Although the current national election poll results have Biden in the lead, this is a similar situation to the 2016 election. In 2016, Hillary Clinton led the national election polls and won the popular vote by almost 3 million votes. It still, however, was not enough to beat Trump.
So as the election draws near and poll results start to come in, we not only worry about our choice of candidate winning, but also how the opposing candidate will handle the results.
Everyone is concerned with the possibility of Biden winning, as Trump has repeatedly stated that he would not commit to a peaceful transition of power and the only way Biden would win is through a rigged election. Yet if this election is similar to the one in 2016, we should really be questioning what happens if Trump wins.
Unlike Trump, Biden has admitted that he would accept the outcome of the election and urge his supporters to stay calm and not protest the results. It's nice to see a candidate not believe the results are automatically rigged. Nonetheless, I do not believe this will be enough to keep protesters off the streets.
Thousands of protestors took the streets following the 2016 election results. Cities all over the nation protested, “not our president.” Although these protests remained peaceful, it might not look the same if Trump is re-elected. The protest organizers argued that “We refuse to recognize Donald Trump as the president of the United States and refuse to take orders from a government that puts bigots into power.”
It's been four years, and Trump's actions regarding racism have gotten worse. During the first presidential debate, Trump refused to denounce white supremacy. With the previous protests from the Black Lives Matter movement following the murder of George Floyd, these protests will likely continue again if Trump wins.
Following the election results, Trump will most likely do a victory tour similar to the one after the 2016 election. This would be expected during any other election, but this cannot be done during a pandemic. Thousands of supporters still attend Trump rallies, with many not wearing masks and properly social distancing. Trump says he wants to get the country back to normal, but as cases surge across the country, this is not acceptable. Cases will continue to surge, and Trump will refuse to acknowledge an issue with holding large gatherings.
If re-elected, Trump will also resume downplaying the coronavirus and importance of wearing masks and social distancing. He has continuously disputed medical experts’ advice including those of Dr. Anthony Fauci. And even though he has promised a vaccine within the upcoming weeks, it is more likely that cases will spike further, and there will be no plan in place to handle them.
One of Trump’s priorities if re-elected will be to replace Obamacare. The Supreme Court is scheduled to hear a case regarding the Affordable Care Act, but Trump has claimed he has a plan to replace the act. He has yet to release the plan after four years, but this would affect millions of Americans who rely on the coverage, especially after many lost their own health care coverage due to the coronavirus.
Another priority of the administration would be the overturning of Roe v. Wade, ultimately illegalizing the right to have an abortion. Not only does Trump identify himself as a pro-life supporter, but the recent confirmation of Amy Coney Barrett to the Supreme Court gives the court a conservative majority to overturn the act. The president has also barred federal funding family planning clinics from referring women for abortions and is a supporter of the Hyde Amendment, which bans the use of taxpayer money to pay for abortions except in cases of rape or incest.
If President Trump is re-elected, he will make his previous term look miniscule to what he wants to accomplish next. He is looking to completely take over these policies and will use the conservative majority of the Supreme Court to his advantage. While we should remain hopeful, we must be prepared if he does win the election. We must prepare for policy replacement, lots of personal refusal and complete public outrage.
Hannah Campbell is a freshman studying journalism at Ohio University. Please note that the views and opinions of the columnists do not reflect those of The Post. Do you agree? Tell Hannah by tweeting her at @hannahcmpbell.