Trump and Biden: What are the differences with four years ago?
American youth challenging supportive policies towards Israel
By Ebrahim Beheshti
Staff writer
It seems that Donald Trump and Joe Biden will once again face each other for the presidency of the United States. Is it possible for any changes to occur in the main candidates before the elections? How will the rematch between these two differ from the previous term? Will the Gaza conflict have an impact on the elections? Iran Daily has discussed these questions with Ali Nazifpour, an expert on American affairs.
After the event known as the Great Tuesday in the United States, should we consider Biden and Trump as the main candidates for the presidential elections, or could something else happen considering their age?
The path to selecting party nominees is established and lengthy, and I doubt that the party nominees, namely Donald Trump for the Republicans and Joe Biden for the Democrats, will change. Biden, despite criticisms regarding his health and age, managed to secure intra-party support for his candidacy in the elections. However, age and health remain significant concerns for him and the Democrats in the elections. Nevertheless, he has time until the elections to change negative perceptions about himself, as he tried to do in his annual speech by speaking passionately and demonstrating that he is in good physical condition. Therefore, the definite choices are Trump and Biden, unless an unforeseeable event such as the sudden death of one of them occurs. Even the possibility of replacing a Democratic nominee in place of Biden has been ruled out.
What differences does the rematch between Trump and Biden have from four years ago?
One of the differences is the age of both candidates. Whichever wins the election will be considered the oldest president in American history. Another significant issue is the matter of democracy and the health of the elections, which is more serious compared to the previous term. In the previous elections, Donald Trump did not accept the election results, and concerns about the decline of democracy in the country have been raised following subsequent events and the attack by protesters on the US Capitol. Additionally, since then, Trump has heavily emphasized the health of the elections, effectively challenging it. Another new component in the current elections is the issue of abortion. The US Supreme Court has rejected federal-level abortion freedoms, which could be a priority for certain segments of voters, particularly women.
Considering the repeated criticisms of both candidates, how likely is it to consider the influence of a third party or independent candidates?
The next US president will either be Trump or Biden, and it’s unlikely for a third-party candidate to win. However, a question arises here: which main candidate’s votes could independent candidates reduce, and in reality, who could they work to the advantage of? I also find this scenario unlikely because independent candidates won’t have significant impact on influential states or on the ballot papers. For example, Robert Kennedy, who is ahead of other independents, has only appeared on ballots in three states so far, and it’s uncertain whether his votes would be to the detriment of Trump or Biden. With months left until the elections, the votes for independent candidates in polls aren’t bad, but as we approach the elections, their votes in polls decline. Third-party or independent candidates have not been effective so
far.
We’ve witnessed in the past few months in American society large protests in support of the Palestinian people and criticism of America’s supportive policies towards Israel. Even a Harvard University poll showed that 51% of American youths support the destruction of Israel. Do you think the Gaza conflict will have an impact on the US elections?
I don’t think the Gaza conflict will have a significant impact on the US elections. Supporters of Palestine within the Democratic Party are powerful and significant, and their power increases year by year. Despite the protest votes that Palestine supporters in Michigan gave, I still think their votes won’t have a significant impact on the elections. If the votes of those who are independent, meaning not supporters of the two main parties, turn against Biden and some Democrats, including these Palestine supporters, don’t vote for Biden, it could lead to Biden’s downfall. Supporters of Israel fervently vote for Trump in the elections because he is seen as a better option for Israel. There’s a difference between the Republican and Democratic parties in this regard. Republicans are unified in their support for Israel, but Biden faces a party that has older supporters in favor of Israel and younger supporters more in favor of Palestine. The Harvard University poll also showed that significant portions of American youth support Palestine. I believe if this trend of American youth inclination towards Palestine continues in the next 10-15 years and their numbers increase, America will be forced to reconsider its supportive policies towards Israel.
Trump is a tested option in America. Especially considering the concerns about exacerbating social divides and damaging democracy resulting from Trump’s policies, why is he still a primary election candidate and has enthusiastic supporters?
One reason is that Trump has still retained the support of conservative Americans. Another point is that in some issues where he could be troublesome for Republicans, who have stricter policies, Trump shows flexibility. For example, in the conservative Republican Party, Trump defends universal healthcare insurance, which is appealing to the general public and especially to workers. Although Trump is often staunch, he is conservative in the economic realm, and this quality might even attract some hesitant or independent voters towards him.