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American politics has, over recent years, been a topic of significant controversy with figures such as Donald Trump standing at the centre of this. With the approach of election day in November, this still remains, and stakes are only rising.
Donald Trump, the current Republican frontrunner and president from 2016-2020 has been the subject of much debate since before his 2016 election. His time as president served to further this, from debate around his proposed wall along the US-Mexico border to reduce the amount of illegal immigration that border sees, to his attitude towards the COVID19 crisis, where under Mr Trump’s administration the US saw more than 20% of all confirmed COVID cases and deaths (despite accounting for only 4% of the global population). His suggestion that injecting disinfectant might kill the virus was similarly controversial, with the medical community quickly challenging these suggestions.
Mr Trump is the topic of hot conversation when considering the potential outcome of the 2024 election, particularly given recent challenges to his presidential eligibility. These come following the 2021 Capitol riots in response to Biden’s electoral victory. Colorado and Maine have moved to have Mr Trump removed, citing the 14th Amendment which states that anyone found to have “engaged in insurrection” after swearing an oath of loyalty should be unable to return to public office. This issue remains to be resolved by the Supreme Court, however the court’s conservative majority makes it unlikely they will support this motion.
However, elsewhere Mr Trump has seen very favourable results, winning the Nevada caucus with little competition. Nikki Haley, Mr Trump’s Republican competitor abstained from the caucus, claiming it was rigged for Mr Trump’s victory and instead opted for the state’s primary. However, with these two separate ballots much confusion was caused, and the state’s Republican Party decided only to consider the results of the caucus. As such, Mr Trump has secured the support of all 26 of the state’s Republican delegates, winning 99.1% of the vote while the other participant, Blinkley, won only 0.9% of the vote.
The Democratic Party has also faced concerns about their candidates. Joe Biden, the current president of the United States currently leads the democratic polls, and stands to see a replay of the 2016 election, once again going up against Mr Trump. The President has felt pressure in the lead up to this election, particularly following a report released detailing his handling of classified documents. The 81-year-old responded, asserting that his memory was absolutely fine, and he was perfectly capable of his job. This accusation comes as no surprise, as the president’s age and capacity for presidency has been a point of contention throughout his time in the White House.
President Biden faces Minnesota Congressman Dean Phillips in the race for the Democratic nomination, which many consider to be evidence of growing democratic dissatisfaction with Biden. The younger candidate has centred his campaign around Biden’s age, claiming he is too old to complete a second term, and the recent Department of Justice report was affirmative of this.
Currently, the polls see President Biden and Mr Trump running a close race, with Mr Trump having a marginal edge over the president. The result of this election will undoubtedly affect the global political stage, and has the ability to completely change the diplomatic outlook of the US given the president’s role as Commander-in-Chief. The country’s current involvement in both the Russia-Ukraine and Israel-Gaza conflicts makes this role an extremely pertinent one. So, while it remains to be seen which who will take the presidency, it is indisputable that they will fundamentally reshape world politics.
Image: Matt Hecht, “American flags near the Air & Space Museum in Washington”, D.C.”// CC0 1.0 DEED
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