As the November 5 US election approaches, the atmosphere in the country is heating up and the confrontation is escalating.
Most polls show that both presidential candidates have approximately equal levels of voter support (subject to statistical error). Nevertheless, even staunchly pro-Democratic media recognize that Kamala Harris’s position among the traditional electorate of the Democratic Party—blacks and Latin Americans—is sagging, and Donald Trump’s popularity is increasing slightly as a result.
Both parties are taking advantage of every opportunity to accuse their opponent of lies, or at least errors of fact. For example, when Kamala Harris publicly stated that, as a student, she had worked at McDonald’s, the organization’s office immediately denied this claim. But Donald Trump seized the opportunity to carry trays for an hour in a McDonald’s restaurant, where members of the public were happy to pose for pictures with him.
When Israel struck Iran a few days ago, and Kamala Harris was holding a campaign event with pop star Beyoncé in the state of Texas, Trump immediately declared “Israel is under attack, we got a war going on, and she’s out partying.”
In recent days, especially, the degree of insults and inflammatory rhetoric has increased. Trump has organized a big rally in New York, always considered a pillar of the Democratic Party, and Harris is focusing on campaigning among the African-American and Latino population.
A major milestone in the campaign
An important development in this election campaign was the recent decision by the leadership of The Washington Post not to endorse either presidential candidate in the run-up to the election. Essentially, this means that this newspaper, which has hitherto consistently supported the Democratic candidate, has now chosen not to do so, at least overtly, which naturally plays into the hands of the Republicans. The European press hailed this as a sensational development in the election campaign. 17 Washington Post columnists severely criticized this change of policy in a special joint statement. One of the paper’s top staffers, Robert Kagan, resigned, saying that the owner of the paper was obviously trying to “curry favor with Donald Trump.” However, only one other journalist followed Kagan’s lead, although a number of subscribers canceled their subscriptions in protest.
Robert Kagan is one of the main theorists of neoconservative ideology, which ultimately boils down to the very simple idea that America should run this world, and that other nations should follow Washington’s instructions. (Significantly, he is the husband of Victoria Nuland, who is known for her outspoken anti-Russian views).
The owner of the Washington Post is Jeff Bezos, whose fortune is estimated at significantly over $200 billion. In effect, this means that the two richest businessmen on our planet, Elon Musk and Jeff Bezos, have actually sided with Trump and are actively supporting him.
Trump himself made the remarkable statement that if he wins, he will not send US troops overseas. He has also made it clear that he intends to abolish income tax. Such promises naturally affect his ratings.
Meanwhile, Kamala Harris continues to involve not only celebrities but also prominent Democratic Party figures in her public addresses. Michelle Obama recently appeared with her again at a rally, assuring the crowd that Kamala Harris was being “held to a higher standard than Donald Trump.”
Preliminary voting in the presidential election has already begun in America—40 million Americans have already cast their votes, including President Joe Biden. According to US media, Donald Trump currently has a slight lead.
Vladimir Mashin, Candidate of Historical Sciences, political observer, exclusively for the online magazine “New Eastern Outlook”
