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The 2020 U.S. presidential election: A litmus test
Author(s) -
Kasadha Juma,
Zhang Nan,
Mpoza Abdulhamid,
Alli Adam A.
Publication year - 2020
Publication title -
journal of public affairs
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.221
H-Index - 20
eISSN - 1479-1854
pISSN - 1472-3891
DOI - 10.1002/pa.1994
Subject(s) - litmus , presidential election , legitimacy , test (biology) , political science , politics , administration (probate law) , event (particle physics) , presidential system , public administration , political economy , sociology , law , paleontology , chemistry , physics , quantum mechanics , biology
This paper provides an overview of what lies ahead of the United States in the event that Donald John Trump either lost or won a reelection bid. The uncertainty of the election outcomes is what we refer to as a litmus test. In this paper, we reflect on the ongoing events shaping the United States ahead of the 2020 presidential election and their implications on the United States. We suggest that the election provide a litmus test in shaping the politics of the United States in answering numerous questions raised in the current Trump administration. We deduce that the election could give birth to the new form of Brexit in the form of “U.S. exit” in the event the United States ignores processes that foster institutional legitimacy and civic engagement to build lost “trust” in the Americanized system.