Updated Oct. 30, 2020 at 1 p.m.
With Election Day a mere four days away and early voting already well underway, the country is in the midst of the most important presidential election in our lifetimes. After four years of embarrassment on the world stage, disregard for Americans at home and destruction of our governing institutions under President Donald Trump, the U.S. now has the chance to turn things around. A selfish president driven solely by his own ego — a man who has stoked the flames of white supremacy, flaunted his disregard for scientific facts and called American soldiers killed in action “suckers” and “losers” — is no leader, certainly not in this time of crisis. In this election, more than particular policies, our fundamental rights and values are on the line. As such, The Dartmouth Editorial Board fully and unhesitatingly endorses Joe Biden for president of the United States.
Biden is the only candidate who can lead the nation through the current crisis. His plans to expand the Affordable Care Act will see an estimated 97% of Americans obtain health insurance, and he has promised to put federal funding towards developing a nationwide system of testing and contact-tracing to overcome the COVID-19 crisis. Compare that to Trump’s decision to hold mass unmasked campaign rallies, tout disproven COVID-19 treatments and chalk the recent spike in cases up to increased testing, all while roughly 1,000 Americans continue to die each day from COVID-19. And unlike Trump, who in the face of overwhelming scientific consensus still disputes the facts of climate change, Biden will listen to scientists — he plans to invest $1.7 trillion in green technology research and commit the country to zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2050.
While Trump has deeply wounded America’s international credibility, making friends with despots like Vladimir Putin and Kim Jong Un and angrily denouncing our allies, Biden believes in more than his ego. He, unlike Trump, will stop antagonizing our allies, including our critical NATO partners. He, unlike Trump, plans to reenter the Paris accord, hold Russia and China to account and no longer pass the buck on preventing Iran from acquiring nuclear weapons.
Trump, while president, has made repeated attempts to undermine the democratic foundations of the U.S. He has consistently sought to subvert the American free press, calling journalists the “enemy of the people” and referring to any and all negative coverage of himself as “fake news.” He has denounced, without evidence, the upcoming election as the “greatest rigged election in history,” baselessly declared mail-in voting as fraudulent and refuses — to this day — to promise that he will concede power should he lose.
Trump has also shown a disturbing indifference to white supremacists, exemplified by his infamous claim that “there were very fine people on both sides” at Charlottesville — while one side carried Nazi swastika flags and chanted “Jews will not replace us.” He has derided immigrants from “s—hole countries,” bragged about his “Muslim ban” that barred travel from citizens of several Muslim-majority countries and overseen the separation of young immigrant children from their parents at the U.S.-Mexico border.
While Trump relishes division, Biden has repeatedly pledged to “be a president for all Americans. Not just the ones who vote for me.” Even among those who may be skeptical of Biden’s particular policies, few can disagree that he will govern for all of America. The same cannot be said for Trump. That distinction alone should be enough to decide your vote.
One of our fundamental rights as Americans is the ability to have our voice heard in government. With Trump already attempting to delegitimize the vote, the future of our democracy may well be at stake. As such, there is no room for complacency in the coming days. Vote for Biden, and make your voice heard.
The editorial board consists of opinion staff columnists, the opinion editors, the executive editors and the editor-in-chief.
