Next Tuesday is Election Day. And in less than a month, we will finally know the results of the 2020 Presidential Election. Some will celebrate, and some will protest. Our YouTube ads will finally return to normal.

But, this year, the election decides a lot more than merely who stands at the front of our country. In this election, deciding who to vote for is not a matter of which candidate is good; it is about which candidate is better. It is a matter of choosing to either preserve American democracy, or let it crumble at the hands of a mentally unstable tyrant and the brainwashed cult that trails behind him.

From the time that Donald Trump entered into the political field, he has amassed a following of people who seem to idolize him as a god. Never in recent American politics has there been a politician whose platform takes over the entire personality and belief system of his supporters. Never before has there been a president who has this amount of merchandise featuring his face and slogan. If you still don’t believe me, go to Google and type in “Trump House Pennsylvania.”

The cult-like nature of Trump’s following becomes even more disturbing when we see the policies that he has centered in his platform and the beliefs he presents to the world. It is sad to see that only one term after the first black president held office, we have now elected a man who publicly told white supremacists to “stand back and stand by.” A man who refuses in speech and in policy to support black lives, instead hurrying to paint the protesters fighting for freedom as “thugs”; who willingly downplayed the danger of a global pandemic, taking the lives of thousands of the Americans he is obligated to protect. A President who ignores reality and blindly screams “Make America Great Again!” while refusing to admit to the damage he has caused our country. Who cries “left-wing hoax” at any obstacle in his path, and publicly warns that he does not intend to execute a peaceful transfer of power should he lose.

You may wonder why I have used this space to describe why you shouldn’t vote for Donald Trump instead of why you should vote for Joe Biden. But, in reality, I believe that the two concepts are one and the same, an idea shown in campaigns like the youth-led group Settle For Biden. We are not voting for Joe Biden because we believe he is the best candidate to lead the United States of America, or because we agree with all of his policies. Instead, we are voting for Joe Biden because he is the only candidate with a chance to defeat Donald Trump. We are voting for Joe Biden because despite his imperfections, he recognizes the power of America’s youth and the change that is being demanded. We are voting for Joe Biden because —while he may just be another old white man in politics— he is making a conscious effort to learn from and support the black community, which is shown in his choice of Kamala Harris as his running mate.

If you are reading this, I urge you to turn off the propaganda and the political ads. Turn off Fox News, put down your hats and merchandise, and look around. Look at the thousands of people who have died because of a president that refused to take action in a global crisis. Instead of writing them off as “thugs,” sit down and listen to the demands of the black community, and the long-overdue respect that they fight for every day. Listen to the voices of the LGBTQ+ community, terrified at the prospect of losing their fundamental rights to an overwhelmingly Republican Supreme Court.

Is this the “great” America that you were promised?

Tuesday is the last day you can vote. And while you may take that right for granted, I would like to remind you of those under 18— including myself— who would give anything to be in your shoes. Whether you are a Democrat or a Republican no longer matters. Educate yourself, and vote for the future of America.

And, if we want there to be a future for democratic America, vote for Joe Biden and Kamala Harris.

To say that Trump has a terrible habit of ticking people off is an understatement. I won’t sugarcoat it, much of what comes out of his mouth is just… plain rude. Fortunately, the president’s job is to enact and suggest policies. Trump’s policies are what directly affect the American people – not his tweets or spur-of-the-moment statements. When you examine the President’s actual platform, it’s actually not that bad. In fact, when you look at his record, it contains none of the horrible, racist content he’s often accused of. Here, I discuss some of his successes in office and highlight just a few of his strong suits. 

Let’s start with the coronavirus. Joe Biden is currently slamming the president for his handling of the coronavirus, which is somewhat ironic because the candidate never wanted to close the country in the first place. When Trump first closed travel with China, Biden slammed the move as xenophobic, a statement that he later lied about once it became clear that the decision was the right choice. The truth is, when it comes to the coronavirus, Biden’s got nothing to stand on. When you look at his plan, it looks an awful lot like Trump’s. During both presidential debates, Biden touted his plans to develop a vaccine, improve rapid testing, and distribute the vaccine quickly to the American people. The fact is, that the Trump administration is already doing all of these things. Not only have they worked with businesses to improve testing and create ventilators, but they already have a vaccine in development and a plan in place for when it’s ready. The only main difference in the plans is that Biden wants to establish national standards for reopening while Trump believes the decision should be left up to the states.

Another major reason to vote for Trump is his foreign policy.  Managing foreign affairs is one of the main jobs of the president as outlined in the Constitution and on this, Trump has done an exceptionally good job. To begin with, the administration has done wonders in the Middle East. His presidency has seen the overthrow of ISIS, the withdrawal of troops from Iraq, Afghanistan, and Northern Syria, and three major peace deals. This year, Trump made history when he negotiated the first Arab-Israeli peace agreements since the 1980s. The United Arab Emirates, Sudan, and Bahrain have all made peace with Israel, opening new opportunities for travel and trade. The Trump administration has also helped reform the North Atlantic Treaty Organization and the United Nations. The North Atlantic Treaty Organization, or NATO, is a military alliance between European and North American Countries. Currently, the US pays for 70% of all NATO military operations, meaning that US citizens are picking up the majority of the mutual defense tab. The Trump administration has pressured the rest of NATO into contributing a greater percentage of funding – while still providing resources to members in need like the Ukraine. Trump has also worked to lessen Chinese and Russian control over the United Nations. In 2017, he withdrew the country from the Paris Climate Accords, an unenforceable agreement unfairly biased against the US. In addition, Trump has pressured the World Health Organization over its response to the coronavirus. 

Some other reasons to vote for Trump:

• He signed a bill giving millions to historically black colleges
• He was the first first-term president in support of gay marriage
• He ended catch-and-release. Under this policy, immigrants awaiting court decisions were released into the country. In 2014, only 50% of immigrants returned on their court date 
• He killed Soleimani, a prominent Iranian terrorist leader directly responsible for the deaths of American soldiers
• He opposes abortions if babies can survive outside the womb
• Before the coronavirus hit, unemployment rates were at an all time low. These included historically low rates for African-Americans and other minorities