After lengthy deliberations, former President Donald Trump’s hush money trial has finally concluded. The verdict? Guilty on all 34 felony counts of falsifying business records leading up to the 2016 election. This undeniably historic moment has cemented Trump as the first former president to be convicted of a crime. Despite its historical significance and the embarrassing implications of a convicted felon being the Republican Party’s nominee, the trial’s result has done little to change the 2024 election landscape.
A majority of Americans didn’t pay attention to the trial, and the aftermath has left both candidates roughly where they were before the legal process began. Roughly half the country now believes Trump is unfit for the presidency due to his identity as a convicted felon – but it’s not like this half of the country was going to vote for him to begin with.
The half that is planning to vote for him, however, is furious. In fact, the massive number of donations they’ve made are threatening President Joe Biden’s financial edge. The Biden campaign’s hopes to use Trump’s conviction to garner a similar surge of donations haven’t materialized. If Biden thought the Trump conviction would significantly tilt the odds his way, he was wrong. Rather than relying on the results of pending judicial proceedings against Trump, Biden must take a more active, policy-focused stance to pursue a second term in the Oval Office.
Young voters were instrumental in winning Biden the election in 2020, yet their support for him has waned throughout his presidency, representing a massive problem for Biden’s chances at reelection. Trump being convicted does nothing to improve Biden’s record as president, particularly when it comes to helping young voters succeed in this country. Only 37% of adults aged 18-29 approved of Biden’s handling of the economy; the median age for first time home ownership has continued to rise under Biden; the price tag on higher education is rising. Additionally, young people have seen declining job security and a more expensive cost of living. While Biden attempted to stunt these trends with the Inflation Reduction Act and billions of dollars in student loan debt cancellation, the broader economic trends continue to disproportionately impact young people.
Beyond economic issues, young voters are also pessimistic about immigration and Biden’s mental fitness. Young people are also the most fervent critics of Biden’s handling of Israel’s ongoing military campaign in Gaza. He has attempted to address some of these concerns, recently announcing a major crackdown on migrants seeking asylum after crossing the border illegally, but it is too early to tell how this will impact his ratings.
Nevertheless, Biden’s shortcomings on these issues don’t mean that young voters are flocking to Trump. Many of the issues facing young voters today are rooted in the consequences of Trump’s first stint as president, and have simply grown in severity during Biden’s term. Consequently, voters aged 18 to 29 are among the most likely to vote for neither Biden nor Trump. Voters under 45 are also the largest constituency of voters who say they won’t vote at all come November.
While not an ideal position, Biden can take this opportunity to appeal to disillusioned young voters by taking action on the policies most important to them, and thereby boost their turnout for him at the ballot box Biden must combat rising housing prices and the rising median age of home ownership by increasing subsidies to first-time homebuyers, allowing young voters to take up roots in the economy. With the environment, the Biden administration must make greater strides to combat climate change by pivoting further to renewable energy. Biden must also continue to tackle America’s broken immigration system. Furthermore, Biden’s inaction toward atrocities in Gaza must transition to determined efforts toward an immediate ceasefire. Strident action in the final five months of his term will certainly also act as a rebuttal against the rampant concerns over his mental and physical capacities. In conjunction, these issues matter dramatically more to young voters than the Trump verdict, and he must assuage at least some of their demands if he hopes to have any chance of victory.
Young people’s lack of support for Biden speaks to a growing sentiment of disillusionment among young people with the current political establishment. The conviction of Trump as a felon does little to shake up this reality; if anything, it only further cements it in the wake of Biden’s lack of distinct success on policies important to young people. He must change course and prioritize this demographic if he wants to win. Rather than settling on the results of Trump’s trials, Biden must reshuffle his priorities to better benefit young Americans and other key voting blocs, maximizing his chances at victory come November.
Maximilian Schenke is an Opinion Columnist who writes about whatever is on his mind, but typically focuses on politics. He loves receiving criticism or otherwise at maxsch@umich.edu.
The post Trump’s hush money verdict doesn’t change much appeared first on The Michigan Daily.
Leave a Reply