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I’m a conservative — but should I vote for Donald Trump?
In the final days leading up to a historic presidential election, many conservative Princeton students have found themselves in a quandary; torn between supporting President Donald J. Trump, the 74-year-old controversial incumbent Republican firebrand, and former Vice President Joseph R. Biden Jr., the liberal 77-year-old Democratic nominee.
One right-of-center freshman, who requested to remain anonymous, still finds himself undecided. “One of the reasons I’m reluctant to support Trump,” he explains, “is because his persona and his demeanor is just so ‘firebrand’…I don’t trust that someone with the demeanor and character of Trump is going to be making the best decisions not only on behalf of our country, but on behalf of conservative values.”
The student has also been frustrated by the Trump administration’s handling of the coronavirus pandemic: the President, in his view, doesn’t “take the virus seriously”; instead, he believes that he has openly encouraged a dangerous culture of complacency and “reckless behavior.” Although he believes Joe Biden to be a man of “decency and humility” — an area where he finds President Trump lacking — it’s difficult for the freshman to consider the former vice president a viable alternative when it comes to policy issues. “He could potentially be a Trojan horse for wildly liberal and progressive policies when he enters the White House,” the student argues, “That is a huge concern for me.”
Could anything sway his vote towards one candidate or the other? On the President’s part, he would like to see an attempt to bring more moderate, libertarian, and undecided voters into the fold, embracing a “big-tent party” ideal. “It would behoove Trump,” he suggests, “to take a more pragmatic or moderate tone when it comes to answering questions or addressing policy,” suggesting that the president also make an effort to “tone down the Twitter.” As for Biden, the student is hoping that he will bring to the table “a spirit of bipartisanship and reconciliation” — if elected, he wants to see the Democratic nominee “really tackle common sense policy that’s going to reap benefits for the American people.”
When it comes to the electoral process, however, the student is skeptical. Though originally from the West Coast, he is currently living in New Jersey, and has experienced firsthand the complications of absentee voting. He took all the necessary steps: he called his county clerk to inform them of his living situation, and soon received a ballot at his New Jersey apartment. “And then some of the flaws and some of the cracks started to appear,” explains the freshman. In spite of his careful efforts, he received a second ballot at his home in Nevada. “[We’re] still vulnerable,” he worries, “to this kind of voter fraud we’re seeing with the dissemination of so many ballots.”
This freshman is not alone in his struggle. The Tory spoke with five self-described conservative students about their thoughts and concerns as they prepare to head to the polls — and we discovered a wide spectrum of opinions, highlighting some of the questions, tensions, and challenges that many right-of-center voters face in trying to navigate this unprecedented election.
Peter Colvin ‘21, who plans to vote for Trump this year, told The Tory that the President’s stances on foreign policy and abortion are driving his decision. “I believe that Trump’s record on foreign policy has really been excellent…the Kerry-style diplomacy we have seen [referring to the former Secretary of State and 2004 Democratic presidential nominee, a longtime ally of Biden] has not been effective internationally,” asserted Colvin, “in areas of dispute like the Middle East, North Korea, and dealing with the rise of China…I think [Trump] has been particularly effective.”
Colvin took particular issue with the former Vice President’s newfound support for repealing the Hyde Amendment, the federal statute that prohibits Medicaid funding for abortions except in cases of rape, incest, or threat to the life of the mother, calling Biden an “opportunist” for his awkward reversal on the issue, and stating that abortion was a “moral and ethical” issue for him. Colvin credited the President for his “strong pro-life stance” and noted that there is a “clear dichotomy” between the two candidates’ positions on abortion access. While Colvin admitted that the President’s rhetoric was “bombastic” at times, he said that he’s “not going to nitpick there” given the stark contrast between Trump and Biden on the issues.
One sophomore, who asked not to be named, told The Tory that he planned to cast a write-in ballot this year. He described Trump as “unfit for office” and said that “morally, [he] is very opposed” to the President’s behavior and personal character. Even as he professed that on the issues, he “fell more on the Republican side, without a doubt,” the sophomore expressed a deep dissatisfaction with the “structural and cultural harm” being caused by the influence of “Trumpian ideals” within the party. Additionally, he opined that the “cult of personality” he said was promoted by the President’s supporters was “abhorrent”. Nevertheless, he couldn’t vote for Biden, citing the Democratic nominee’s strong support for “limitless abortions” as one example but noting that he disagreed with his policy positions “almost across the board.” Still, from Trump’s “inability to, on camera, denounce white supremacy” to “his inability to denounce conspiracy theories like QAnon” and his “willingness to lie and cheat,” the sophomore felt politically homeless; unable to support either of this year’s major party candidates.
Tyler Eddy ‘21 will be voting for neither President Trump nor former Vice President Biden this year. After weighing his options, the senior has decided to support third-party candidate Jo Jorgensen. The decision wasn’t an easy one: “I had a lot of concerns,” he confesses, “that the libertarian vote would possibly take from the Republican candidate and up the Democractic Party’s chances. But I talked to a few people, and they instilled in me the feeling that your vote isn’t supposed to be a chess move. It’s your voice, and it’s how you can weigh in.” While Biden represents “the politician model” Eddy would like to see Washington to move away from, he believes that Trump’s rhetoric also poses a “threat to democracy.” As a veteran of the U.S. Marine Corps, Eddy felt that the President’s use of National Guard soldiers to confront protest crowds over the summer was particularly “horrendous”. To him, Jorgensen is the only candidate for whom he could vote and “not feel guilty afterwards.” “I would love to see a libertarian come in and kick down some doors,” he says. “What we need the most right now aren’t the campaign promises. I honestly think we need a radical transformation of our democratic process.”
Still, he worries about the legitimacy of the 2020 election. He has been unable, for example, to fill out and submit his ballot in person where he is currently living in New Jersey. While he doesn’t blame those who prefer mail-in voting, he is nevertheless concerned. “There’s plenty of mistakes that have been made in New Jersey alone. I’m from Michigan,” he adds, “and there’s crazy stuff happening in Michigan, too, which is a battle-ground state.” His conclusion? “As far as this election goes, I think anybody who feels confident about…what the results are going to be, they’re the person who knows the least about it.”
Rebekah Adams ‘21, who serves as president of the Princeton Open Campus Coalition (POCC), told The Tory that she supports the President and plans to vote for him this year. Adams, who identifies as a Black conservative, believes that Trump has reached out to the African-American community more so than previous Republican presidents, mentioning his move to restore funding for Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs), his support for the First Step Act, and his reelection campaign’s recently-unveiled “Platinum Plan for Black America” as evidence. As a senior preparing to enter the workforce, Adams expressed her confidence in Trump’s ability to manage the economy’s recovery; she praised the tax cuts implemented under the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act, his signature tax reform law, and noted the record low unemployment rates seen under his Administration — especially in the Black community.
Asked if she had any reservations about Trump, Adams acknowledged faults in the President’s initial response to COVID-19, remarking that “there was a general consensus” that “there could have been better ways” for his Administration to have handled the pandemic. However, she declined to cast blame for the virus’ spread solely on Trump; Adams asserted that “no one handled [the coronavirus] well” because of how “politicized” it had become.
Reflecting on her experiences as a Black conservative, Adams told The Tory that “it was kind of inspiring” to see more African-Americans embracing the Republican Party in recent years. “You’re expected to be fitted in this mold…you have to vote Democrat, because ‘they’ve been helping you all these years’,” Adams said, “But I’m like, what have they done? I don’t know.”
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