Understanding the 2024 Presidential Election of the United States of America
By Laura Torres
Edited by Dalya Birsel
The 60th quadrennial presidential election of the United States of America (USA) will be held on Tuesday, November 5th. The winner will serve 4 years in the White House as the 47th president of the United States of America, starting in January 2025 (BBC). The two primary candidates are Democratic nominee Kamala Harris, the current vice-president, and former president Donald Trump, running as the Republican nominee. However, in this election there are also two other candidates, Robert F. Kenedy Jr and Cornel West, both of whom represent less well-known parties.
After a debate against Donald Trump that was widely panned, Joe Biden withdrew his bid for reelection in mid July and endorsed Kamala Harris to run in his place. This act performed by the current president shocked the whole country, as no individual had ever stepped down so close to the election date. Afterwards, Kamala Harris took on the role as presidential candidate, describing Biden as having done a “selfless and patriotic act” and informed citizens her intention was to “earn and win” her party’s nomination (AP News) (CNN).
More specifically, in recent campaigns she has promised to maintain some of Joe Biden’s former policies which include; lowering drug costs and providing tax credits to middle-class and lower-income families (NPR). Adding to this, Kamala Harris wants to achieve “an opportunity economy” where all people have a chance to compete and a chance to succeed (BBC) (CNN). During her speeches she has shared her opinion on various key matters facing the nation such as; immigration, abortion, NATO, Ukraine aid, foreign policy matters, taxes and others. If you would like to further explore where Harris stands on these issues, check out this website; https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cx924r4d5yno
On the other hand, Donald Trump has also given his voice and made promises he will fulfill if he becomes president. His main campaign is that under his administration “life was better” and that he intends on picking up where he left off, which would include to finish building the wall between the US and Mexico (CNN). In regards to the economy, Trump has made promises to citizens in his campaign of “ending inflation and making America affordable once again.” He intends on expanding US energy production, opening new areas to oil drilling with the aim to lower energy costs and reducing house costs by preventing undocumented immigrants from getting mortgages. Additionally, during his many speeches, Donald Trump has shared his opinions on other factors, If you would like to take a look at where he stands on various issues, check out this website: https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c2l1qd1nwnjo
All in all, both candidates promise huge factors that could alter the lives of many in the nation; however, each individual has different plans, visions and ideas on how to do so. If you are an expat, eighteen years or older, and an American citizen, you still have the right to vote. In order to complete the absentee voting process you must comply with rules in your voting state that you currently live in. Furthermore, your voting state will be the last state you lived in and you will get a ballot determined by your previous address in the USA. If these qualifications, apply, visit: https://www.fvap.gov/citizen-voter.
Stay tuned for more information on this election!
Works Cited
“Biden drops out of 2024 race and endorses Harris.” AP News, 21 July 2024, https://apnews.com/article/biden-drops-out-2024-election-ddffde72838370032bdcff946cfc2ce6. Accessed 23 September 2024.
Blackburn, Piper Hudspeth, et al. “Promises Donald Trump has made so far in his campaign for a second term.” CNN, 20 April 2024, https://edition.cnn.com/interactive/2024/04/politics/trump-campaign-promises-dg/. Accessed 23 September 2024.
Luhby, Tami, and Way Mullery. “Promises Kamala Harris has made so far in her campaign.” CNN, 4 August 2024, https://edition.cnn.com/interactive/2024/08/politics/kamala-harris-key-issues-dg/. Accessed 23 September 2024.
Melton, Brittney. “Up First briefing: Legal issues for Harris campaign; New dinosaur find.” NPR, 23 July 2024, https://www.npr.org/2024/07/23/g-s1-12846/up-first-newsletter-kamala-harris-legal-challenges-dinosaur-utah-fona-herzogae. Accessed 23 September 2024.
