After Biden stepped down, Harris became the obvious choice for the job and, after announcing her candidacy in July, she appears to be taking it completely in her stride. For many voters, Harris offers a fresh new face of diversity and change, making up for Joe Biden's shortcomings. Her campaign thus far has been heavily targeted towards a younger demographic of voters as she has aligned herself with major moments in current pop culture such as the so-called “Brat summer”. Emerging off of the back of British pop star Charlie XCX’s album, Brat has become a cultural phenomenon among Gen Z. Harris has even received endorsement from mega stars such as Taylor Swift, showing her popular appeal to a younger generation.
"[Trump's] cult following is unlikely to be swayed by, well… anything."
However, although Trump was sorely outperformed by Harris in the September debate, debates do not win presidencies. Despite some of Trump’s outlandish statements such as migrants in Ohio eating people’s cats and dogs, his cult following is unlikely to be swayed by, well… anything. We can often indulge in the drama of American politics as some sort of bizarre reality TV show, but it can and will have very real implications. The rise of the far right in the States is certainly not an isolated trend. In Europe, the very same thing has been happening with figures such as Marine le Pen and the National Front in France, as well as Giorgia Meloni’s party in Italy which is the furthest right Italian rule since Mussolini. The rise of the right in the western world is certainly not something to be overlooked or underestimated.
This presidential race is one of the most important in modern history as we see two candidates pitted against one another, representing vastly different things to different people. Whilst the world watches with held breath, it’s fair to say that whichever way it plays out, the result will have an impact for generations to come.
