President Biden

Why the start of Joe Biden doesn’t necessarily mean the end of Donald Trump

When the electoral college votes from the State of Pennsylvania were confirmed, it effectively brought to an end one of the most surreal Presidential Elections in recent history. Joe Biden was projected by several media outlets to have won the race to the White House on Saturday afternoon, and resigned Donald Trump to becoming the first President since George H.W. Bush in 1992 to fail to win a second term in office.

This election was always going to be controversial. From the outset President Trump reminded the world that if he lost, he would refuse the result. The question of was this overconfidence or simply the attitude of a man who has had his own way all his life is up for debate, but one thing was for sure; Trump doing this would not be beyond the realms of possibility.

When Trump won in 2016, shock waves were sent around the world. This businessman and celebrity had barnstormed his way up to the White House. He was blunt and to the point, he won votes because he seemed different to a regular politician because he isn’t a politician at all. Trump fell victim to his own success, of believing he would comfortably defeat Joe Biden, and he’s paid the price.

The United States which Joe Biden will officially take leadership of in January is one which has never been so divided, yet before he can attempt to take the country forward; he must remove the roots of Trumpism. Biden received almost 75 million votes, a record for a Presidential candidate, but Trump was voted for over 70 million times.

The loud and demanding face of Trump’s America isn’t going to disappear overnight; many of his supporters will not take the defeat lying down, others will likely follow in the footsteps of the man himself and not accept the result full stop.

Perhaps aptly, Trump was playing golf when he discovered the news that Biden had been projected to win the election. The denial continued and, with speculation of lawsuits against voter fraud in some US States, it will most likely continue well into November.

Never has a President been so active on social media that Donald Trump. From criticising others in power, to essentially launching new policies as well as a lot of things inbetween, the official Twitter account of the President of the United States will feel somewhat quieter once Trump’s fingers are no longer on it. The absence of the phrase ‘President Trump just tweeted’ from international newspapers will take some adjustment.

The election comes at the end of a year which most of the world cannot wait to see the back of. Many are lauding the election of Joe Biden as the best way to end 2020, but the reality is the 46th President of the United States will have his work cut out. America’s reputation on the world stage has been altered by four years of Trump and events this year, such as coronavirus, have not helped matters.

Joe Biden must make sure he instantly justifies people’s support for him, whilst at the same time attempting to effectively represent the millions of Americans who voted for his rival.

At times in the last four years, it may have felt as though Donald Trump could not be defeated. His disregard to anyone who didn’t follow his image for America has ultimately contributed to his downfall. The rise and fall of President Donald Trump is one which we may never see again, it is something which we should hope never happens again.