Opinion: America Needs Joe Biden

Throughout the chaotic year of 2020, there have been many controversial topics discussed at American dinner tables. This year has included wildfires, shocking deaths, new movements coming to light, and so much more. However, one of the biggest debates that has caused a national division these past few months has been the 2020 presidential election. The candidates running for presidency this year are President Donald J. Trump, who is indeed running for re-election, and former Vice President Joe Biden. Both of these men have a few things in common, including some rocky past decisions and a distaste for the opposing candidate. However, one thing for sure is that they are both dedicated fighters who want to bring home the crown (or, in this case, the White House).

Although both men have some unfavorable characteristics, I think it should be clear to the American public which man should be voted into the White House. This man is none other than Joe Biden. Before I begin stating the reasons why Joe Biden is a better candidate for the United States, and a stronger leader, I think it is important to note that no party (or candidate) is perfect. Everyone has their bad qualities and it is crucial to consider both options before making a decision.

Upon their entry into the White House, Donald Trump and Mike Pence began to dismantle all of the progress that America and former president Obama made toward equality for the LGBTQ citizens. On July 26th, 2017, Trump announced that he would ban transgender citizens from serving in the military. In addition, according to ABC News, President Trump protected clinicians who turned away LGBTQ patients. There are more examples of Trump creating discriminatory policy against the community, but this article is supposed to be 500 words. Not 5,000. On the other hand, Joe Biden has openly stated his support of the LGBTQ community. On November 1st, Biden posted a 30 second video of a bunch of pride parades, along with him and his Vice Presidential candidate Kamala Harris giving a speech on how they matter. The caption to this post is “LGBTQ+ rights are human rights. And I’ll always fight for them.” Although there are videos from decades ago of Trump saying he supports the LGBTQ community, actions speak louder than words. And when you try to attack all of the work and progress that the LGBTQ community has made, you go against your words.

In addition, one of the biggest reasons why Trump needs to be voted out of office is because of his response to the Coronavirus pandemic. There are countless actions that Trump has taken to worsen the spread, but let’s start from the beginning. Back on February 7th, 2020, Trump told journalist Bob Woodward that the Coronavirus was “deadly stuff.” However, even though he knew this disease was deadly, he continued to downplay the virus. He has encouraged American citizens to not wear a mask, not social distance, and to go out as if the world is normal.  His reasoning to downplay the virus was because he “didn’t want to cause panic.” So, instead of causing panic, he tried to calm the American people in an irresponsible manner, which led to thousands of unnecessary deaths. On July 19th, Trump told Fox News host Chris Wallace, “I don’t agree with the statement that if everybody wears a mask, everything disappears.” Trump says this even though scientists have argued that masks stop the spread of the disease. In August, the University of Washington’s Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation stated that thousands of lives would be saved under a mask mandate. But even though scientists continue to push facts, Trump advocates for fiction. In contrast, Joe Biden is going to trust the scientists and work with them to get the virus under control if elected president. He also will be instituting a nationwide mask mandate and will be supporting the governors and mayors of every state as they figure out their needs.

I would be remiss if I didn’t pause to hear from supporters of the opposing party. Many people I am close to are supporters of President Trump, so I thought this would be a good time to interview them and ask them why they support President Trump. Many of them responded to my question saying that Trump has made the economy great and has added 7 million jobs since the 2016 election. In addition, a few family members added that African American unemployment rate has reached the lowest rate in five decades, at 3.5 percent in 2019. I decided to research this statement to make sure it is true, and according to Whitehouse.gov,  it is indeed true. I ended my short interview with the question, “Will you be voting Donald Trump to be re-elected as president on November 3rd?” and I didn’t receive one no as an answer.

In conclusion, it is very evident that this country is divided on who should become the next president of the United States. It has even gotten down to the point where some citizens cannot even look at people from the opposing party. Throughout all of this chaos, I genuinely believe that America will make the right decision with this election. We must vote for the person who spreads love, and not hate; who believes in equality, not discrimination; who follows the words of the Pledge of Allegiance, “with Liberty and justice for all.” So much is on the line for people leading up to  and after November 3rd. There may be some strong arguments for why Trump should be re-elected, but at the end of the day, he has more reasons on why he should be voted out rather than voted back in. We need a leader to guide our country out of this period of division and hatred. We need someone who will make sure every American citizen is safe, no matter who they are. America needs Joe Biden.