It’s happening again. The once-every-four-years televised display of democracy at its worst, accompanied by aggressive Tweets and extreme patriotism (cue the eagle screech).
Except, not really.
The US presidential election isn’t next month. It isn’t even in the next six months. In fact, it'll be in November of 2024 – nearly a year away. So why talk about it now?
Unlike most other countries, where federal election campaigns are usually limited by law to a few weeks (for example, Canada’s longest campaign ever was 11 weeks)—which means you don’t hear about upcoming elections until they’re actually soon—the US has no length limits to its campaigns. Ted Cruz announced his bid to become president 596 days before Election Day in 2015. And that means next year’s possible presidents have already begun the public rat race to the top. Keeping that in mind, and understanding that the US’s political climate will inevitably affect our own, let’s take a deep dive into each of the major candidates for the presidency.
Disclaimer: Finding unbiased, neutral news regarding each politician is incredibly difficult and I myself have very strong opinions on each candidate, which may inevitably permeate into my work. I encourage you to do your own research, as this is a deeply nuanced topic that cannot be covered in a single article. All my sources have been linked for your further perusal!
Here’s a fun challenge: try counting how many candles there are on his 81st birthday cake.
Democratic Party
The current president (and the oldest president the US has ever had—he was sworn into office at 78)
Election promises:
Assault weapons ban
Codifying abortion rights in federal legislation
Ensuring paid family medical leave
In summary, largely the same promises as the last election cycle — Biden is campaigning on his previous policies (including ones he promised in 2020 but did not fulfill) instead of proposing new ideas & choosing to stay silent — so there isn’t much content to find on his promises, even on his official campaign website
Notable actions:
Signed a health & climate bill that would invest $375 billion over the next decade to fighting climate change and help 13 million Americans pay for health insurance
Passed a $1.9 trillion American Rescue Plan to address COVID-19
Signed a $1 trillion infrastructure bill to repair public transportation and make it more accessible, which passed with bipartisan (Both Democratic & Republican) support
Canceled up to $1 trillion in student loans
Allowed Illegal border crossings to skyrocket to 1.7 million encounters
Halted construction of Trump Wall
Ended Title 42, a Republican public health policy that expelled more than 2 million migrants
Resigned the Paris Agreement
Passed the $52 billion CHIPS Act to bolster US semiconductor manufacturing
Reversed Trump’s immigration policy that targeted predominantly Muslim countries
Reaffirmed DACA (Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals), Obama’s program that shielded undocumented immigrants who arrived in the US as deported kids
Requested $105 billion to be sent to Israel, Ukraine, and the border
Inflation has risen 13.5% (prices have broadly increased in every aspect of daily life)
Candidate #2: Donald Trump
Can you believe that this mugshot has become part of the official Trump 2024 merch line?
Republican Party
The former president (served only one term before he was unelected)
Election promises:
Take down drug cartels; death penalty for drug smugglers & traffickers
Prioritize parental rights in education; terminate Department of Education; cut funding for schools with vaccine/mask mandates; promote prayers in school; allow trained teachers to carry guns; promote nuclear family & traditional gender roles in education
Strip tens of thousands of career employees of civil service protections, crack down on government officials who leak to reporters & require federal employees to pass a civil service test
End illegal immigration by moving thousands of troops (including those overseas & at the Drug Enforcement Administration + FBI) and expand Trump Wall
Reimpose Muslim-targeted travel bans to “keep radical Islamic terrorists out of the country”
End birthright citizenship
Institute tariffs (~10%) on most foreign goods and to impose reciprocal tariffs if any country imposes one on the US
Ban hormonal or surgical intervention for transgender minors; block funding for gender-affirming care; pass a bill that establishes “only two genders” will be recognized
Reverse pollution limits and increase oil drilling; exit Paris Climate Accords
Bring back large mental institutions for the “severely mentally ill” or “dangerously deranged”
Notable actions:
Dropped unemployment rates to a record-low 3.5% and created millions of jobs (though notably, COVID-19 changed all of that and part of the growth can be accredited to Obama)
Signed the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act - the largest tax reform package in history
Appointed three Supreme Court Justices and 226 judges
