I’m a white male, a Christian, and a business owner who grew up in the South. And I will be voting for Joe Biden in this election. As the 2020 election day approaches, I am both afraid and hopeful. I’m afraid for what a Trump re-election would mean for our country. I’m hopeful that the significant majority of popular support for Biden is enough to overcome an Electoral College system that works in favor of less populous, mostly red, mostly white states.
Why does a Trump re-election scare me? Because I care about this country and my fellow citizens, and I think the past 3–1/2 years with Trump in charge have been perhaps the most destructive 3–1/2 years in history for American ideals, our system of government, our health, security, long-term economic prospects, the environment, and our standing in the world. Donald Trump is a terrible human being for numerous reasons, and it should be no surprise that this is what happens when the worst of us becomes our President.
To be clear, I’m not only voting anti-Trump. I’m voting for Biden and Harris, too. I like the fact that Biden is a moderate who has been willing to “work across the aisle,” something that has historically made this democracy work. I like that Harris was a prosecutor but is a minority and daughter of immigrants who has walked with Black Lives Matter. The breadth of life experiences and roles puts them in a better position to understand and relate to a broader swath of Americans.
The past few months, as Trump has intentionally caused or stumbled into one fiasco after another — and I believe they are just as often intentional as they are accidental — it has been too easy to forget the past disasters for which he’s responsible. So I began making a list of the disasters for which he has been responsible during his time as President. Some were caused directly by him and his policies, and others simply because he’s an incompetent leader who doesn’t own up to his responsibilities. As I began to compile this list, I was shocked at how many horrible things I had forgotten. There have been so many and Donald Trump is adding to that list every week.
In the next few articles, I’ll share my list of the ways in which Donald Trump has:
- Undermined American ideals and norms
- Weakened our national security
- Failed to protect our health and the environment
- Weakened our economy
I believe his failures as a leader were inevitable because of his failure of character, as corroborated by numerous former members of his own administration, business associates, family members, and more.
Trump has been the wrong President at the wrong time. Frankly, he’s so bad he would be the wrong President at any time, but at this particular time he has failed to protect us from Covid, divided our country, inflamed racial tensions, and has left us with a weak economy while incurring record levels of debt. For the sake of our country, do not give this monster another 4 years in office.
