Harris V. Trump, Celebrity Endorsements, and Climate Change
Welcome back to Politics Explained! This week, we are excited to present guest writer and Politics Explained interviewer Avery Mak, a junior in high school from New York City. She breaks down recent events such as this week’s debate, Taylor Swift’s endorsement of Kamala Harris, and climate change. Without further ado, let’s get started.
The Harris-Trump debate occurred this Tuesday, with many news sources reporting a Harris victory. The New York Times called Harris’s performance “strong” and that she was interested in another debate with Trump. Trump’s showing, however, has leading Republicans feeling disappointed. Other Republicans shifted their blame to Trump’s debate preppers. Furthermore, he is reserved about debating Harris again and called the moderators biased. Regardless of your position, the moderators did an exemplary job at fact-checking the candidates, accounting for some outrageous lies. It was especially brilliant of the moderators to predict talking points for the candidates and research them before the debate to provide accurate information to the public.
Right after the debate ended, Taylor Swift announced her support for Harris. In an instagram post, she wrote, “I will be casting my vote for Kamala Harris and Tim Walz in the 2024 Presidential Election. I’m voting for @kamalaharris because she fights for the rights and causes I believe need a warrior to champion them." Mockingly, she signed her post with “Childless Cat Lady,” and the post’s image is a picture of her and her pet cat. Similar to her previous endorsement work, she also encouraged her fans to register to vote and included a link to vote.org on her Instagram story. Taylor has supported candidates, beginning in 2018. She joins Ariana Grande, Beyoncé, Cardi B, and others. I believe that Ms. Harris’s rallies are greatly impacted by the renewed energy she brings to the Democratic stage and popular artists playing for Harris is just another example of that. Support from two of the largest music stars at the moment, Charli XCX famously tweeted, “kamala IS brat,” is sure to create discussion and excitement for gen-Z voters, but around the world, people are wondering: is it enough?
Speaking of hot topic issues, the collapse of a 1,200 feet peak in Greenland caused a mega-tsunami and a landslide. The event caused the earth to vibrate for nine days, with seismic waves spreading throughout the earth. This natural disaster follows a series of climate-change-caused crises, such as disastrous hurricanes and fires, and had the potential to seriously damage a passing cruise ship. America’s legislation and climate policy will affect everyone, all around the world, as the United States stands as one of the largest producers of carbon dioxide. Young voters care about the earth and are likely to side with Harris, especially after Trump and many republicans denounced climate change altogether. However, Ms. Harris’s confusing and contradictory views of fracking* stands to threaten the consistent front she has built for climate change prevention.
Definition of the Week (fracking): a drilling method used to extract petroleum (oil) or natural gas from deep in the planet.
