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Students the admit to purposefully trespassing and denying people entry to their place of work

By Stephen Kim and Sarah Furtado

(Photo by Gage Skidmore via Flickr)

Mention Joe Biden to teenagers, and prepare for a geyser of vitriol and disgust. 

“I think Biden is a racist… he is no better than Trump,” said Perla Duran, 16, of Newark, NJ. Duran, who identifies as a political independent, pointed to comments she found offensive, such as when Biden recently said Black people are “not Black” if they have trouble choosing between him and President Trump.

The former Vice President and Delaware Senator has a long way to go with young people, according to several interviews with high school students. Many were rooting for progressive Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT) to win the Democratic nomination instead. 

Kaysia Harrington, 17, of Owensboro, KY, called Biden a “centrist coward” who was unlikely to push for policies like universal healthcare. In her view, Biden failed to deliver for people of color throughout his career; for example, he helped write the “tough on crime” Violent Crime Control and Law Enforcement Act of 1994, which activists say fueled the mass incarceration of Black Americans in the decades that followed.

Biden’s victory in the Democratic primary, Harrington said, proves that those who are “a part of the establishment remain in power.”

It’s not that these students are Trump supporters — if eligible to vote in November, many would support Biden. Rather, they felt the upcoming election was proof that the current political system, which according to the students gave voters two flawed candidates, is untenable. Abednego Togas, 17, of Silver Spring, MD, said he was “disappointed but really not surprised” that Biden became the presumptive Democratic nominee. 

“People in power maintain their position,” Togas said.

Crystyna Barnes, 17, from Elm City, NC, agreed. When asked about her party affiliation, she said, “I’m independent, because I think both parties are basically the same. One just tries to look nicer.”

Barnes said that Biden “reminded [her] of a Republican,” but might win her over if he supported free public college, universal health care, and higher tax rates for the wealthy, like Sen. Sanders. Harrington agreed, saying that her opinion on Biden will not change unless he promotes more “progressive legislation.”

By Finley Williams and Maggie Salinas

(Photo by Element5 Digital on Unsplash)

When Brianne LaBare, 18, realized that Donald Trump won the 2016 presidential election, she was disappointed but hopeful.

“I remember thinking, ‘Okay, in four years, hopefully, there’s an amazing Democratic candidate that I am so secure in. Or maybe hopefully there’s another Republican candidate who sweeps Trump out of the way and he’s amazing,” LaBare said. “And whichever one I feel will truly make this nation better is the one I’m going to vote for.”

Four years later, as the reality of the 2020 election set in, LaBare’s outlook changed.

“When I was watching these debates — and I did watch them — I was thinking to myself, ‘If I had to choose, personally, who would I choose?’ And I find myself pretty much being uncomfortable choosing anyone,” she said.

This “lesser-of-two-evils” mentality, especially among proponents of former Vice President and presumptive Democratic nominee Joe Biden, has resulted in a lack of excitement in his base: An ABC poll found that “strong enthusiasm” for Biden among his supporters is only around 24%, 29% less than strong enthusiasm among Trump’s supporters. Because high enthusiasm can often increase voter turnout on Election Day, the analysis found, this disparity could result in another Trump victory in November.

According to findings in an NBC focus group, young voters consider supporting Biden exclusively as a means to bar Trump from a second term, which could contribute to the lack of excitement among Biden’s supporters.

“Many of these voters preferred Bernie Sanders in the Democratic primary and perceive Biden as a blank slate,” the report continues. “They aren’t sure that he’s a change agent or that his policies match the scale of their problems. Some worry about his age and fitness.”

Daniel Sanchez, 16, echoed this sentiment.

“I would say that I dislike [Biden’s] treatment of police brutality,” he said. “Instead of full-scale police reform, he prefers to tweet the issues already occurring in the criminal justice system. I think he’s not consistent with how he votes for different issues — like, if it’s politically correct to vote for an issue, he sides on that side of the spectrum.”

Hana Hammad, 17, says that though she does not vehemently support Biden, she will still vote for him.

“My first thought is that I wouldn’t vote for Trump at all, so I would vote for Biden. I wouldn’t want to vote for a third party because I feel like my vote would go to waste, so I’d vote for Biden,” she said.

Biden has maintained a sizable lead over Trump in at least nine swing states, and performs better in polls nationally, which is probably fueled in part by Trump’s low approval rates and young people’s support for Biden.

By Kaysia Harrington and Abednego Togas

(Photo by Gage Skidmore)

After a heated presidential primary season, in which over 20 candidates ran extensive campaigns for the Democratic nomination, former Vice President Joe Biden secured 1,991 delegates and, with them, the title of presumptive Democratic presidential nominee. 

The news of Biden’s nomination, however, has spurred conversation on the sincerity of his progressive stances, his appeal to youth voters, and his ability to defeat incumbent President Donald Trump in November 2020. 

After growing public concern regarding President Trump’s handling of race relations and the Covid-19 pandemic, June polls showed Biden with a commanding lead. But with months to go until November, students at the Princeton Summer Journalism Program indicated that Biden may have trouble winning over young voters.

“I just think that it's kind of getting terrifying that we come to a point where we're just voting for the lesser of two evils,” said Anne Tchuindje, 17, a high school student from Washington D.C. Tchuindje expressed concerns not unlike those that overwhelmed many Americans during the 2016 election. 

High school students attending the Princeton program characterized Biden’s campaign as being designed to defeat Trump, rather than present policies.

“His main schtick is ‘I'm not Donald Trump. I'm a good guy. I was Obama's VP,’” said Stephanie Garcia, 16, of New York. “I feel like that in itself is a problem because, as a candidate, we have no clear view as to what he wants to do with America.”

While some do not see Biden’s vision for the future, other students are worried about Biden’s past. For Alexa Figueroa, 17, of Maryland, Biden’s history as Vice President under the Obama administration and as the former U.S. Senator from Delaware has been too deleterious for minority communities to ignore.

“In the past, he’s been anti-immigration, anti-imposing policies that will benefit the immigrant community, and now he is trying to say he is shifting into helping a better pathway to citizenship,” she said. “He's pushing toward more reform and for making things better, but I think that contradicts with what he stood for before.” 

Tchuindje agrees. Biden’s past decisions, such as writing the Violent Crime Control and Law Enforcement Act of 1994, left her wondering if his progressive image is a front. 

Students also say Biden’s missteps on race are not just in the past.

“If you have a problem figuring out whether you’re for me or Trump, then you ain’t Black,” Biden said on the popular radio show “The Breakfast Club” on May 22. Asked about the comments, Tchuindje said that Biden and the Democratic party, in general, tends to pander to Black voters but affect no real change. 

“They only ever really talk about things that affect black people when it’s election time,” said Tchuindje. “They make all these promises… only to create policies that hurt more and more Black people.” 

But despite the students’ concerns about backlash against Biden’s win and skepticism about his new progressive stances, it appears as if the Princeton program’s youth are still hopeful that ongoing social movements and those accepting “the lesser of two evils” will sway Biden into actually imposing progressive legislation. 

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