Every 4 years, United States citizens vote for their preferred candidate to take leadership of America. This year, the two presidential candidates are Donald Trump and Kamala Harris; and the controversy could not be more divisive. Since President Joe Biden dropped out of the presidential race at the beginning of the summer, it has been an extremely unconventional election cycle. From shootings, garbage islands, cats and dogs, and SNL skits, the 2024 election couldn’t come sooner.
The cycle kicked off with a heated debate between Trump and Biden on June 27th hosted by CNN. A few weeks later, Biden dropped out of the race, leaving the Democrats in search of a new representative for their party. Biden’s current Vice President, Kamala Harris, decided to step up to the plate, and has since chosen Minnesota governor Tim Walz as her running mate, while JD Vance was selected to be Trump’s Vice President.
Various incidents have occurred within the United States since Harris and Trump were declared the official candidates, causing both the Republican and Democratic parties to sway to extremes. For starters, their debate quickly became a meme across the internet. Trump further spread the false rumor about how Haitian immigrants were eating cats and dogs, and the moderators and hosts of the debate seemed biased towards Harris.
In addition to this viral moment, Trump survived a shooting at one of his Make America Great Again rallies in Butler, Pennsylvania on July 13th. Various conspiracy theories started forming afterwards, with allegations coming forth against the Secret Service, with the House panel saying that the event was “preventable and should not have happened” due to security measures that could have been enforced.
At the beginning of October, Saturday Night Live started the first of what would be an incredibly accurate series of political comedy skits. The first video released was a Family Feud style game show, where the Democrats (Harris, Walz, and Biden) faced off against the Republicans (Trump, Trump Jr., and Vance). The hilarious depictions of each political leader gained traction on the internet, with millions of viewers tuning in weekly to watch the entertaining episodes. Saturday, November 3 was an even more surprising turn of events, when Kamala Harris joined Maya Rudolph, the woman who acted as Madam Vice President herself, and made an appearance on SNL.
Furthermore, a statement made by a comedian at a Trump rally that compared Puerto Rico to a floating island of garbage quickly went around the internet and caused an influx of negative comments from minority groups towards Trump’s campaign. In response, Biden said that “The only garbage I see floating out there is his supporters.”, causing distress amongst Trump supporters.
Clearly November 5th will be an extremely significant election day. With polls being released daily, the Democrats and Republicans seem to be neck and neck, with swing states such as Pennsylvania and Michigan still undetermined. The controversial events of the past few months will certainly be remembered as an anxious time in the United States, no matter what side you agree with.
“Voting was an amazing experience.” senior Megan Bermejo said, “I loved being able to participate in our right to vote and have a say on who is going to run this country.”
