Sanders, Biden, and Trump: Cards on the table

By Meriam Shanti, Opinions Editor

Courtesy of GETTY IMAGES

On April 8, Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders officially dropped out of the presidential race. Despite his departure, Sanders’ handling of the COVID-19 pandemic- both as a candidate and currently as a senator- is far more proactive than the two presidential candidates we expect to see in November, Joe Biden and Donald Trump. In times of crisis, true colors appear brighter than ever, and although Sanders is no longer running, his crisis management has been nothing less than presidential.

Trump has been criticized by many for his behavior throughout this pandemic. Notably, when the pandemic first emerged, Trump's speeches recklessly undermined the situation.

"I'm not talking about what's happening here; I'm talking about what they're [Democrats] doing," Trump said. "That's the hoax."

Although he fell short of calling COVID-19 itself a hoax, his suggestion that Democrats were overreacting only fueled public perception that this pandemic was exaggerated. Besides his speech, Trump has recently cut funding to the World Health Organization (WHO). This organization's primary purpose is to fight pandemics such as this one, and cutting its funding is irresponsible. Finally and perhaps most selfishly, Trump ordered that the stimulus checks being sent out to Americans have his name printed on them. This decision will slow their distribution by at least a few days, meaning that families in need will have to suffer longer solely for Trump's personal gain.

Joe Biden's handling, although much less dangerous, has still been subpar. Seemingly around the same time the epidemic spread, Joe Biden fell off the face of the Earth. He did return to hold a press conference on March 12, but his actions since then have been mediocre at best, and certainly not characteristic of a dynamic leader. He did however speak up to encourage people in Wisconsin to vote in the primary.

“A convention having tens of thousands of people in one arena is very different than having people walk into a polling booth with accurate spacing with 6 to 10 feet apart, one at a time going in, and having the machines scrubbed down,” Biden said.

This version of voting is far from realistic as it's hard to imagine that proper sanitation would be effective, given the population and lack of supplies. Overall, Biden hasn't paved the way for a COVID-19 free world, or really done anything for that matter.

Sanders, similar to Biden, has made multiple public appearances since the beginning of the pandemic. However, when still in the race, he also made the decision to stop actively collecting donations towards his campaign. Instead, he redirected donors to give towards COVID-19 relief. In the span of 48 hours, his campaign raised $2 million for multiple organizations fighting the effects of COVID-19. In addition, Sanders discouraged the primaries in Wisconsin that Biden previously encouraged.

"People should not be forced to put their lives on the line to vote..." Sanders said.

Sanders has since dropped out, but he continues to host live streams on the impacts of COVID-19, the future of the economy, etc.

Politicians are seldom known for their honesty. In fact, it sometimes takes crises such as a global pandemic to reveal one's true ability to lead. Unfortunately, although Sanders has displayed vital leadership throughout COVID-19, he is no longer a candidate. Regardless, this pandemic should be a lesson in examining politicians' behavior in times of duress; their actions under pressure are a window into their unadulterated character and true skill.