On Nov. 7, former Vice President Joseph R. Biden was projected to be elected the 46th President of the United States by the Associated Press and many other news organizations. President-elect Biden and the first woman and black Vice President-elect Kamala Harris have already begun their transition from the Trump administration to the Biden administration, which will start on Jan. 21, 2021, when Biden and Harris are inaugurated. However, there has been much resistance from current President Donald J. Trump, who has refused to accept the election results and concede and has also made many voter fraud claims. Biden’s 2020 campaign slogan was “Build Back Better,” and according to his website “Joe’s Vision,” the new administration plans to do just that once in office.
Beating COVID-19
One of the major talking points for the 2020 election was how the candidates would respond to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. Some believe that President Trump’s initial reaction to the pandemic and the loss of over 230,000 lives may have contributed to his general election loss. Political Science student Dylan Ghostlaw believes differently that Trump supporters voted for him regardless of his handling of the pandemic.
“If he does push for more quarantine or lockdowns, then it could die down a lot quicker than people may think,” Ghostlaw says.
Biden’s plan to end the pandemic includes free and available testing to all Americans, making sure there are no PPE shortages, listening to scientists, implementing mask mandates, and rebuilding the pandemic task force that President Trump had shut down. Ghostlaw believes, however, that COVID should not be the first priority, but the economy should be since we have already made lots of progress with possible vaccines and overall flattening of the curve.
Economic Recovery
Ghostlaw says that he’s most interested in seeing how Biden handles the economy, especially after the Coronavirus’s effect on the United States’ economy. According to Biden’s website, his main steps to building back the economy are creating millions of jobs and providing aid to small businesses and families in need. Furthermore, he breaks down four economic issues that he will focus on during his presidency: manufacturing and innovation, infrastructure and equitable, clean energy, caregiver and education workforce aid, and racial equity.
Ghostlaw says, “The [Democratic] party platform does want to push for a higher minimum wage and higher taxes on corporations.”
Supporters of the Affordable Care Act. Photo via: https://wusfnews.wusf.usf.edu/tags/affordable-care-act
Affordable Care Act/Universal Health Care
Of course, as President Barack Obama’s right-hand man, Biden would have supported the Affordable Care Act, also known as Obamacare. Trump has spent his years in office attempting to dismantle the system and its flaws, but Biden plans to keep it while ironing out its problems and improving it in general.
“A lot of people had problems with the mandate of paying if they didn’t get health insurance,” Ghostlaw says, “I don’t believe that is right either.”
Biden’s main objectives for his version of the ACA include four major ideals. Biden’s website states they are giving every American access to affordable health care, providing peace of mind with a quality and less complex health care system, standing up to prescription drug companies inflating prices for certain medications, and ensuring health care is a right to all.
Overall, Ghostlaw thinks that a President Biden will result in a less polarized nation rather than a President Trump. Since Biden is more moderate, he believes it may be easier for Republicans to work with Biden to pass legislation even if the Democrats don’t win the Senate.
“As long as he pushes more moderate things, we are more likely to see the Senate working with Biden, and vice versa. But the Senate may be harsher on him if his policies are more leftist.”
This has been a worry for many democrats and left-wing voters because the Senate is still up for grabs. As of writing this, the Senate will be determined by two run-off races in Georgia, and whoever wins those will win the Senate. This could be the make or break of Biden’s presidency.
Ghostlaw hopes that this presidency will be less about Biden himself and more about the people of the United States.
APN 
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