November 1, 2020

When my absentee ballot arrived in the mail, I was proud to fill in the second presidential bubble — not because of who I was voting for, but because of who I was voting against.

Our nation is in peril. The coronavirus has killed over 220,000 Americans since the first U.S. case was laboratory-confirmed ten months ago. Where is the national response plan?

Protests against police brutality have swept across the world. Segregation was outlawed less than six decades ago and racial injustice is by no means a closed wound. How can the president of the United States deny that systemic racism exists in America?

Our country is dangerously divided and we’re in desperate need of a leader who promotes unity. Donald Trump is not that leader — not by a long shot. A vote for anyone but Joe Biden is essentially a vote for Trump, so Biden is the only reasonable choice in the 2020 election.

This election is not about politics. Voting Trump out of office is not about furthering an ominous, leftist agenda. Voting Trump out is about restoring decency to the highest office in the United States.

Trump is unfit to be president for a plethora of reasons, but we’ll start with his most surface-level offenses. The man who is supposed to represent our country uses inappropriate, harmful language with a frequency that is frankly embarrassing.

There’s an Access Hollywood video from 2005 in which Trump can be heard stating, “You know I’m automatically attracted to beautiful — I just start kissing them. It’s like a magnet. Just kiss. I don’t even wait. And when you’re a star they let you do it; you can do anything. Grab them by the pussy. You can do anything.”

During a FOX News interview in Dec. 2006, Trump referenced Rosie O’Donnell’s ex-wife Kelli Carpenter.

“Can you imagine the parents of Kelli … when she said, ‘Mom, Dad, I just fell in love with a big, fat pig named Rosie?'” Trump said.

After political aide Omarosa Manigault Newman left the White House, Trump tweeted in Aug. 2018, “When you give a crazed, crying lowlife a break, and give her a job at the White House, I guess it just didn’t work out. Good work by General Kelly for quickly firing that dog!”

When did it become acceptable for the man holding the highest office in the United States to call women big, fat pigs and dogs? When did political affiliation become more important than human decency? It’s not too much for America to ask for a respectful president — a president who is courteous to those who oppose them.

Trump has consistently used his Christian faith to draw in voters. The White House website states, “Throughout his tenure as President, Donald Trump has been a champion for religious liberty in the United States, restoring the ideals that have undergirded our Nation’s freedom and prosperity since its founding.”

Trump may claim to be a devout Christian, but his behavior clearly indicates otherwise. Beyond the lack of kindness and compassion displayed through the president’s language, he lies frequently and has admitted himself that he’s financially greedy.

While his Christian facade and lack of basic courtesy are troublesome, Trump’s mistreatment of women is most alarming. In September 2020, Business Insider compiled a list of 26 women who have accused Trump of sexual misconduct.

In response to his increasing list of allegations, Trump said during a 2016 rally, “Every woman lied when they came forward…All of these liars will be sued after the election is over.”

The president’s flippant discount of dozens of women as liars is not only problematic but statistically improbable.

A 2012 research review by the National Sexual Violence Resource Center found the average prevalence of false reporting to be between 2% and 10%. If we applied these statistics to the number of allegations made against Trump, only two of them are likely to be false — at most. Even then, the sheer volume of claims made against Trump should indicate their validity.

It would be remiss to not mention that Biden has been accused of inappropriate behavior as well. However, the nature and number of his accusations — while still problematic — are significantly less alarming than Trump’s. According to Business Insider, Biden has been accused of inappropriate behavior by eight women. Seven women claimed Biden’s behavior made them uncomfortable but “did not amount to sexual harassment or assault,” while one woman alleged sexual assault.

I am not defending Biden; one sexual assault allegation is far too many. However, Trump’s 26 allegations — nearly all of which cite intentional sexual assault or misconduct — are significantly worse than Biden’s.

Beyond the president’s allegations, Trump has been associated with convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell, who was convicted of helping Epstein entice and sexually abuse underage girls. This association is perturbing, especially considering Trump’s rhetoric displaying his ability to take advantage of women.

When we couple Trump’s language with his association with sex offenders, it becomes abundantly clear that there’s validity in the repulsive amount of sexual misconduct allegations made against him.

It’s disgusting that the man who is supposed to lead our nation has said and done these things and gotten away with them. As a woman, I find it disgusting. And as human beings, we should all find it horrifying.

When I was 14, my dad gave me a whip to protect myself. When I was 15, my dad showed me how to shoot a gun. When I was 16, my dad gave me the lecture for what felt like the hundredth time: Always be aware of your surroundings. Never walk alone. Always carry pepper spray. Never dress provocatively.

To the parents among you, I beg the question: How could you vote for the very man you’ve been preparing your daughters against?

Biden’s policies may not align with those of the traditional Republican, but if stricter immigration laws and lower taxes for less than 5% of the population become more important to our nation than respect, human decency and the safety of women, we must reconsider our values.

I sincerely hope America makes the right decision this year.

In an effort to support social justice endeavors, The Maneater asks you to consider donating to the Equal Justice Initiative, a non-profit organization dedicated to ending mass incarceration, protecting human rights and challenging racial and economic injustice. Donate at: https://support.eji.org/give/153413/#!/donation/checkout

_Edited by Sofi Zeman | szeman@themaneater.com_

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