When the Coronavirus pandemic began to take hold of the world, all countries understood immediately that their economies would greatly suffer from such a global inconvenience. When shutdowns occurred to mitigate the spread of the virus, people were kept at home, only working remotely if feasible. The United States was one of these countries but with such a political divide, sustainable solutions have not been presented and perspectives on the handling of the pandemic are constantly fluctuating, specifically that of President Donald Trump. Communicating to Americans via Twitter, the President continues to send the struggling American population mixed signals with regards to how involved he’ll be in the negotiations of the bill, what the bill will include and his overall position on the whole process. Time and time again, President Donald Trump’s contradicting messages to the American public reinforces his inconsistency in action and in beliefs.

“I think it is not fair at all to be receiving mixed signals of whether or not the people are going to be receiving a stimulus check. A lot of Americans have lost their jobs in this pandemic and they need a second stimulus check,” sophomore Fernando Largaespada said.

On Oct. 3, Trump tweeted indirectly to Congress that the country needs stimulus and that it’s about time that Congress works together to pass economic relief. This comes after lengthy debate over a new 2.4 trillion dollar stimulus bill spearheaded by Speaker of the House of Representatives, Nancy Pelosi. Republicans, led by Senate Majority Leader Mitch Mconell, refused to vote in favor of this bill, claiming that the budget was far too generous and that these funds were going to be used by Democratic states and cities as “blue-state bailout” to assist what Republicans claim to be irresponsible handling of the Coronavirus pandemic. Republicans and Democrats still cannot agree on a budget for the bill that would send millions of stimulus checks to Americans who have lost their jobs, earn low incomes and own small and large businesses, airline companies included. Just a few days later, Trump tweeted that he will end negotiations of the bill with the House. This shocked everyone, especially representatives who have been hard at work trying to get some type of negotiation passed. On the following day, President Trump urged Congress to pass a $25 billion aid package for airlines to avoid layoffs, 12 hundred dollar stimulus checks for qualifying American and magnified support for the unemployed. All these aids are needed immediately, yet the President continues playing Poker with the stock market and the public. The fact that helping all American people have economic security has become a political debate is a disgrace considering their livelihoods are at stake; the President should encourage congressional Republicans to pass the bill that is already on the table, considering they’re the ones who refuse to do so.
Donald Trump has been in no way helpful towards aiding the American people who are greatly struggling during the pandemic and has prolonged the potential economic relief for Americans. On Oct. 6, he tweeted that he and his team would be halting negotiations with the House until immediately after he is re-elected, when he will then pass “a major stimulus bill” focused on the average American and small businesses. Both Americans and the Stock Market itself cannot wait until after Nov. 3 to receive stimulus. Trump utilizing the bill that helps everyday Americans as a way to push for his reelection shows the people that he cares about himself more than anything.

Now, what has Trump’s inability to take action cost millions of Americans? Prior to March 2020, the United States’ unemployment rate was at a steady average of 3.5 percent. In April 2020, the unemployment rate skyrocketed to a massive 14.7 percent, slowly decreasing since and reaching 7.9 percent in September. That means that almost 8 percent of the American workforce is out of work. Over one hundred thousand small businesses have had to close their doors amidst COVID-19 lockdowns. Lower income and middle class Americans have been most greatly affected, as they are either getting laid off or having to close their businesses. Additionally, in an economy where the cost of living is often unproportionate to wages, it is no surprise that a whopping 78 percent of working Americans live paycheck-to-paycheck, meaning they have never had the opportunity to compile some sort of savings in case of emergencies and unprecedented events. The pandemic has hit Americans like this the hardest, and so they need all the governmental help that they can get, but receiving constant confusion from the White House on what the status of their aid is is in no way the help that they deserve.

In a time like this where citizens are in such dire need of a clear answer and solution for their country’s economic downfall and even their own, they need a President who will not use the upcoming election as leverage for providing help whenever it suits him best politically. These workers are the backbone of this nation and are doing jobs many would never consider doing. Thus, we need a President who will unite our institutions, not continuously divide them. Rather than tweeting about all his “incredible” plans, why doesn’t he actually go through with them?