Race to the White House

Just two months ahead of the US presidential election, the jury is still split on who the country will put in the White House - a woman or a man accused of assaulting several women. In another parallel, one candidate is a convicted criminal, and the other a former criminal prosecutor. In most countries, the result would be a foregone conclusion.

But the US is not like most countries, and Donald Trump is unlike most candidates. Where other candidates would be called out for overt bigotry, xenophobia, questionable policies and outright lies, Trump is allowed to churn out disinformation almost unchecked, thanks to the marvel of modern social media and self-proclaimed free speech warriors such as X-owner Elon Musk, which have come together to ensure that not only do people get trapped in their own echo chambers, but that the loudest voices, no matter how extreme and outlandish, are the ones getting amplified to gain engagement.

On their face, Trump's policies are actually quite interesting, but on closer inspection, they are relatively abstract and potentially dangerous for most Americans. Meanwhile, after Trump's wide lead in the polls vanished, he has seemingly lost the ability to stay on topic during speeches, instead focusing on whether or not Vice President Kamala Harris is Indian or Black, insisting he is better looking than her, and taking offence to being called "weird" by Harris's running mate, Minnesota Governor Tim Walz.

Meanwhile, Harris has her own weaknesses, most notably the lack of focus on policies in favour of 'vibes' and residual pushback due to the Biden Administration's policies on Israel-Palestine and issues that matter to progressive voters. And despite a bump in the polls after being nominated, Harris is barely ahead of Trump, with a few polls showing her marginally behind. More importantly, the latest polls from each of the seven states that will likely determine the election remain within margins of error. Given the toxicity and tribalism of modern US elections, it is unclear whether the upcoming presidential debate meaningfully influences anyone.