In two months, citizens will face the crucial choice of voting for the 47th president of the U.S. The decision stands between former Senator and Attorney General of California, Kamala Harris, and former 45th President of the U.S. and businessman Donald J. Trump. While both candidates stand for the nation’s betterment, each possesses differing views on change within the nation.
Harris, the Democratic candidate for the U.S. presidency, currently serves as the 49th Vice President and replacement for President Joe Biden. Born into a middle-class family in Oakland, California, Harris graduated from Howard University and served as District Attorney for San Francisco from 2003 to 2010. She ran and won the election for Attorney General of California in 2010 and won re-election in 2014. Kamala served as a senator from her election in 2016 to 2021. Biden then selected her as his running mate for the 2020 presidential election against Trump and Vice President Mike Pence. With Biden winning the presidential election in 2020, Harris became the first black and South Asian American Vice President in U.S. history. Harris intends to run with Governor of Minnesota Tim Walz to run alongside her as the vice presidential candidate.
Harris directly focuses her presidential run on supporting the middle class, arguing that when the middle class stands strong, America stands strong. She proposes that every citizen earning a yearly salary of over $400,000 a year will need to pay more in taxes. Additionally, to support the housing crisis, Harris and Walz will build three million rental homes to help decrease the housing supply crisis and remove the red tape, a form of excessive bureaucracy meant to hinder citizens from purchasing houses. For new homeowners, Harris and Walz will assist with $25,000 for down payments for citizens, with first-generation homeowners receiving an increased amount of money in comparison to second or third-generation homeowners.
Following the repeal of Roe v. Wade, the trial that led to the legalization of abortion in U.S. states, the Supreme Court left the right to abortion to the states themselves. Numerous states including Texas, Louisiana, West Virginia and Missouri completely barred women from abortions. The Kamala Harris Foundation intends to protect women’s rights nationwide and promises to sign a congressional proposal to resolve the abortion ban across the U.S. Further protecting American rights, Harris will expand the Equality Act to ensure all LGBTQIA+ Americans will never face discrimination in employment, housing, education, healthcare or the law.
“I’m voting for Kamala because I want the U.S. to go forward, not backward. I don’t agree with what Trump stands for or any of his policies. I want a president who prioritizes my rights over their own personal views. Trump only plans to help the rich and powerful, which does not help me or any of my family” NC alum Morgaine Byrd said.
Trump formerly served as the 45th U.S. President from 2016 to 2020 and holds the Republican candidacy for the 2024 presidential election. Born in Queens, New York, he inherited his family’s real estate business, the Trump Organization. He attended the University of Pennsylvania and graduated with a Bachelor of Science in Economics. Beginning his business life under his father’s company, Trump Management, he worked for three years until the company’s bankruptcy in 1971. Trump’s first stint in politics began with him under the Reform Party’s presidential primary, but he withdrew in February of 2000. After changing his official political party to Republican, he officially ran for president against Former President Bill Clinton’s wife, Hillary Clinton in 2016. Trump lost the popular vote 46.1% to 48.2%, yet won the electoral vote 304 to 227.
Following the conservative ideal, Trump bases his future plans on securing the U.S. border, swearing to carry out a nationwide deportation of any and all undocumented immigrants in the nation. Trump also plans to build a 450-mile wall spanning across the border of Mexico in hopes of stopping human and drug trafficking entering the U.S. In a Republican rally, Trump promised to start a war on cartels, hoping to impose a naval embargo on cartel shipping and ordering the Department of Defense to directly spark conflict and designate foreign cartels as terrorist organizations.
Trump prides himself in appointing the Supreme Court Justices in charge of repealing Roe v. Wade, choosing to leave the right of abortion to the states rather than directly ban or allow abortion nationwide. In response to constant outcries for a defunding of the police system, Trump will help revitalize the police. He will provide federal immunity to any officer, increase policing in high-crime areas, and employ thousands of new officers to ensure safety in the nation.
As the richest president in American history, Trump plans to lower taxes, increase paychecks and cause an employment boom in the nation. Trump intends to cut off China from all critical infrastructure in the U.S., return supply chains and return the U.S. to the industrial superpower of the world. In hopes of restoring the U.S. to the dominant energy producer of the world. Trump will reduce gas prices, promote the usage of gas-powered vehicles and remove the electric vehicles mandate.
Under the conservative belief, Trump hopes to cut all school funding to districts promoting critical race theory, and gender ideology and instead credit teachers representing patriotic values. Trump will abolish teacher tenure for grades K-12, introduce merit pay, strengthen the Parental Bill of Rights and leave the election of school principals to the vote of the school parents. Trump will also remove any female athletes having differences in sex development from all sports.
“I’m voting for Trump because he worries about our economy more than Harris. The average American will benefit a lot more under Trump because he works to help us. All American freedoms will be kept safe by him and I don’t see a better option for the future than him,” NC parent John Kimani said.
Though both candidates follow wildly different ideologies, the similarities in policies help alleviate the decision in the hands of the common citizen. Both candidates advocate for the support of Israel in the conflict against the group Hamas. While both propose differing policies, they both propose a stronger domestic manufacturing industry. Despite possessing different views, both argue for increasing tariffs on foreign exports to stimulate domestic trade and growth.
No matter a citizen’s beliefs, alignment, sexuality or race, voting helps set the standard of what America bases its values on: a home for freedom, decision and a nation built on individualism. Though only a select percentage of NC students can vote, their vote helps speak for the thousands who wish for the nation to hear their voice.
