—By John Rieg
Three and a half years. Three and a half long years at that. Yes, it has been about that long since Mr. Donald Trump was sworn into office as the 45th president of the United States of America.
Many Americans were stunned. A seasoned politician and champion figure of women in politics had lost to a reality tv-star turned failed casino owner. This is America ladies, gentlemen, and everyone in between.
Tensions are high, and the coming months mark a period of anxiety and uncertainty for many. Who will be the next president of a nation once touted as the “land of opportunity?” We surveyed students on campus at Passaic County Community College to see who they would be supporting in the upcoming presidential election, and the general consensus seems to be indisputable: Joe Biden has garnished the support of young Americans—some more easily than others.
“I’m supporting Joe Biden,” Mayar Eltorky, a 22-year-old Psychology major at PCCC told us. “He has a lot of things planned for the students still in college.”
Vered Berkin, 21 and an English major, voiced her support as well, but she wasn’t too happy about it. “I reluctantly voted for Joe Biden,” she stated. “I don’t believe there’s a feasible alternative…the honest answer is that neither of the major presidential candidates have the people’s best interests at heart.
“Truthfully speaking, I don’t like any of the 2020 presidential candidates,” stated Natalie Ruiz, also an English major at the college. “My only option is to settle for Biden/Harris as they are a better choice than Donald Trump.”
Echoing similar sentiment to the rest of the students surveyed on campus, Ruiz continued, “Although Biden and Harris don’t have a clean record either, anyone is better than Trump. I somewhat agree with some of their plans and policies, and I don’t want Trump to cause any more destruction.”
“Personally, I’m supporting Biden due to me being a minority,” said Steven Vargas, a Design major. “Generally, I don’t like how Trump has been running things…I suppose Biden will do better due to him being the more intact candidate.”
Almost every student spoken to on campus voiced their support for Biden. A very small percentage told us that at this juncture they still could not decide who to pull for in the coming election.
“I haven’t decided if I’m voting yet honestly. It’s like choosing two sides of the same coin,” Quasha Davis, a Psychology major, told us. “People don’t like Trump for good reasons but they’re only choosing Biden because they don’t like Trump. It doesn’t make sense.”
It appears as though almost everyone we’ve spoken to will be voting blue in the upcoming election, although many are only doing it because they feel they need to. Voting for the “lesser of two evils” so to speak. In a country more divided than ever, when will someone step up to the plate that the American people truly believe in? How much longer can this go on?