We’re now one day shy of Election Day – for an election I have been told is the most important in our country’s history – and even if that sentiment proves hyperbolic, we may be at a national inflection point. While both candidates assuredly have their positive attributes, I have still found that political dialogue surrounding the election tends to skew negative. So, I’d like to jump on the bandwagon and detail some of the key arguments I see for not supporting each candidate.

Reasons not to Vote for Donald Trump

  • Redundancy. Donald Trump first announced his presidential ambitions in 2015. Millions of people voted for him in 2016 and again in 2020. While he was novel and intriguing in 2015, nine years later Trump is getting a little redundant and frankly boring. It makes sense to try something new in 2024.
  • Eligibility. The Constitution’s 22nd amendment says that no “person shall be elected to the office of the President more than twice.” Trump has noted that he won the electoral college both times he ran, so he should not be eligible for the presidency in 2024.
  • The rest of the ballot. We’re not just voting for president, we’re also voting for vice president. And Tim Walz just looks like a vice president, with his stout figure, recessed hairline and avuncular face. No offense to J.D. Vance who may be a great vice presidential candidate in 20 years if he develops male pattern baldness, but Walz is the obvious choice for the country’s second-in-command.
  • Policy. In September of this year, conversation swirled around the topic of people eating dogs and cats in Springfield, Ohio. While I’m not a pet person, I don’t know that I would advocate for reduction of the country’s pet population by eating dogs or cats. But I think it’s at least worth a shot. So yes, I’m turned off by a candidate who makes opposing such practices a significant part of their platform.

Reasons not to Vote for Kamala Harris

  • Experience. Donald Trump has four years of experience as president, and I think he did a splendid job. Kamala Harris has roughly four years of experience as vice president, and I think she has done a splendid job. Why should we rock the boat and fix something that ain’t broken? I plan to write in a ticket of experience the entire country can get behind: Donald Trump for the presidency accompanied by Kamala Harris as VP.
  • Age. Not only does Trump have more presidential experience than Harris, but he’s also older, so he should be wiser and have more life experience to tap into when performing the executive functions. Also, as Trump gets on in years, this may be the last opportunity to vote for him. Kamala is still young enough to run again. 
  • Historical precedent. On the whole, presidents with weird first names don’t have a great track record. Your Ulysses Grants and your Rutherford Hayeses can’t hold a candle to the likes of George Washington or John Kennedy. Donald is not exactly the most common name, so he’s not a perfect candidate by this measure. But I’m afraid that a vote for Kamala Harris is a vote for Millard Fillmore.
  • Policy expertise. It’s widely agreed that immigration is one of the key issues the country has to resolve over the next four years. In truth, both Trump and Harris are good candidates to tackle this issue head-on since each focused on the immigration topic while campaigning and/or in office. But Trump trumps Harris in one respect: He’s married to an immigrant, and therefore has ready access to additional perspective on the topic. (While Harris is the children of immigrants, her parents moved here many decades ago; her one living parent would have less insight than Melania Trump when it comes to immigration today.)