Joe Biden
(Picture: AFP/Getty Images)As a holder of US and British citizenship, I found it hard to hold back tears of joy when Joe Biden’s victory was confirmed. It is encouraging to hear Biden promise to reunite the country, but I believe there is a deeper issue that needs to be addressed, namely how an aberration like Trump was able to win the 2016 election in the first place. More than 31 million Americans live below the poverty line, 30 million lack medical insurance, millions more in the Rust Belt are living an existence of despair. Many of these people voted for Trump in the belief that by unleashing a global trade war he was taking up their cause. They were swindled, as is made clear in the unemployment figures. But there is an enormous swathe of disenfranchised citizens who still feel disaffected. This is what Biden must work to address and not merely offer vague political rhetoric about unifying the country.
Jules Stewart
Editor’s reply
Dear Jules
You have hit the nail on the head. Yes, Joe Biden has won the election and this signals a return to sensible centrism. But millions of Americans still endorsed Donald Trump. We Brits might scoff at this political imposter. But we haven’t lived through all the issues that enabled him to come to power. The cult of Trump is not dead and it’s buoyed by him putting up a fight. Biden and the Democrats have their work cut out to “heal” this divided nation.
Sophia Sleigh, Political Reporter
Sigh of relief for many Americans
The results of the US election have made my heart soar. As a Muslim woman, I am thinking of the minorities who have suffered the past four years under a president who did not want or respect them. In no way has the US been fixed overnight, but I hope that for the most part, many Americans will be able to breathe a little easier now.
Yusra Dahri
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