The U.S. presidential election will be held on November 5 of this year. A fierce presidential election is expected with the current U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris and former U.S. President Donald Trump as candidates. Before Vice President Kamala Harris emerged as a candidate for the U.S. presidential election, Joe Biden and Trump faced concerns from not only the American people but also the international community as being problematic candidates. In this article, Pharos will take a closer look at the various problems with both Biden and Trump.

 First, let's look at the potential problems of Donald Trump, who is always at the center of every issue. How did Donald Trump get the nickname ‘Crazy Trump’?

 Crazy Trump: The Problems with Donald Trump 

1. Absurd Speech Issues

 Former President Trump publicly insulted President Biden through his social media, saying, “This guy is a PSYCHO!” and calling his supporters “the Radical Left lunatics.” And during one of his speeches, he deliberately stuttered and mocked the aging Biden. In addition, he threatened the security of NATO, the North Atlantic Treaty Organization, which includes North America, the U.S., the United Kingdom, Germany, France, and other European countries, and even made comments supporting Putin, causing great controversy. In addition, he announced that he would withdraw the U.S. troops stationed in Korea, raising concerns about whether the ROK-US alliance will be maintained.

2. Legal Issues

 If Trump becomes president this time, he will become the first American president to be criminally indicted. Under the U.S. criminal law, a defendant who is charged with a crime must appear in court to determine guilt or innocence. Trump is currently indicted on a total of 91 charges in four cases. There are numerous charges, including the Georgia election conspiracy case, intentional retention of national defense information, and the Manhattan hush money case. Meanwhile, Trump's fines are also emerging as a huge problem. Trump's potential penalties are reported to be approximately $540,000,000. Trump is currently collecting donations, but donors are concerned that the donations will be used to pay Trump's massive fines. Therefore, the results of future trials may have a significant impact on Trump's approval ratings.

 Next, let’s take a look at the issues surrounding Joe Biden, the 46th president of the U.S. How did he get the nickname ‘Sleepy Joe, the senile president’?

 Sleepy Joe: The Problems with Joe Biden 

1. Age Issues

 Biden has shown signs of senility due to old age in several public appearances, so he stokes worries among many people. On June 1, 2023, Biden, while attending the graduation ceremony at the US Air Force Academy, suddenly fell down alone from the platform, and he also fell down while climbing the stairs of the presidential jet in Washington D.C. on March 19, 2021. Furthermore, on November 2, 2021, Joe Biden was given the dishonorable nickname ‘Sleepy Joe’ when he was shown dozing off during a U.N. climate change conference. Joe Biden’s current age is 81 years old. According to a U.S. poll, 86% of people said “He is too old to be president for another 4 years.” In addition, Biden had been seen asking for a handshake in the air with no one after finishing a speech at a state university, forgetting the word “Hamas” during a speech about Hamas on February 6, 2024, and searching for Jackie who died a month ago, all of which have accelerated rumors of Joe Biden’s dementia. On the other hand, what is more serious than aging and dementia is the fact that he even made a shocking slip of the tongue that could lead to political problems. Referring to the Holocaust, the massacre of Jewish people by the Nazis, he made a mistake by saying that it was the “Holocaust’s glory”, not the “Holocaust’s horror”. The president must be careful every moment as a representative of a country. But, if his slip of the tongue is repeated like this, serious diplomatic problems can occur. In response, Trump came up with a negative strategy. Negative strategy means a move to increase support for oneself by intensively attacking or exposing the other person’s weakness. Trump said about Joe Biden, “Biden’s problem is not about age, he is inefficient!” However, the difference in age between Trump and Biden is 4 years, and Trump is 78 years old. In other words, if Trump is elected, the fact that the US will be led by the oldest president in history remains the same.

 Recently, Kamala Harris, the vice president, has become the new Democratic presidential candidate as Joe Biden has resigned because of his various issues. Joe Biden is supporting Kamala Harris upon his resignation. There are two types of opinions regarding Kamala Harris. There are people who support her. But there is also an assessment that she is not experienced enough to represent the U.S. compared to Trump. If Harris becomes president this time, she will be the first female president and second president of color in the U.S. Many will be paying attention to how the U.S. presidential election plays out in the future.

79th Reporter • NAM HYE SEUNG • namhyeseung50@gmail.com

79th Reporter • CHO SEO YUN • jeoyum@gmail.com