Cassidy McGee

     November’s  upcoming election has been the main topic of many conversations, as of late. Donald Trump and Joe Biden, the Republican and Democratic candidates, have both been very vocal about their ideals and policies, both in the Presidential Debate held on the Sept. 29, 2020 and on their websites.

     When it comes to politics, there are some key topics that voters look at to help them decide who would make the best candidate for the position. These topics include how the candidate’s stances on healthcare, opioids, education, and immigration. This year, how the candidates plan on handling the coronavirus and the racial issues are also important for voters to look into.

     Each candidate has his own website, where information about his policies can be found. On the topic of the coronavirus, Biden’s website, Biden has a seven step plan on how he intends to deal with the issue.

     He plans to, “Fix Trump’s testing-and-tracing fiasco to ensure all Americans have access to regular, reliable, and free testing, fix personal protective equipment (PPE) problems for good, provide clear, consistent, evidence-based national guidance for how communities should navigate the pandemic — and the resources for schools, small businesses, and families to make it through, plan for the effective, equitable distribution of treatments and vaccines because discovering isn’t enough if they get distributed like Trump’s testing and PPE fiascos, protect older Americans and others at high risk, rebuild and expand the defenses that Trump has dismantled to predict, prevent, and mitigate pandemic threats, including those coming from China, and implement mask mandates nationwide by working with governors and mayors and by asking the American people to do what they do best: step up in a time of crisis.”

     Both on his website and in the Presidential debate on Sept. 26, 2020, Trump made note of his quickness in closing travel to and from China. Although his personal website does not have his plans regarding COVID-19, the White House website does. This website provided a list of what Trump has done in response to the virus. 

     “[Trump] took early action to cut off travel from China, built the world’s leading testing system from nothing, enacted mitigation measures to slow the spread, mobilized public and private sectors to secure needed supplies took action to protect vulnerable Americans, launched effort to deliver a vaccine and therapeutics in record time, provided support to workers and businesses, paved way for reopening to get America working again, surged resources to hot spots as they arose, and confronted China as origin of the virus while Democrats and media cowered,” the website stated. In the debate, Trump spoke further about the progress of the vaccine for the virus. 

     He stated,  “I spoke to the scientists; we will have a vaccine very soon.” Biden openly disagreed with the time period Trump stated for the release of the vaccine.

     Biden then questioned why anyone would believe what Trump is saying, “in light of all the lies he’s told you about the whole issue relating to Covid?” 

     On their respective websites, each candidate also addressed his view on healthcare. In the “promises kept” section on Trump’s website, there are achievements that Trump accomplished (promises he kept) regarding main topics that voters may be interested in. 

     Under the “healthcare” subcategory, it said  “As part of the landmark Tax Cuts and Jobs Act President Trump repealed the individual mandate, which forced people to buy expensive insurance and taxed those who couldn’t afford it.” By this, Trump is saying that not everyone should be required to have healthcare. “The individual mandate” is referring to Obamacare, which was in place when Trump first came into the presidency. His website also stated, “[Obamacare] disproportionately hurt the poor: 80% of those affected made less than $50,000.”

     Biden has a different perspective on healthcare. He openly supports Obamacare, listing reasons why it should be kept on his website. 

     His website states, “Because of Obamacare, over 100 million people no longer have to worry that an insurance company will deny coverage or charge higher premiums just because they have a pre-existing condition”

     Obamacare is formally known as “The Affordable Care Act.” It was designed to make healthcare more accessible and inexpensive for people. In addition, it enforced new rules for health insurers. 

     Biden’s website also  said, “Young people who are in transition from school to a job have the option to stay covered by their parents’ plan until age 26.” To supporters, this is a main benefit of Obamacare. 

     Each president addressed the severity of the opioid crisis on his website. According to his website, Trump created a bipartisan opioid commission that issued 56 recommendations for help with the opioid crisis, signed the Narcotics Trafficking Emergency Response, giving nine million dollars to customs to get drug screening at the border, and stopped Chinese loopholes for legal shipping of fentanyl. On his website, Biden says that he plans to “tackle this crisis by making sure people have access to high quality healthcare- including substance use disorder treatment and mental health services.” Biden also believes that people should not be incarcerated based solely on drug use charges.

     Each president also commented on his plan for aiding beyond graduation education. On his website, Biden says that he will “Invest in community colleges and training to improve student success and grow a stronger, more prosperous, and more inclusive middle class.” Being more inclusive of the middle class has been a key topic in Biden’s campaign. To add to this,  Biden also wants to “Strengthen college as the reliable pathway to the middle class, not an investment

that provides limited returns and leaves graduates with mountains of debt they can’t afford.” Trump has taken a similar stance on education, also working to make it more affordable.

     His website stated, “The Trump Administration implemented the year-round distribution of Pell grants, instead of limiting these grants to the spring and fall semesters.” Pell grants are federal grants given to students that need financial assistance. Pell grants also do not have to be paid back, as it is money that is awarded, not loaned. Trump’s website also stated, “The Trump Administration has reformed The Free Application for Federal Student Aid to make the program more accessible to students.” The Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) is used by the federal government to help determine the eligibility of families for grants, work-study, and loans to help pay for college.

     Each candidate also outlined a plan for how he wanted to handle the immigration situation.

     The White House website stated, “To restore the rule of law and secure our border, President Trump is committed to constructing a border wall and ensuring the swift removal of unlawful entrants. To protect American workers, the President supports ending chain migration, eliminating the Visa Lottery, and moving the country to a merit-based entry system.” According to the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration website, “The Diversity Immigrant Visa Program (DV Program) makes up to 50,000 immigrant visas available annually, drawn from random selection among all entries to individuals who are from countries with low rates of immigration to the United States.”

     On his website, Biden outlines his six main points on immigration.

     Biden says he wants to “Take urgent action to undo Trump’s damage and reclaim America’s values, modernize America’s immigration system, welcome immigrants in our communities, reassert America’s commitment to asylum-seekers and refugees, tackle the root causes of irregular migration, and implement effective border screening.”

      Each candidate discussed his views on the topic of systematic racism in the Presidential debate Biden started the new topic with, “We have never walked away from trying to require equity for everyone; equality for the whole of America… We’ve never walked away from it like [Trump] has… This man’s done virtually nothing.” The candidates both bashed one another, both claiming that his opponent is not liked among the Black community. 

     Trump responded with, “[Biden has]  treated the Black community about as bad as anybody in this country. [He’s] called them ‘super predators’ and [he’s] called them worse than that.” The topic was short-lived as both candidates were bashing one another again.

     Both Trump and Biden had the platform and the opportunity to share their views. Now, the polls will have to decide which values will hold true in the 2020 election.