big draw due to the current geopolitical climate, as well as broad ideas such as “make America great again” which can place him as the man to fix the country in his supporters eyes. Where Biden acts as a party figurehead, Trump aims to portray himself as a larger than life figure; this is why he has such a devoted voter base in some areas who seem to support Trump rather than the party. A deeper look into these ideas can be found here.  

Scandals faced by both candidates 

Coming into this election, both candidates have several issues hanging over their respective heads. One that is shared between both (but mainly causing issues for Biden) is of course their ages. With Trump aged 78 and Biden 81 questions have reasonably been asked as to whether either is fit to hold office for the next four years. Issues surrounding support for Israel over the Palestine conflict also hang over both side’s heads. 

Biden is the main focus of this argument, as with each public appearance more questions are asked of whether his faculties are still in place. From his poor showing in the televised debate, to his recent slip up calling Zelensky Putin at the recent NATO conference. This has caused rumblings throughout the Democrat party that he should be replaced prior to the election, an interesting proposition at this stage in the build up which highlights a distrust in his ability to retain office. 

Biden’s family have also been put under the microscope, a commonly mentioned issue in Republican circles relating to the United States House Oversight Committee investigation into the Biden family. 

Trump’s issues differ from Biden in the fact that many of them are legal, recently becoming the first ex-president to become a convicted felon after being found guilty of buying the silence of porn star Stormy Daniels. Other issues relating to the July 6th attacks also hang over his head, with him facing four charges relating to this (although they are not going to have gone through by the time of the election). 

How will the attempted assassination affect the race?

A more sombre aspect of this election, but one that must be mentioned nonetheless is of course the attack on Trump’s life at a recent rally in Pennsylvania. Political violence should always be looked at from a human aspect first, so irrespective of its effect on the outcome things like this simply should not occur within modern politics. 

In terms of the political side, It is likely to be a huge boost for Trump’s campaign, deepening his already very supportive voter base’s resolve. It created a viral image that is common on social media sites such as TikTok and Instagram and may work to sway swing voters, as Biden simultaneously struggles in the media and has to dial personal attacks on Trump as a result of the incident. Personally I see this as effectively the final nail in the coffin for Biden who has so far ran a poor campaign and will therefore find it difficult to bounce back compared to Trump, his ability to capture crowds is poor, compounded by issues caused by party divides behind him and issues over his own health. 

This incident is also predicted to likely contribute to a deepening of partisan divides within U.S. politics, something that has already been an issue for many years. As well as experts predicting a rise in attacks of this nature, with Jackson Janes likening the tension to the 1960’s (JFK/MLK killings).