Written By: Isaac Julian, Staff Editor
CURVEBALL: Both candidates in the upcoming election have employed some bizarre strategies as the election draws near.
It is no surprise to either party that the 2024 election will be as tight as it can be. Polling has no concrete answer to our question of who might win, with all the important swing state results falling within the margin of error. As election day approaches, both Donald Trump and Kamala Harris are doing whatever they can to acquire the public’s approval or at least their attention. At times it ends up being hilarious, and at other times becomes embarrassing. Neither party is innocent of these bizarre antics, so let’s take a look at the standout stunts from each side.
Ever since the 2016 election, Donald Trump has won over many voters based on his charisma alone. While his policies are questionable to many, at the very least people seem to find him funny. This has continued for the 2024 election. Most viral would likely be his infamous quote that Haitian immigrants are “eating the dogs, they’re eating the cats.” This line was uttered in the presidential debate just a few months ago and sent many into hysteria over nothing. This was an unfounded rumor about one missing pet from Springfield, Ohio, which somehow got exaggerated to the point that the former president blurted it out on live television. Despite its ridiculous nature, this quote led to very harmful rhetoric from many in his party and accomplished a lot more harm than good. A more lighthearted stunt that Trump pulled this election was his shift at McDonalds a few weeks ago. He put on his apron and greeted customers with encouragement at the drive-through window. It isn’t entirely clear why he did this, since the target audience is for something like working at a fast food restaurant. Especially as a millionaire who would never actually get a job there. Nevertheless, the event was amusing for both parties and continued Trump’s slightly odd approach to campaigning for president of the United States. To his credit, any publicity is good publicity, and it may truly make or break his election chances.
While these strange occurrences are more common from this year’s Republican candidate, Kamala Harris is no stranger to these. A bit earlier in her campaign, she unintentionally blew up for her random question “You think you just fell out of a coconut tree?” Frankly, even with context, this makes no sense. The statement garnered a lot of attention online, some positive from those who thought of it as a funny slip of the tongue, and some negative from people who used it to discredit her progress. As far as the strange antics go, there isn’t much else from Harris. Rather than going to great lengths to get the attention of the American people, Kamala chooses to moderate her position to try and get this same support. This could be a result of her relatively unplanned campaign, as she was suddenly chosen when the Democratic party decided President Joe Biden was no longer fit for the role. She is in an uncertain positions and this reflects in her policy positions. Loyal Democrats detest this, but only time will tell if this ends up helping her succeed in the end.
As easy as it may be to focus on these clickbait-worthy moments, those who vote are so much better off choosing actual issues and policies backed by each party. Vote for whoever is going to further America in the way you envision, not who you’d rather have a drink with on a Friday night.