Encouraged and incited the January 6th attack on the US Capitol that led to several deaths and hundreds of injuries
Established the US Space Force to protect American military assets in space
Signed First Step Act to reform the criminal justice system by addressing mass incarceration, lowering recidivism by offering rehabilitation & job training opportunities, and setting up provisions to treat prisoners more humanely
Killed ISIS leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi
Built a wall along the US-Mexico border in an attempt to stop immigrants
Divided Republicans and Democrats more deeply than any other politician in the last three decades (86% of Republicans supported Trump compared to 6% Democrats)
Impeached twice (the first US president to ever be impeached twice!) and indicted on 34 felony charges
Allowed COVID-19 to spread rapidly in the US by denying its reality and preventing public health measures (ie. dissolving the White House pandemic response team)
Withdrew the US from the Paris Agreement
Tear-gassed peaceful protestors; demonized anti-racism demonstrators; employed racist rhetoric
“Zero tolerance” policy on illegal border crossings led to family separation and children being placed in literal cages
Refused to accept the 2020 election results and hindered America’s democracy
Candidate #3: Gavin Newsom
I wanted to put a goofier photo, but he isn’t popular enough to have memes…
Democratic Party
Governor of California
Election promises:
Stricter gun control - background checks, assault weapons ban, minimum age & reasonable waiting period for gun purchases
Address homelessness crisis by building infrastructure to house and treat people
As he only recently declared he was running for president (October of this year), and only the month before he had insisted had no intention of running and was "all in for President Joe Biden," information on what he intends to do if he wins is scarce
Notable actions:
Stood up for abortion, immigrant, and LGBTQ+ rights, particularly in red (Republican) states
Temporarily ended the death penalty in California as well as limited police brutality
Proposed a massive $100 billion economic stimulus packet to address poverty, homelessness, and housing in California
Established universal free school lunch in California
Proposed to end oil extraction by 2045 (ideally 2035) and ban new gas-powered cars by 2035
Voted to decriminalize magic mushrooms
Discouraged a bill that would have helped transgender students not be forcibly outed
Claimed to reduce San Francisco homelessness, but that was achieved in part by physically “bus”ing the homeless out of SF – in fact, homelessness rates have increased by 25% in California since his inauguration
Candidate #4: Nikki Haley
Hey, she has a first name as her last name!
Republican Party
Former Governor of South Carolina
Election promises:
Set term limits for members of Congress
Strengthen border security by increasing Border Patrol & ICE (Immigrations and Customs Enforcement) agents; implementing a “catch-and-deport” policy
Increase domestic oil & gas production
Invest into mental health and addiction centers
Support finding a federal consensus on late-term abortion, adoption, contraception, and protecting women from criminal punishment for seeking an abortion
Ensure that “Communist China will end up on the ash heap of history”
Supports financial aid to Israel & Ukraine
Wants to end sales and trade with China, particularly if fentanyl remains an issue
Hopes to eliminate federal gas and reduce income tax to put money into middle class families’ pockets
Will eliminate $500 billion in green energy subsidies
She is also campaigning heavily on her being the daughter of Indian immigrants who grew up with nothing
Notable actions:
Though largely supportive of Trump, criticized him for inciting the Jan 6th attack on the US Capitol & condemned his call for a ban on Muslims
Removed the Confederate battle flag from the Statehouse after nine people were killed at a historically Black church in Charleston
Spearheaded the US withdrawal from the UNHRC
Created jobs and cut taxes for small businesses during her reign as governor in South Carolina
Argued that transgender women being involved in women’s sports majorly contributed to teenage girls’ suicide ideation
During her term as a UN ambassador,
Now that we understand each major candidate (as there are several more whom I did not list), who should you vote for? It’s a great question, because you can’t vote for them anyway unless you’re an 18+ US citizen, which given our school demographic, is very unlikely. That’s okay—you can wait two years for the next Canadian election!
According to early polls and predictions (here, here, here, and here), the frontrunners are Trump and Biden, with the former being slightly in the lead. Will the former president return for an unprecedented second term or will Biden cling to the land of the living long enough to nab victory? Only time will tell.
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