The upcoming U.S. presidential election will be a crucial moment in history, and the American people’s vote will have an enormous impact on the trajectory of our nation in the years to come. President Donald Trump is the incumbent candidate running for re-election, and his rivals are well aware of the opportunity they have to challenge his acuity.
Joe Biden, the presumptive Democratic nominee for president, has been particularly vocal in criticizing President Trump’s handling of the coronavirus pandemic. For instance, he has called out Trump for not using his powers to issue nationwide mask mandates, as well as for not taking the lead in procuring the necessary safety equipment and supplies for the American people. Furthermore, Biden has accused Trump of fostering an environment of division and resentment among voters, which Trump has neither directly contested nor denied.
Similarly, other Democratic candidates, including Senators Bernie Sanders and Elizabeth Warren, have been vocally critical of the Trump administration’s policies. They have criticized the President’s alleged attempts to use the pandemic as a distraction from more pressing matters such as climate change. Senator Sanders, in particular, has been quite vocal in his condemnations of the Trump administration, stating that its “callousness” and “utter disregard for science” have had disastrous consequences for the nation.
On the other side of the political aisle, some Republican candidates, such as former Massachusetts Governor Bill Weld, have been critical of the President’s performance. While Weld has focused largely on fiscal policy issues, he has suggested that Trump’s handling of the current economic crisis and his distrust of experts has put the nation in a difficult position.
Independent candidates, such as former Starbucks CEO Howard Schultz, have also questioned the President’s acuity. Schultz has claimed that Trump has caused “instability, uncertainty, and an overall destabilization of the economy.” He has also struck a starkly critical tone when discussing Trump’s foreign affairs policies, calling them ill-conceived and arbitrary.
In the end, the upcoming election will be a battle of ideas, with the Trump administration’s acuity at the core of the debate. Trump’s rivals, including both Republican and Democratic candidates, along with independent voters, have seized on the opportunity to challenge his acuity and to put forth ideologies that they believe will be better suited for the nation’s future. It remains to be seen which agenda will prevail, but the American people will have the chance to decide on November 3rd.