With the 2020 US presidential election looming large on the horizon, Democratic candidate Joe Biden and incumbent President Donald Trump are gearing up for what looks set to be a close-fought race to win the White House. Trump had seemed to be in an imperious position before the outbreak of Covid-19, but since then, his stock has fallen dramatically, perhaps paving the way for Biden to make gains in the crucial swing states that will decide the result of the election.
Trump’s handling of the virus has been questioned in certain corners, with his media appearances causing controversy as a result of his persistence in defending the country’s statistics regarding coronavirus cases and deaths. The President’s conduct in this time of crisis is something that Biden and his running mate Kamala Harris have been quick to latch onto, hoping to take advantage of the decreasing trust in Trump’s ability to lead the US.
Indeed, Biden and Harris have pulled no punches, both lambasting Trump for his lack of progress in his first term in office. Biden made the claim that “whining is what Donald Trump does best, better than any president in American history,” while Harris said that “America is crying out for leadership, yet we have a president who cares more about himself than the people who elected him.”
It was a strong indictment of the President, and Harris has already proved that she has the requisite steel to contribute to the campaign, which looks set to be a dog fight to the last. The former prosecutor ran for the Democratic nomination herself, but despite being unsuccessful she finds herself in Biden’s corner, seeking to become the first female vice-president in the country’s history.
The election looks set to be a close one, with the odds on the next US President extremely tight, Biden just edging it at the time of writing. But then, while public figures and certain sections of the media may be against Trump, that is no different to how the 2016 election was played out, when Trump sprung a surprise to defeat Hillary Clinton and win the White House back for the Republican Party.
If Biden and Harris are to be successful, it’s vital that they remain on the same page and impose an effective strategy towards exposing Trump’s flaws and championing the ways in which they will do things differently. Recent months have brought into light the manifold issues still affecting the country, from healthcare in light of the coronavirus crisis, to systemic racism in light of the killing of George Floyd at the hands of Minneapolis police officers.
As a result, the US has never been more divided, and the challenge facing Trump is whether or not his often divisive, provocative rhetoric will secure an election win this time round. His questionable conduct throughout the coronavirus pandemic, and the lingering threat of impeachment which has clouded much of his presidency so far have perhaps sown seeds of doubt among those who voted for him in 2016.
It’s all set to go right down to the wire, but you can bet that Biden and Harris will be leaving no stone unturned in their quest to defeat Trump.
