In a nation built on unity, we are dangerously divided. America has seemingly turned into two drastically different sides at war with one another. A lack of sufficient governing has resulted in a divided nation, and at the forefront of this is our so-called president, Donald Trump, and his brainwashed supporters.

In 2016, Trump took office and this would prove to be a drastic turning point in America. The once somewhat-respected government began turning into a circus run by a man driven only by his own greed, lacking compassion for anything except his own benefit. Countless times the man has stood up in front of his country and spewed lies and hateful comments, attempting to humiliate anyone with a different opinion than his.

Throughout the past four years, Trump has helped drive a wedge between the two sides. The nation is now split in two between Republicans and Democrats. On one end you have racist, sexist, and blind followers of Trump, believing any lie he says. On the other side, you have activists fighting for universal equality and true freedom for all people.

This fight between sides has drawn America into a catastrophe plagued by racism, homophobia, denial of proven facts, and a deadly virus. All this led by a “president” whose only thoughts about the death of over 200,000 Americans at the hands of a pandemic was simply, “it is what it is.”

In the middle of a deadly pandemic, all Trump supporters can say is either, “there’s a 99% survival rate” or “fake news, we don’t need masks.” Despite scientific proof, along with plenty of tombstones to prove it, Trump supports can’t seem to realize the terrifying truth of the world we live in. A deadly virus is deadly, whether it kills tens or hundreds, it’s deadly. In the U.S., there have been over 210K deaths, yet these people only complain about being made “puppets” by wearing a mask.

The actions of these people really make one question where basic respect for others went, as we live in a time where one’s slight discomfort in a mask is more important than the lives of everyone around them. The president himself has continually downplayed the effects and severity of this virus, going as far as to tell people to drink disinfectant, but of course, it was ” taken out of context” because with thousands dying that’s a great time for a president to joke around.

In one of the most unpolitical topics, they, of course, made it political. Wearing a mask isn’t some political stunt or some secret government conspiracy, it’s an action put forth to save lives. Not only are you keeping the strangers around you from getting sick, but they are keeping your loved ones safe too. It’s about the value of human life–not who you support as president.

Encouraging police brutality and calling Black Lives Matter ( BLM)  a symbol of hate and discrimination that is bad for black people, is just the beginning of the horrific actions and racist comments made by Trump. The peaceful protesters, exercising their first amendment, were called violent anarchists in an attempt to turn the support away from the BLM movement. Trump supporters rally around the BLM protesters to harass them. The president himself had peaceful protesters tear-gassed and shot with rubber bullets–all to take a picture.

For the past four years, the Trump administration has allowed racism to remain prominent and unpunishable. At the Republican Nation Convention, outrageous lies were vomited out and accepted by Trump supports, including one speaker who “accidentally” confused his home state’s abolishment of history for segregation. Trump even stated that the improved job reports made that a “good day for George Floyd,” an unarmed black man murdered by Minneapolis police officers who used a knee pressing against his throat for nearly nine minutes. He then went on to tweet a video of one of his supporters calling Mr.Floyd “not a good person.”

George Floyd’s death was mocked and justified by Trump supporters, many posting videos jokingly being choked in the same horrific manner Floyd spent his last moments in. They made a joke of ” I Can’t Breathe”, the last words of not only Gorge Floyd but so many other black people who’s lives were lost at the hands of the police.  Floyd was only one of the hundreds killed in the past year alone, yet Trump supporters deny the existence of systematic racism.

America is in need of unity and common sense. America is in need of compassion and empathy. America is in need of a lesson on the value of a life, no matter what race. America is in need. Unity is nowhere to be found, and it seems to be a free-for-all where a 17-year-old can murder an innocent protester and the president’s sons defend him saying “we all do stupid things at 17.” Yet an innocent black man is murdered and his poor past somehow justifies the wrongful death.

In the end, it is easy to see that Trump has been the cause of this once small divide becoming a national disaster. He tells outrageous lies and denies scientific facts and his supporter just nod their heads and agree, not taking a moment to see the damage he’s causing.

This November is critical, and if we allow Trump to get re-elected, America is in far more trouble than we are now. Our only hope of recovering a little is to settle for Biden. Everyone’s vote matters more than ever this year. If we want to begin being the United Stated again, rather than the divided states, then we must all settle for Biden.