I voted for what is best for me and my beloved country, the United States of America. The right to vote is an inalienable right in any democratic country. I cannot exercise this right in my home country, Eritrea. But thank fully, I do have that right in America. In the presidential election of 2024, it is very crucial that we carefully vote for what is best for us and our country before anything else. There is a stark difference between the two candidates in how they see and treat their constituents and how they would lead the country to which they owe an oath of allegiance. As an ex-president of the United States from 2017 to 2021, Donald Trump did not have any meaningful economic programs of his own making. He luckily inherited a sound economic programs legacy of Barack Obama. Trump’s national policies of divide and rule were marred by ethnic, racial, and class divisions and tensions instead of uniting them for a common purpose. In the international arena, he espouses dictatorial leaders, despots, and fascists like the North Korean supreme leader Kim Jong Un and the Russian fascist leader Vladimir Putin. When he was president, he antagonized and provoked many European allieed leaders. Trump is inherently anti-European Union, NATO, and the UN. Without the alliance of all these critical institutions, America cannot stand alone and survive. That is pathetic! What is most amazing is that most right-wing Americans affiliated with Trump are mentally blinded by extreme hatred and animosity towards non-white foreigners and minorities. Because of such biases, they cannot see the dangers that Trump’s presidency can pose to America. One must wonder what happened to the spirit of Nationalism in America today. This is not about Donald Trump or Kamala Harris. It is about America’s future as a great nation of clear ideas and idealism and its historical might, which has been the envy of the whole world. Something is wrong with Americans tolerating Trump’s extremism, to the extent of befriending Vladimir Putin, who is the arch enemy of America and Americans. I am glad former president Ronald Reagan did not live long enough to see this debacle. Even for the Muslims who historically support the Palestinian cause, during Trump’s tenure in 2017, he proposed that the city of Jerusalem become the capital city of Israel instead of Tel Aviv. And for that reason alone, Arabs should not be expected to vote for Trump over Kamala Harris. At the same time, Trump has been obsessively labeling Mexicans as rapists, killers, drug dealers, etc. And yet, a significant number of Mexican men are allegedly supporting Trump in this election, which may be due to sheer ignorance and/or selfish personal interests. In any case, we should be cautious about losing our long-held world leadership status if Trump is unfortunately re-elected. Trump is unfit to be president for a second term because he is the most dangerous person in this country. He cannot and would not be a president for all Americans in unison. He would also defund Medicare and Social Security, which is the only income source for millions of senior citizens, in order to support tax cuts for himself and his billionaire friends. Trump is very selfish and cruel. Besides, he is very racist and treats minorities as second-class citizens. After all, he is a felon. Trump does not understand American problems nationally and internationally. If elected, Trump will turn the country into a third-world country status, and he will also abandon Ukraine’s noble cause, which would mean surrendering to war-mongering Vladimir Putin of Russia. Withdrawing American support for Ukraine means undermining European allys’ support for Ukraine, which in turn weakens European security and the US alliance. As president of the United States, Trump violated his oath to “preserve, protect and defend the constitution.” Instead, he incited an insurrection in the Capitol on January 6, 2021, by falsely claiming that the presidential election of 2020 was stolen and that he was the legitimate president. That was a hoax, and he was impeached for the second time. In this incident, several people were hurt or killed, including some police officers. Because of his misguided actions, many decorated army generals, reputed congressmen and senators, and even some level-headed Republicans are loudly and clearly warning the American people that Trump is the most dangerous person to the country and that he cannot be a president for the second term. Trump continuously attacks, ridicules, and accosts those who disagree with him philosophically. He is like a mad dog who attacks and bites anybody who stands in his way. Trump knows how to lie and score a point. He openly said that he would put his opponents in jail. And yet, with all his shortcomings, he is surging in the polls, which is incomprehensible and puts the country in danger. We may have to focus on the new generation of 18 to 30 years of age, to save the endangered country. The power of voting is not in the hands of the handful billionaires who are trying to buy, pollute, and corrupt the ballot box. We should not idly allow them to do that. Trump doesn’t honestly support the state of Israel, but he pretends to be one as a matter of political convenience. If he were so, he wouldn’t speak of Hitler highly.
As a matter of national salvation, the American people should soundly vote for Kamala Harris as a clear choice. Kamala is ready and a highly qualified person to be a president of all people. Her background information consists of the following: After a lifelong of public service, she became a vice president of the United States in 2021 through the present time. She was a United States Senator for California from 2017 to 2021, Attorney General of California from 2011 to 2017, a City District Attorney from 2004, and an Alameda County, California, prosecutor from 1990. With such lifelong public service experience, Kamala Harris has developed the ability to bring broad coalitions across the aisle, which Trump lacks the most. A good presidential candidate should not be judged by a single agenda item of concern, but by a host of agenda item of concern to the general public. An excellent presidential candidate lifts those who are at the bottom of the totem pole and the marginalized citizens, while a lousy candidate ridicules, demonizes, and gives them all kinds of names. In the international arena, Kamala Harris gallantly stated a two-state solution to the lingering problem of Israel / Palestine as good neighbors. To do that, however, the Palestinians should unequivocally recognize the state of Israel to exist. Such resolution would be an ideal solution for lasting peace. However, Trump would not honestly say that in the open.
Therefore, in the best interest of our own and the interests of this great country, we should do what is morally and legally right. We must participate in the 2024 presidential election without fear, reject bigotry and hatred, and vote for the person who can unite and lead the country, and that person is Kamala Harris.
Berhe Desta
Seattle, Washington, USA.
