Thinking about this upcoming election is important for everyone, and everyone should get out and vote. Looking back four years ago when Donald Trump was voted into office, so many people were divided. 

I was just realizing my sexuality and becoming a part of the LGBT community. I had family members telling me Trump’s election was what our country needed, meanwhile I was consoling crying friends and disheartened allies. This was terrible for our community, and Trump has only proved our community correct since then.

Since being in office, Trump has banned openly trans people from serving in the military, attempted to redefine title VII to exclude sexuality, which would have stripped LGBT members of workplace rights, and tried to roll back trans rights regulated by the Affordable Care Act on the anniversary of the Pulse night club shooting. 

Trump has been accused of sexual misconduct with a porn star and sexual assault of minors. According to Politifact, Trump’s current administration has 215 criminal indictments. For reference, Nixon’s administration had 69. Many of Trump’s advisors, such as Steve Bannon, Paul Manafort, and Roger Stone, have been convicted of crimes. 

As the American people, we should stand up against those seeking to remove our rights and willingly introduce criminals into our government. 

Our president has divided our country when a good leader would seek to unite it. The president’s rhetoric about masks and downplaying the virus has led to 200,000 American lives being lost. The president says he has done a lot to help with the virus since being in office, but he got rid of the department of the CDC responsible for preparing and protecting the U.S. against future pandemics. 

But Trump appeals to his followers by talking about loving our country and making America great through economic strength, and that is really admirable. There is nothing wrong with valuing America or striving for economic change. Trump has done none of this with eight of the biggest single-day net drops in the DOW occurring under the president. 

Trump, in an interview with Jonathan Swan, was told thousands of Americans are dying a day, and Trump responded with “it is what it is.” 

Trump does not really love our country if he responds with such callousness about the American people. 

Biden’s campaign has goals for changing taxes for the rich and aspirations for job and economic recovery from COVID-19. His team has a panel of goals for their administration and how they plan to achieve them. Trump’s campaign has bullet points with things like “return to normal in 2021” and no means or idea of how he will do it. 

Trump campaigned on repealing Obamacare and four years later still has no healthcare plan to replace it. Biden is a chance for meaningful and impactful change for our incredibly divided country. 2 

This election means so much for the American people. Trump has already shown his lack of empathy for those who have died during this pandemic and stripped away rights from so many American people. We should all be able to come together as people and elect a new leader into office and one who has already shown great promise for change. Biden has shown us that he is more than willing to be that change we need.