top of page
Search

The Convicted Felon or The Oldest American President? Voters Say The Choices Are Limited as America Heads Towards The 2024 Elections.

Hridyesha Palsikar | June 9, 2024




On May 30, 2024, former U.S. President Donald J. Trump was found guilty of thirty-four criminal charges by jurors in New York. He made history by being the first sitting president convicted of a felony. A precedent indeed. As he returns to the 2024 presidential elections as a republican candidate, many people, now more than ever, are doubting his ability to be a fit president. On the other hand, current president Joe Biden isn’t any better, many say, as he is unreliable due to his old age and indecisiveness towards the Hamas War in Israel.  

"Get out the popcorn, pull up a chair, it is must-see TV and if the past is any indication, the gloves will likely come off early and often," voter Maloy said in a Quinnipiac University Poll.

The May 30th trial was only one of the four criminal trials– the hush money case. Trump (77) paid adult actor Stormy Daniels (22) $130,000 to not disclose their alleged sexual encounter. But these types of contracts are not illegal. The real problem here is falsifying business records– he said the money was for ‘legal fees,’ which people can clearly see is untrue. 

He was charged under the allegations that he was conspiring to “overturn the legitimate results of the 2020 presidential election by using knowingly false claims of election fraud to obstruct the federal government function by which those results are collected, counted, and certified” (1).

With these allegations, he was charged on four counts:

  • Count 1: conspiring to defraud the United States

  • Counts 2 and 3: corruptly obstructing the certification of the presidential election results on January 6, 2021 [The riot on the capitol of Washington, DC]

  • Count 4: conspiring to violate one or more person’s constitutional right to vote and have one’s vote counted 

This isn’t the first time Trump has made controversial decisions. 

During his presidency, on September 4, 2017, he signed Proclamation No. 9645, which restricted travel to the United States for eight countries. He said, “As President, I must act to protect the security and interests of the United States and its people” (2). But was he really acting to protect national security, or was he just biased?

In Trump v. Hawaii, the Supreme Court deemed the proclamation constitutional, after striking down multiple travel bans in the past. 

But Trump is not the only one. Joe Biden has frustrated people all over America as he deals with the Israeli–Hamas War with great controversy. He accepted a three-phase deal from Israel, which states both sides will release their hostages and cease fire for six weeks. Biden says Hamas is “no longer capable” to attack Israel on a large scale.

From colleges to Democrats, the people are angry with Biden’s decision. University students are protesting in support of Palestine, calling him “Genocide Joe” (3). Many of these students are getting arrested. Many Democrats want him to take a “tougher stance on Israel” (4) as Palestinians continue to suffer. Many Americans think Trump would do a better job of dealing with this situation. A hindrance to Biden’s reputation as election day is nearing.

In the Quinnipiac University Poll, thirty-eight percent of voters think “the United States is doing too little to provide humanitarian aid to civilians in Gaza” (5).

The same poll stated forty–eight percent of voters said they would vote for Biden; forty–seven said they would vote for Trump if the election was held today. A very, very close race.

Furthermore, seventy-two percent of the black community and fifty-two percent of the Hispanic community said they would vote for Biden. Could this be because of Trump’s open dislike towards immigrants?

All in all, it is clear that voters are not happy with their choice of candidates. Many are forced to make a choice, the split between Democrats and Republicans near equal. Americans do not trust Trump nor Biden with our country, but election day is in five months, and it seems that history is repeating itself. From wherever you are reading, remember to vote, because the fate of America lies in your hands.










Sources

Evans, Gareth. “A guide to Donald Trump's four criminal cases.” BBC, 4 June 2024, https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-61084161. Accessed 9 June 2024.

 “5/22/24 - 2024 Race: Biden-Trump Matchup Margin Razor Thin With Nearly 1 In 5 Voters Likely To Change Their Minds, Quinnipiac University National Poll Finds; More Than 7 In 10 Voters Plan To Watch June Debate.” Quinnipiac University Poll, 22 May 2024, https://poll.qu.edu/poll-release?releaseid=3898. Accessed 9 June 2024.

Halpert, Madeline, and Kayla Epstein. “Trump verdict: Former president found guilty in hush-money case.” BBC, 30 May 2024, https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c2qqnxnwl7wo. Accessed 9 June 2024.

 Hutzler, Alexandra. “'No easy way out': Biden faces anger from all sides as he navigates Israel-Hamas war.” ABC News, 9 May 2024, https://abcnews.go.com/Politics/easy-biden-faces-anger-sides-navigates-israel-hamas/story?id=110029329. Accessed 9 June 2024.

Madhani, Aamer, et al. “Biden details Israel's proposed three-phase hostage, ceasefire deal.” AP News, 31 May 2024, https://apnews.com/article/biden-israel-hamas-58169a607d4a7c4d7fc34f43160076b8. Accessed 9 June 2024.

“Presidential Powers.” Legal Timelines, https://legaltimelines.org/timeline/presidential-powers/#event-presidential-powers. Accessed 9 June 2024.

Cillizza, Chris. “Donald Trump’s allies are going to make America great again. Again. Seriously.” CNN, 5 October 2021, https://www.cnn.com/2021/10/05/politics/donald-trump-super-pac/index.html. Accessed 9 June 2024.





Comments

bottom of page