In recent years, the United States has found itself the most divided it has ever been due to polarizing political views. Americans have been debating racial issues, political stances, moral beliefs, and more recently, the 2020 presidential election, which is coming to a close on Nov. 3. Having two candidates that are on completely different sides of the political spectrum –– President Donald J. Trump and former Vice President Joseph R. Biden –– it is likely this election will alter our country in different ways depending on the winner. 

This year, people of all ages and backgrounds have spoken out about what they stand for through their social media platforms. However, said individuals have limited influence and can only reach their followers or a smaller group of people. Usually, their social sphere of influence only encompasses family members and members of their community.

Celebrities supporting Joe Biden

Contrary to the “average citizen,” celebrities with an immense amount of followers such as Billie Eilish, who has endorsed former Vice President Joe Biden, are able to spread their views to millions of their supporters. During her speech at the 2020 Democratic National Convention, Eilish argued that President Donald Trump is “destroying our country and everything we care about.” She continued to say that our country needs leaders who will solve and fight issues such as Covid-19, systemic racism, and climate change instead of those who deny their existence as problems. Ellish also urged people to vote for Biden and told them to do so like their life depends on it.

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Additionally, singer-songwriter Ariana Grande has posted various Instagram pictures and stories that tell her supporters to go out and vote. They mostly all have a blue background, which alludes to the political party she stands with. 

“I definitely think that celebrities have a huge impact on events such as elections. They are able to voice their opinions and get millions of people to listen to what they say,” stated sophomore Nicole Ensmann.

In the media recently, there have been countless influential celebrities including Nick Cannon, Ross Lynch, Tyler The Creator, Harry Styles, and Paris Jackson who have attended Black Lives Matter protests and have shown their support for Biden. They have told their followers to “vote blue” and to help remove President Trump from the White House. 

More often than not, these same celebrities make public statements or posts about why they are in support of the opposing candidate to President Trump, many of which have to do with social justice issues. 

R&B artist The Weekend tweeted at the height of the protests over the summer that “[e]nough is enough. It’s time to stand up for this. We can either sit and watch, or do something about it. The time is now. #Blacklivesmatter.”

Many Americans are deciding to vote for Biden based on several of his key beliefs, such as the Affordable Care Act, his stance on environmental issues, his appeal to historically underrepresented communities, and his criticism of President Trump’s handling of Covid-19. 

Joseph Biden is criticized by President Trump and his supporters because they argue that Biden had 36 years in the Senate and eight years as Vice President to propose plans and enact change. His skeptics wonder if his presidency will come with empty promises and no real solutions.

Celebrities supporting Donald Trump

Many Republicans and more specifically, conservatives, feel as if Biden’s plan to further tax the rich is unnecessary. Also, a numerous number of United States citizens are unhappy with the fact that he heavily worked on and contributed to a Crime Bill in 1994, under Bill Clinton, which led to the mass incarceration of Black Americans. Along with these examples, there is a long list of grievances that Trump supporters have against Biden, but the same could be said about President Trump and those who are opposed to his presidency.

Trump is often criticized for his demeanor, brash personality, and choice of language in the media, which is why it is more controversial for a celebrity to be in support of him. Most prominently, Donald Trump has received backlash for some of his statements concerning women and people of other cultures/racial backgrounds. On the other hand, celebrities in support of Trump can argue that Biden has made similar remarks. In general, these celebrities are ultimately more likely to keep their political beliefs private on their social platforms. 

However, there are also celebrities who have endorsed President Trump, such as Kanye West. He has been very vocal about this year’s election and has impacted it by spreading the notion that he would run as a third-party candidate. This was a very controversial move for West; if a percentage of young people were planning on voting third party as a joke, it could inaccurately represent the country.

One of West’s most widespread quotes in reference to the election is, “I would run as a Republican if Trump wasn’t there. I will run as an independent if Trump is there.”

Notable reasons why many Americans are voting red this year include but are not limited to the way that Trump improved the economy before Covid-19, his nationalistic view of America’s role in the world, and his plans for fewer taxes and regulations on businesses. Additionally, many people want there to be conservative Supreme Court justices, and Trump has appointed three throughout his term –– most recently Amy Coney Barrett.

President Trump calls his plan to lower taxes is the Trump Tax Reform Plan. Some are unhappy about this because they feel as though the rich should be required to pay much higher taxes than they are currently. 

Before Covid-19, Trump was able to maintain a steady gross domestic product growth rate between 2% and 3%. In December 2019, the unemployment rate stood at 3.5%, the lowest it had been in half a century (Market Insider).

What Hills students think

This year especially, it has been made clear that people seem to trust certain influencers’ opinions because of their admiration for them as individuals. Especially within younger generations, many teenagers and young adults seem to feel connected to certain artists and listen to their thoughts. Even though celebrities are still human beings like everybody else, their outreach and support help spread a political candidate’s message. For instance, social media influencer Kylie Jenner, part of the Kardashian media empire, is able to reach millions of people with each post she makes about the political candidate that she is in support of.

“If I share similar views with a celebrity, then I will listen to what they have to say. I don’t take an influencer’s opinion into consideration all the time; it really depends on the situation, shared sophomore Allanah Mednard.

Evidenced by the amount of doxing that occurs in our society today, respect for differing opinions has become almost nonexistent in the social media world.  This was clearly illustrated by the difficulty in soliciting quotes from students regarding their political views. Many fear expressing their opinion will cause them to be ostracized by their peers on social media.  

“I feel like sharing political opinions with peers can sometimes really hurt a person in the long run. It is very easy to lose friends and people’s respect if one does not agree with others’ beliefs,” stated Nicole Ensmann.