Hello, and welcome back to another edition of our Presidential Election Series. In this post, we’ll be covering the 2020 Election. After serving one term, Donald Trump was seeking re-election, facing off against former Delaware Senator and Vice President Joe Biden.
Donald Trump’s Presidency
Following his earth-shattering win in the 2016 election, Donald Trump embarked on one of the most unusual presidencies in recent memory. He wasted no time attempting to undo many of Barack Obama’s key accomplishments, with the most significant being the repeal and replacement of ‘Obamacare.’ Trump’s efforts nearly succeeded in 2017 when a vote to repeal the Affordable Care Act came to the Senate floor, only to fall short due to a small number of Republicans who refused to support the motion, effectively ending the GOP’s final push to dismantle Obamacare.
Trump’s response to various tropical disasters was met with criticism. His administration saw numerous resignations and firings, with 43% turnover by 2018. He appointed three new Justices to the Supreme Court (Neil Gorsuch, Brett Kavanaugh, and Amy Coney Barrett), passed tax cuts favoring the wealthy, and faced backlash for his handling of many nonviolent protests during his presidency.
On the international stage, Trump nearly led the U.S. to war with Iran after ordering the drone strike that killed a top Iranian general. He escalated a trade war with China, withdrew the U.S. from the Iran Nuclear Deal and the Paris Climate Agreement, and faced widespread criticism for his controversial policies, including the Muslim travel ban and the separation of immigrant families at the southern border.
However, Trump did have some notable achievements. He successfully repealed the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP), signed the First Step Act, which reduced mandatory minimum sentences for nonviolent drug offenders, and passed the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act of 2017, which delivered tax cuts to middle-class Americans. Ultimately, Trump won re-nomination with Mike Pence as his running mate.
The COVID-19 Pandemic
In early 2020, a virus originating in Wuhan, China, began spreading worldwide, affecting every nation in some way. The virus, known as the Coronavirus or COVID-19, soon reached the United States. President Trump’s downplaying of the virus and slow response as it spread across the U.S. led to widespread lockdowns of businesses and schools, while the death toll surpassed 230,000 Americans—this number would continue to grow in the months that followed.
Though the economy had remained relatively stable during Trump’s first few years in office, the pandemic, combined with his deregulatory agenda, led to the worst economic collapse since the Great Depression, with unemployment peaking at around 15%.
2020 Democratic Presidential Candidates
A total of 29 Democrats entered the race for the presidency, but only a few stood out: former NYC Mayor Mike Bloomberg, U.S. Representative Tulsi Gabbard of Hawaii, Senators Elizabeth Warren and Amy Klobuchar, South Bend, Indiana Mayor Pete Buttigieg, Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders, and former Vice President Joe Biden.
The two leading candidates in the race were Biden and Sanders. Biden, a former vice president under Barack Obama, was seen as the establishment candidate, while Sanders—still riding the wave of support from his 2016 campaign—had widespread appeal among younger voters and minorities. This concern about Sanders’ growing popularity alarmed establishment Democrats, who feared a Sanders presidency. As a result, high-ranking party figures like President Obama worked behind the scenes to convince other candidates to drop out and endorse Biden, leading up to Super Tuesday.
The strategy worked. Biden, after securing wins in several primaries, became the Democratic Party’s nominee. He selected Kamala Harris, a U.S. Senator from California and a former presidential candidate, as his running mate.
Debates and Campaign Strategies
With the COVID-19 crisis making traditional campaigning difficult, Joe Biden adjusted by hosting virtual events and holding “drive-in” rallies, where supporters would honk their car horns in approval. Trump, on the other hand, held large rallies where neither he nor the attendees wore masks, defying public health guidelines.
In the midst of the election, Trump was impeached for a second time after attempting to pressure Ukraine to investigate his political rival, Hunter Biden, in exchange for military aid. Trump was acquitted by the Republican-controlled Senate.
The 2020 debates were chaotic, with the first debate characterized by frequent interruptions and personal insults between Trump and Biden. The debate moderator, Chris Wallace, struggled to maintain order. The second debate was canceled when Trump tested positive for COVID-19, and the third debate was held after Trump recovered. This time, the moderators were able to mute the microphones of each candidate when necessary to restore some semblance of order.
The Results
Voter turnout in 2020 reached a record 66-67%, the highest in a presidential election since 1900. The pandemic played a major role, with many voters choosing to cast their ballots by mail. When the votes were counted, Joe Biden was declared the 46th President of the United States. Joe Biden won 306 electoral votes, carrying 25 states plus Washington, D.C., and the second congressional district of Nebraska. Trump won 232 electoral votes and carried 25 states, plus the second congressional district of Maine. Biden also received 51.3% of the popular vote, compared to Trump’s 46.8%.
With this loss, Trump became the first one-term Republican president since George H.W. Bush. Biden’s victory also marked the first time since 1989 that a former vice president succeeded a one-term president from the same party. Kamala Harris made history as the first female, first Black, and first South Asian American Vice President.
January 6 and the Aftermath
Despite losing the election, Trump refused to concede and repeatedly attempted to overturn the results. On January 6, 2021, he held a rally near the U.S. Capitol, where he encouraged his supporters to march to the Capitol, where Congress was in the process of certifying the election results.
What followed was an insurrection: rioters stormed the Capitol, vandalizing the building and attempting to locate Vice President Mike Pence, who was overseeing the certification of the election. Some rioters even constructed a noose, hoping to hang Pence. The attack resulted in several deaths, injuries, and numerous arrests.
In the wake of the attack, Trump was impeached for a second time, this time for “incitement of insurrection.” Once again, he was acquitted in the Senate, with most Republicans voting to acquit. Trump’s social media accounts were suspended in the aftermath of the Capitol riot, though he was later reinstated on Twitter after Elon Musk’s acquisition of the platform, which was rebranded as ‘X.’
And with that, we’ve covered the 2020 U.S. Presidential Election. Every presidential election has been documented here on this website. I would like to take a moment to thank everyone for joining me on this journey through history as we now look ahead to the 2024 general election.
