Both Donald Trump and Joe Biden’s campaigns have stirred up mixed emotions and ideas, and as voting time draws near, both candidates appear to be just as likely to win.

For this year’s election, Americans will have to decide between voting for Republican President Donald Trump (left) for a second term or Democratic former vice president Joe Biden (right). (USA Today)

By Ivan Arzate, Marilyn Lemus, Vianci Barillas, Yanaya Shields, and Nathen Segoviano

Oct. 9, 2020

President Donald Trump and Democratic candidate Joseph Biden are running for president of the United States as of November 3, 2020, but as votes are being counted, a winner is still unknown.

While both candidates come with their strengths, they do not go without their weaknesses. Trump has been known to make promises, and while he has kept his word for some, there are many he has yet to fulfill. He is also known for constantly giving out inaccurate information with a sense of racial bias. In 2017 The Washington Post quoted Trump at one of his speeches in which he said, “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. And some, I assume, are good people.” Such a quote associates an entire race in a rather negative manner leaving many supporters with the same viewpoints as he. In addition, many have pointed out the remarks he has made regarding Covid-19 and how eventually it would just “go away” contrary to today’s situation in which it is still very present.

On the other hand, Biden’s previous campaigns have not gone all that well, making Americans assume that he will not be able to achieve the presidency. According to The New York Times writers Katie Glueck, Thomas Kaplan, and Sydney Ember, as of October 2020, “Mr. Biden had refrained from holding in-person events for months as the nation struggled to confront the virus. He had only recently — and cautiously — begun to campaign on the ground consistently in key battleground states . . .” The lack of political events may have decreased his odds of appealing to a larger audience than hoped due to Covid-19, but Biden has made the pandemic one of his primary concerns and has ensured to convey messages encouraging proper mask use and social distancing.

Donald John Trump, age 74, is the 45th president of the United States and ran for president in 2016. He is running for reelection this year and represents the Republican party. His primary focuses involve helping the economy and addressing immigration issues.
Trump’s campaign often consists of attempting to refocus on the pandemic in terms of trade, adding jobs, and other economy-related issues.

Trump often addresses many of his messages through massive public gatherings and like any other candidates, takes the media by storm, such as Twitter and YouTube through advertisements and ideas that will likely gain him, additional supporters.

According to PBS, Trump has promised to lower individual and corporate taxes, cut regulations, end trade deficits so it can result in creating new jobs to strengthen the economy. He wanted to reduce illegal immigration by making it more difficult for immigrants to claim asylum in the United States. In addition, a policy called “zero-tolerance” that would separate the immigrant families at borders was set into action. There was also a ban for people to travel from major- Muslim countries as soon as he came into office. Regarding his stance on Healthcare, Trump revoked Obamacare to replace it with a new health care plan.

Joseph Robinette Biden Jr. (commonly known as just Joe Biden), age 77, is the Democratic candidate running for president this year. He served as a vice president for Barack Obama making him the 47th vice president in the United States. Biden aims to focus on the current coronavirus pandemic and greater equality for minorities.

Biden’s campaign slogan is, “Build Back Better,” which can be found on his campaign website. This shows Americans that he wants to build a better America. He wants Americans to remember to not give up hope and fight back on the inequalities presented. Biden wants to make sure to have a democracy that includes everyone.
Some of Biden’s goals consist of an economic recovery, by building better jobs. He believes there should be racial equity across the American economy by making sure every American has assured a job. With his many goals for the future of this country, Biden believes he can be the president who can stand up for everyone in the country.

Joe Biden already has a plan mapped out for safely reopening schools once he becomes president. Joe believes that the state, tribal, and local officials should be the ones to decide when to safely reopen the schools.

According to a poll shared by David Leonhardt in the New York Times, voters are split between these two candidates and as of now, there is no clear winner. It will all eventually boil down to the swing states and their voters.

Polls were taken by The New York Times depicting what exactly are on either parties minds and priorities at the moment. Based on a New York Times/Siena College poll of likely voters from Sept. 8 to Sept. 11.

Opinions vary, but in the South Los Angeles community, many Hispanic students that attend college in California and come from low-income communities believe their needs to be a new president for the United States.“Neither candidate is good but Biden is our best shot to get Trump out of office,” stated a student that attends the University of California, Berkeley. The Hispanic student interviewed believes that Trump is the epitome of ignorance and that he will have the advantage in this presidential campaign because of his white supremacist followers. 

According to a student majoring in political science, the president should focus on criminal justice reform. Many college students emphasized the importance of voting and the impact one can make. A student that goes to the University of California, Los Angeles stated, “I feel people will be less prone and find it more difficult to vote.” Since there is a global pandemic currently affecting many Americans, there have been many changes in the way people can vote. 

Of course, college students are not the only ones who worry when it comes to presidential elections. Parents in the South Los Angeles community also care deeply about who represents them and this year especially with the pandemic and economic issues, voting for a president matters more than ever. A couple of Mexican parents in South Los Angeles were interviewed on their views on the presidential elections in mid-August. 

“To us, Trump was too focused on working on personal projects when there were moments when the country could have used support elsewhere’, said the mother of two, referring to the “wall” project Trump had been organizing for a while. ‘We really only got to know Biden when he was vice president for Barack Obama and as of now, there is still a considerable amount of things to learn about him.” 

The parents acknowledged that hopefully with the debates, their opinions would be solidified, but as of now, they have already come to the conclusion of which candidate they are going to support. They noted that both candidates have about the same support but know that ”there is still time for change and anything can happen, especially now.”

In terms of the candidates, it is important to note that Trump has been diagnosed with Covid-19 as of approximately October 1st. Biden has tested and continues to remain negative as of now. Cases in the White House have risen and have caused many to worry about how the situation will continue. Trump is taking the medication needed and is making a slow recovery.

On August 29th, before Trump contracted Covid-19, there was a controversial presidential debate. Many viewers felt it to be unprofessional. The candidates and moderator followed Covid-19 regulations, but in terms of debate, the event was filled with constant interruptions from Trump and a “Will you shut up man?” from Biden, which many could not take seriously. Overall, people were quite disappointed and hoped the next would not be as disastrous.

President Donald Trump on the left and Democratic presidential nominee, Joe Biden on the right, during their 2020 presidential debate, with coronavirus guidelines. (Jonathan Ernst/Reuters)

With Covid-19 impacting everyone’s lives, the voting system was altered slightly to allow for a safer casting of votes. This year, voters were also given the option to vote through the mail. Voting has ended and as of now and all the ballots have been accounted for. 

Update: On November 7th 2020, Democratic candidate Joe Biden won the election with a total of 273 total electoral votes and counting, making him the newest president of the United States.