Joe Biden and Donald Trump: The presidential paradox of the United States

I have always been interested in paradoxes. I do not usually associate them with politics because in this area the paradoxes are not paradoxes as such, but rather tend to go hand in hand with certain interests. I am interested in paradoxes of birth, those that create themselves, for example, the well-known paradox of Schrödinger’s cat in quantum mechanics: the cat that is alive and dead at the same time, as long as no one opens the box to check.

And what is the paradox regarding the upcoming presidential elections in the United States? First, the most likely candidates:

Joe Biden, 81, who we already saw stammer in the last elections, insists he is the only Democratic candidate. This stubbornness is detrimental to his own party and the country. A large number of Democratic voters believe that he is not fit for the presidency.

Donald Trump, who is four years younger but, according to the classic definition of Hippocrates, with a choleric temperament of yellow bile (of an orange hue). He is more energetic and could easily put Biden up against the ropes. On the other hand, if Biden wasn’t in the ring, Trump would be a very easy opponent to beat. The Republican Party knows this, and supports Nikki Haley. But the popular vote, the polls, reveal that the preferred Republican is Trump. This could also act to the detriment of the Republican Party in the very unlikely event that Biden gives up his position.

This is the paradox: Democrats have decided not to opt for a candidate stronger than Biden. But at the same time, Biden has a better chance of winning against Trump than against anyone else. In any case, at this point, it is very unlikely that either party will be able to consider other names. We are stuck: Biden or Trump.

I think it is clear to many Democrats that Biden’s candidacy lacks a compelling justification. Among other circumstances, his mental deterioration renders him incapable of presenting a narrative that addresses the real problems of lower-middle-class Americans, including those who voted for him in the previous elections. The year 2022 saw the largest increase in the cost of basic necessities since the 1980s. Inflation reached an annual average of 8%. But the reality is that anyone with a salary tight enough to have to check their grocery receipts knows that the cart containing the same items as just a few months ago now costs twice as much, if not more.

At the center of this dilemma, there are voices within each party that oppose the candidacy of Biden and Trump, and speak out against a flawed electoral system. Take, for example, the experience of Democrats like Dean Phillips. Phillips, in choosing to run for president rather than seek re-election in Minnesota, warned about the structural foundations that he perceives as undemocratic. His concerns center on the effects of the corrosive loyalty in the electoral process, which leads to decisions driven more by partisan considerations than by a genuine willingness to address the needs and concerns of constituents. Facing the possible end of his political career by aspiring to the presidency in a system with static power structures, he denounced the moves that discourage independent decision-making in the public interest. The consequence is a political landscape marked by polarization that hinders effective collaboration on critical issues.

Fear of retaliation for challenging the status quo further exacerbates the limited diversity of ideas within the political sphere. The reluctance to embrace innovative or unconventional policies limits the country’s ability to adapt to profound and urgent challenges. As a result, the system stifles the democratic values of individual initiative and limits the ability of elected officials to authentically reflect the diversity of their constituents.

Biden or Trump. Both candidates are terrible, but Trump is the most terrible thing that can happen to a country. However, let’s not be naive. In the United States, there cannot be a truly democratic president (or whatever we imagine as ideals connected to American democratic socialism). This fact opens divisions in the Democratic Party. One of the latest examples: Biden’s support for Israel. The masses who came out to celebrate Biden’s first victory now lower their heads because the alternative is worse. The United States has never been governed by ideals of social justice, except in exceptional cases, such as the laudable Obamacare health plan, a historic achievement, although still weak.

Biden or Trump. That’s it. Until we know the official result of the elections, we will not know if we will be a little bit alive or a little bit dead. That is the presidential paradox of the United States.