Introduction
Donald Trump, the current President of the United States of America, is planning to run again in the 2020 election with the same platform and will likely become the Republican nominee. The Democrats are currently in the middle of choosing a contender among a variety of options. Joe Biden, who served as Vice-President in the Obama administration, is among the most prominent candidates. Both presidential candidates acknowledge the existence of inequality in society, but they come from different backgrounds and offer dissimilar solutions. They put a different emphasis on racism, sexism, and classism, respectively. This essay tries to compare the two candidates’ platforms and determine how they would influence the oppression in people’s lives.
Racism
Joe Biden highlights issues of racial discrimination in his campaign explicitly but does not clarify the specific measures. “Joe’s vision” (2019) promotes the idea of making it easier for Americans of color to vote and having their voices count equally in the nation’s democracy. The campaign also supports the messages of inclusivity, tolerance, and diversity, all of which benefit people of races other than Caucasians. With that said, there is no description of the specific issues affecting people of color or the measures that will be taken to help them. As such, it is challenging to quantify the specific benefits that may result from Mr. Biden’s election.
Donald Trump’s campaign website directs the user to the website that lists the current administration’s various achievements with the implicit promise that the President will achieve more of the same should he be elected again. “Recent President Donald J. Trump accomplishments” (2019) highlights the unemployment rates of Asian and African Americans, which have hit a record low in 2019 and achieved the lowest disparity with white people ever. As such, minorities are becoming equal in the workplace, and their increased economic viability likely contributes to their social life, as well. Overall, Mr. Trump is willing to help anyone who shows an inclination to work, regardless of their race.
Sexism
Joe Biden’s website does not mention women or sexism in its central positions. While this omission may be assumed to be an oversight or the candidate’s focus on issues he believes to be more prominent, his past complicates the situation. Mr. Biden has a history of sexist accusations, which have continued into 2019 with stories such as that published by Elsesser (2019), who calls him a benevolent sexist. This variety of the trait stems from a belief that women are less capable than men instead of an active dislike. As a result, Mr. Biden is likely to be patronizing to women, a tendency that may express itself in his policies as President.
Donald Trump’s attitude to women takes the same direction as race, with a significant focus on economics, jobs, and self-help. As Law (2019) records, his State of the Union Address contained claims that women had filled 58% of all new jobs in 2018. The ability for women to find jobs should normalize their presence and make sure that they are treated as equals. Additionally, “Recent President Donald J. Trump accomplishments” (2019) mentions a significant amount in grants to recruit, mentor, train, and retain women in the workplace. However, there is no mention of other aspects of women’s lives where sexism may be an issue.
Classism
Joe Biden explicitly opposes the upper class of extremely wealthy people and promotes the existence of a middle class in the United States. “Joe’s vision” (2019) mentions the ability to own a home, send children to college, and save and get ahead regardless of one’s starting position. As such, the candidate intends to revitalize rural America, improve people’s ability to obtain an education beyond high school, and protect workers’ rights. However, there is no mention of how he intends to achieve these expensive changes or reduce the wealth disparity in the nation. Nevertheless, if he succeeds, most Americans will be able to lead considerably better lives.
Donald Trump is known for his populistic tendencies, creating jobs, lowering taxes, and promoting general national prosperity. It could be argued that a good economy benefits the extremely rich, a category that includes the current President, the most. However, according to “Recent President Donald J. Trump accomplishments” (2019), Mr. Trump’s efforts have created jobs, increased average wages, improved trade, and reduced drug usage. All of these results have improved the livelihood of the lower and middle classes. As for the wealthy, one may argue that any attempt to reduce their wealth would lead them to avoid the ramifications by relocating to another country.
Conclusion
A comparison of Mr. Biden and Mr. Trump may not be entirely fair, as one has to rely on promises and the other uses current achievements to establish his position. However, on the whole, the two presidential candidates appear to be addressing different varieties of issues related to oppression. Mr. Trump expects minorities to overcome their issues when given equal opportunities in the workplace. By contrast, Mr. Biden wants to improve the social status of minorities and reduce the disparity between the wealthy and the poor but has some issues with sexism accusations. As such, Mr. Trump’s position should slowly keep reducing oppression in society, and Mr. Biden’s approach may reduce it significantly in some aspects and increase it in others if it succeeds.
References
Elsesser, K. (2019). Joe Biden, rubbing noses and benevolent sexism.Forbes. Web.
Joe’s vision for America. (2019). Web.
Law, T. (2019). Read the full transcript of President Trump’s State of the Union address.Time. Web.
Recent President Donald J. Trump accomplishments. (2019). Web.