As the 2020 Presidential election grows closer and closer, Americans are unsure of how the country will look in the next few months. Biden has made many “Day 1” pledges, promises for his first day in office, and Trump has promised to continue pursuing his policies if re-elected. But do such words describe realistic goals or empty promises?
Former Vice President, Joe Biden, has an extensive list of goals for his first days in office. “On my first day as President, I will rejoin the WHO (World Health Organization) and restore our leadership on the world stage,” (July 7th, Twitter). He even stated that he would double taxes on profits made by companies who invest overseas. “Right now, the president gives advantage to companies that go overseas and invest overseas by reducing the taxes they have to pay on foreign profits,” Biden said during a July 9 interview with WNEP in Scranton, Pa. “I’d double that tax and do that on Day 1” (The Washington Post). As well as attempting to restore the USA’s image on an international scale, Biden also plans to deal with many social issues that American society has been plagued with for years. According to the housing section of Biden’s campaign website, he plans to lay out a “... Comprehensive approach to ending homelessness.” (joebiden.com). The former VP also seeks to end the travel ban on Muslim countries established by the Trump Administration. These are just a small fraction of Biden’s Day 1 Pledges.
Of course, all of these promises depend on the Democrat’s ability to win the Senate. Many of Biden’s promises rely on the passage of new bills that need to be approved through Congress. Since the Democrats already have the majority in the House, the current Republican-majority Senate could be an obstacle for him and his policies if his party is not able to win more Senate seats.
One of Trump’s campaign slogans is, “Promises Made, Promises Kept.” Although widely debated by his many critics, the President has made it clear that he aims to continue his work on restoring manufacturing jobs in the US, stating that he will, “Create 10 Million New Jobs in 10 Months,” as well as enact many new Pro-American economic policies (donaldjtrump.com). With regard to Covid-19, the President has promised to fully develop a vaccine by the end of 2020 and return the country to normalcy by 2021. Trump also plans to end Sanctuary Cities for refugees and increase pressure on deporting illegal immigrants.
Along with upholding other various conservative causes such as the Pro-Life movement and the push to decrease regulation on firearms, Trump wants to keep nominating strict constitutionalist Supreme Court and lower court judges, who insist upon adhering tightly to framers’ original intent and resist adapting the Constitution to a changing social reality, something that has caused much controversy between Democrats and Republicans. Amy Coney Barrett, Trump’s latest Supreme Court nominee, is a staunch originalist who possesses many qualities of far right America. It seems that Trump intends to go above and beyond to please his supporters if he wins the 2020 election by passing many conservative policies. However, he is in the same boat as his opponent Joe Biden. The Republicans currently do not hold a majority in the House of Representatives, while they do control the Senate. It will be interesting to see how the general election influences Congress, as both of the major political parties are scrambling for control.
The 2020 Presidential Election will undoubtedly go down in history. Because the country is at a historic political divide and at the mercy of the Covid-19 pandemic, the future of the United States will be changed by whomever wins the presidency. Good luck to both candidates.