For our future, vote Harris

​Editor’s note: The Michigan Daily Editorial Board has also provided endorsements for other races on the Ann Arbor ballot this November. You can find them all here.

In nine days, Americans will go to the polls to decide the nation’s future. Former President Donald Trump and Vice President Kamala Harris are facing off for the highest office in the land, and the winner will have sway over everything, from the economy to the nuclear codes. 

As college students and the future leaders of America, this election requires our utmost attention. Our world is changing, and the outcome of election day has the potential to drastically adjust our life plans. Given these high stakes, we believe that Kamala Harris must win in November. Her background, policy positions and principles make her the obvious choice in this race. As such, The Michigan Daily Editorial Board endorses Kamala Harris for the United States presidency. 

Harris rose through the ranks of state and national politics over the course of 20 years. She started out as a prosecutor in California and was later elected to be San Francisco’s district attorney in 2003. She spent most of her time on child abuse, domestic violence and gun cases, gaining a “tough on crime” image that lasted through her tenure as Attorney General of California.

Harris was eventually elected to the U.S. Senate, where she was a champion for economic and climate issues. Now, as Vice President, Harris plays a pivotal role as the president of the Senate, breaking ties to pass crucial legislation for the American people.

Trump doesn’t have the same diversity or length of experience as Harris, but he has made his mark on American politics. The heir to his family’s business, he used the “Trump” name to start new ventures and create his own personal brand. Then, in 2015, he used that brand to launch his presidential campaign — and won.

Labeled a right-wing populist, Trump’s presidency was defined by his miserable leadership during the COVID-19 pandemic, the spread of conspiracy theories and a sense of general distrust with political institutions. Due to popular dissatisfaction, massive voter turnout in 2020 squashed Trump’s reelection hopes, making him into a martyr figure and the new face of the Republican party.

Now, the two are competing on the same ballot. Harris succeeded Biden as the Democratic nominee following his exit from the race, while Trump has been campaigning since the moment he lost his reelection.

With poll numbers closer than ever and political divisions growing increasingly tense, the potential result of the election is becoming more unclear. Despite this lack of clarity, one thing is for sure: whatever happens in November will determine our nation’s future.  

College students have a lot at stake in this presidential election. Very soon, we will be looking for jobs, searching for housing, finding partners and starting families. On the “bread and butter” issues that these life steps center around, Harris has much more to offer than Trump’s “concepts of a plan.” 

For those concerned about post-grad financial security, Harris is the only suitable choice. Her initiatives address every single major aspect of the average American’s financial stress. She promises to increase the federal minimum wage and to raise taxes on the wealthy, lifting the financial pressure on low- and middle-income individuals. 

Most notable, however, is her staunch rejection of absurd and retaliatory tariffs. Trump proposes placing the highest percentage tariffs the modern United States has seen. However, almost every single reputable economic expert, independent of political affiliation, has stated that Trump’s tariffs will raise the financial stress on American families, fracture international trade and even hurt American manufacturing — all without substantially reducing the deficit. In short, the only things these tariffs are good for are imposing a $3,200 tax on the average American family and wrecking the U.S. economy. For those concerned about their future financial security, Harris’ policies, although not perfect, offer much more to the average American than Trump’s. 

Harris also realizes that the cause of the current housing crisis is a shortage of housing. To combat this, she has proposed to build 3 million new homes, offer financial support to contractors and remove the bureaucratic restrictions that make housing construction difficult. In Trump’s mind, the high cost of housing is caused by illegal immigration. It cannot be overstated how wrong this is. To scapegoat Americans’ real housing concerns with existential fear of undocumented immigrants is to reject any hope of actually alleviating these concerns in the first place. It is also blatantly demagogic. 

But, as ubiquitous and important as the price of groceries and housing are this election cycle, there is more at stake. Earlier this year in Texas, a woman miscarried in the lobby restroom of an emergency room after being denied care. In North Carolina, a woman gave birth in a car after being refused an ultrasound. A 10 year-old rape survivor from Ohio, ineligible for an abortion in her home state, was forced to travel to Indiana to receive care. 

These are all a consequence of the former president’s first term in office. Given another presidency, Trump would appoint more conservative justices to the Supreme Court, and further stimulate the chaos that has stripped American’s of their access to necessary health and reproductive care.

There are valid criticisms of Harris. Some of her policies — like subsidizing the cost of housing for first-time homebuyers and banning corporate price gouging — are not good policies. But for every single issue Harris is suboptimal on, Trump is abysmal. His policies will make it harder for the average American to buy food, find and pay for housing and get a job. His running mate, Sen. JD Vance, R-Ohio, has changed his mind on his own running mate much more than Harris has switched her position on any given issue. There is a chance that some of Harris’ domestic policies don’t work out. Trump’s, however, are certain to fail. They are certain to fail Americans and our allies, along with the institutions and values that define us. 

The distinction between the two candidates could not be clearer. The vice president fundamentally represents the democratic spirit this country was built on; the former president does not.

Her long history of public service speaks for itself. Her career was built on giving a voice to those without one and making her community better. Above all, Harris is dedicated to the preservation of our democratic norms and institutions. She has shown an unflinching loyalty to the U.S. Constitution, an unfortunately high bar to clear in our current political climate. Throughout her 20 years of service, Harris has consistently embodied the qualities of a leader: integrity, resilience, open-mindedness and good decision making. 

Former President Trump, on the other hand, exemplifies the very antithesis of everything the United States stands for. The twice-impeached, four-times-indicted 78-year-old has routinely proven himself unstable to lead. His blatant lies, thinly veiled racism, democracy-threatening rhetoric and personal crimes should disqualify him for the most powerful position in the world. Trump’s weaponization of disinformation has actively cost the lives of many Americans. His unapologetic calls for the jailing of journalists, critics and political opponents are akin to that of autocratic demagogues. His vow to use the military on American citizens is just as repulsive as his plan to fill the bureaucracy with ultraloyalists that would enable him. The verdicts from his sexual assault and financial fraud cases speak to his lack of morality and ethics, and his felony conviction bars him from most employment opportunities — except, apparently, the highest office in the land.

No single day encapsulates what a second Trump term would look like better than Jan. 6, 2021. Hate, fear and chaos dominated the national mood as a mob of the former president’s supporters stormed the U.S. Capitol. Trump willfully neglected his sworn presidential duty, failing to respond to the attack in a timely manner and dismissing pleas from his advisors to take action. His provocative rhetoric endangered the lives of hundreds of law enforcement officers and public officials, while simultaneously testing the bounds of our democracy. 

The Trump era must come to an end. A potential Harris presidency offers Americans a future free from his grasp, paving the way for a new generation of bipartisan leadership committed to democracy and freedom. 

This editorial board recognizes that Harris is not without her faults. Her platform changes from 2019 to 2024 warrant valid criticism on the larger issues of a politician’s credibility. Her active role in an administration that has aided Israel’s military campaign in Gaza — an endeavor that many voters now consider genocidal — has been appalling. The fact remains, however, that it will be impossible for the nation to tackle these nuanced issues if our government cannot operate as a secure, adaptable democracy.

This editorial is as much an endorsement of Harris as it is an unequivocal condemnation of Trump. Vote Kamala Harris this election day, for her principled attitude, for her people-focused platform and for our future. Democracy is at stake.

This editorial represents the opinion of The Michigan Daily’s Editorial Board. If you are interested in submitting an Op-Ed or Letter to the Editor, please send your submission to tothedaily@michigandaily.com.

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