When asked to pick something, we tend to experience our choice as an affirmation. In our two-party election system, we must shed that view and realize American elections are a choice between the lesser of two evils.
Simple math shows that voting for the lesser of two evils speaks twice as loud as not voting for either of the major party candidates. Suppose Candidate D and Candidate R both have 50 votes. Either candidate would need just one more vote to pull ahead. However, if I vote for one of them, the other candidate would need two more votes to pull ahead, making it that much harder for the worse choice to run the country. This math is especially crucial in the large swing state of Pennsylvania, which has voted for the winning presidential candidate 77.4 percent of the time, almost four out of five elections, since 1900.
While some may accuse me of creating a false dichotomy, voters must understand that there is no realistic chance for a third party to win national office, and voting for such is effectively the same as not voting. The argument that threatening to vote uncommitted or third party pressures politicians to not ignore them falls short to the same math as before: if taking a certain position alienates one voter who votes third-party but embraces another voter who votes for the candidate, that is still a net gain of votes compared to the other candidate. Voting third-party or not voting at all is akin to declaring that the two major parties are equally bad, which is never the case.
This presidential election is unique because it presents the country with a choice between two people with White House administration histories to judge. A comparison between Kamala Harris and Donald Trump shows that Trump is less capable of performing presidential duties than Harris.
National Security
As commander-in-chief, the president must have the competency to decide crucial matters of national security. While Kamala Harris demonstrates responsibility, Donald Trump retained classified documents, including nuclear secrets, hid them in unsecured locations in his private home, including a shower and a bathroom and refused to turn over the documents to the government. This goes beyond a simple mistake in the process of moving out of the White House and demonstrates, at best, a basic lack of understanding of the national security apparatus.
Trump has commented in the past that Putin is “genius” and “savvy” for his role in the Ukraine war while Harris understands the importance of defending democracy in Ukraine, supporting NATO allies and the opportunity this presents to degrade Russia’s economy and military to advance American national security goals.
War must also be conducted in a humanitarian manner. While the Biden-Harris administration has not been as strict with Israel’s use of American weapons as progressives would like, it has still pushed for restraint and worked tirelessly behind the scenes to negotiate a ceasefire agreement between Israel and Hamas. Meanwhile, Trump as recently as Oct. 25 was reported to have called Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu and expressed support for Israel’s brutal bombing campaigns, saying, “do what you have to do.”
In addition, Trump has made impulsive foreign policy decisions of massive consequence, such as pulling out of the Iran nuclear deal, which previously limited Iran’s uranium enrichment to levels below that necessary to produce a nuclear weapon; the Paris Climate Accords, which commits the country to limiting global warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels; and the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty, which limited the possession of certain weapons by the United States and Russia.
The next president will be inheriting a foreign policy mess with wars in Ukraine and the Middle East. More foreign threats may arise in the next four years. The country must elect someone who shows they are capable of defending the United States from foreign enemies and is responsible enough to not carelessly handle our national secrets.
Legislative Priorities
Because the president has veto power and is seen as the leader of their party, the president can use the bully pulpit to push Congress to prioritize issues that are important to them.
Kamala Harris in her role as President of the Senate made history by casting the most tie-breaking votes in the Senate, reflecting a closely divided Senate. Passing by a 51-50 vote, with Vice President Harris casting the tie-breaker, the Inflation Reduction Act represents the Biden-Harris administration’s biggest legislative accomplishment.
This law imposes comprehensive reforms across the government including a 15 percent minimum tax on corporations making over $1 billion in profit, a mandate for the Internal Revenue Service to develop a free direct e-file tax return system, a $35 monthly cap on insulin costs for Medicare Part D beneficiaries, the power for the government to directly negotiate prescription drug prices with drug manufacturers, extensive tax credits to stimulate clean energy investments and funding throughout the government to carry out its normal operations. The extensive provisions of a law passed on such razor-thin margins reflects the political acumen of the party leadership to navigate legislative challenges and the prioritization of major issues like the environment and healthcare costs that are important to America’s sustainability as a country.
Donald Trump’s major legislative accomplishment is the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act which majorly overhauled the tax code to reduce taxes for businesses, shareholders and individuals. While most of its corporate tax deductions and the lower corporate tax rate are permanent, most of its reductions in individual taxes are set to expire next year. While the Biden-Harris administration prioritized the middle class and sustainability, the Trump-Pence administration prioritized corporations, such as the Trump Organization, and their profits.
Working for the Benefit of All Americans
At the end of the day, the president must work for the benefit of the country as a whole, not just for those who elected them. The president must uphold the basic principles of American democracy, such as equal protection under the law, preserving the public’s faith in public institutions and prioritizing the country over party. On these fundamental grounds, Donald Trump becomes the greater evil.
Trump’s rhetoric is often one based on marginalizing minority groups for immutable characteristics. He has attempted to implement a Muslim travel ban, defended white nationalist protesters in Charlottesville as “very fine people” and has been held liable for sexual assault. A president who seeks to divide cannot be a president who enforces the law on all Americans equally.
The president should also not use their office for personal or corrupt purposes. Trump profited off his position from business transactions by accepting at least $7.8 million from officials and governments of 20 countries. Government officials, including Trump, also stayed at Trump’s hotels. During his time in office, he did not put his businesses in a blind trust, as is customary, which would confer the administration of the business to an independent third party.
Trump also weaponized the Department of Justice for political purposes by investigating political opponents, threatening careers of those who opposed him and pardoning political allies. Meanwhile, the Biden-Harris administration has allowed the attorney general to have independence, and the current DOJ has appointed fair special counsels to investigate both Trump and President Biden’s son’s. Project 2025’s plans for the DOJ include prosecuting recipients of abortion medication by mail and preventing states from allowing voters to cast ballots, which would divide the country into those who support Trump and those who do not.
Furthermore, Trump has shown that he would rather gain political points over helping the country. Recently, he single-handedly prevented immigration reforms that he supported from passing Congress by calling Republican representatives and urging them to vote against the bill because immigration reform would help his opponent. And let us not forget that when the COVID-19 pandemic started at the end of his administration, he constantly contradicted Dr. Fauci, the actual expert on infectious diseases and tried to sweep the pandemic under the rug because a national crisis might make him look bad. Countless deaths could have been avoided had Trump encouraged people to wear masks and get vaccinated, and not suggested they inject bleach or chloroform.
Clearly, Donald Trump is the greater evil of this election.