IMPACT OF GEORGE FLOYD EVENTS ON AMERICAN ELECTIONS

IMPACT OF GEORGE FLOYD EVENTS ON AMERICAN ELECTIONS

Samed ARAS

The American presidential election is a big event for both the American people and the rest of the world. America, which has the strongest economy in the world, will be the subject of curiosity about the harmony of the person who will come to it with other states and the policies that it will move forward with. Donald Trump wanted to enter the election as president and exit as President. Democrats, on the other hand, had trusted Joe Biden and put him as a rival to Trump. Biden's political background, unlike Trump's, would have given him an advantage, but Trump, who is already president, had advantages that could not be underestimated. Both candidates had begun their own introductions as they entered election mode. All these events began, and while we were waiting to see how the election would proceed, the George Floyd incident fell like a bomb on the American agenda. For the two candidates, who had been in the mode of weighing each other up to that point, this event would suddenly confuse the entire political agenda. As America tried to portray itself as the cradle of democracy, this event would lead to a reaction from all non-governmental organizations and black people.

America has introduced itself to the world on many issues since its establishment. Even though they claim to be a country of democracy, they have come to the fore with racism. Discrimination and racism in public spheres and social activities have always been against black people. These incidents increased day by day and they started to be exposed to violence. These events triggered the protest, and not only black people but also white people stood by them to support the black people. The big event of recent times had a worldwide impact after the murder of George Floyd. In the video showing Floyd's detention on May 25, white police officer Derek Chauvin was seen pressing Floyd's neck, lying face down with his knee. Video recordings showing Floyd saying "I can't breathe" over and over have spread across social media platforms and mainstream media. The four police officers involved were dismissed the next day. Derek Chauvin, the police officer who caused Floyd's death, was arrested for attempted murder. Although this death received a great reaction, similar events have still occurred in other regions. This means that the changing mindset still does not exist in America and it shows that it will continue and it will be a bad example for other countries.

Among politicians, the Floyd incident was the last straw. The fact that such an event occurred before the election turned the eyes to Democratic Party Leader Joe Biden and then-President Donald Trump. President Trump has received a huge response from politicians and people with his statements. Trump said after the events: "Today is a great day for George Floyd!" He also said in another statement: "I hope George is looking down right now and saying amazing things about our country," he said. Trump's attitude to events has drawn criticism from the Republican Party as well as the left and liberal wing. Following Trump's remarks, Joe Biden said in a statement about the events: "the death of George Floyd will change the world. It became one of the most important turning points in American history."He also stated that Trump's statements were unacceptable. As the November 3 election approaches, Trump's remarks have caused him to lose a lot of votes. This event played a role in the American election.

The George Floyd incident is a demonstration of the public's rebellion against injustice over the economic crises that came with the pandemic. If we focus on influencing elections, it has slightly changed the thinking of black people who will vote in American elections. Barack Obama was elected as America's first African-American president in 2009. This has been defined by the assumption that America is moving forward on racism, but then in 2014 there was a similar incident with George Floyd. In that case, an 18-year-old African-American citizen named Michael Brown was shot dead by police. We can understand that the behavior of cops towards black people in America is starting to become a big problem, especially in recent years. Dozens of African-American citizens, like Floyd and Brown, who we can't name, can be subjected to the disproportionate force of the police. If we look at the election after the George Floyd incident, Trump and Biden were up against each other. Given the George Floyd incident and the protests that followed, it is difficult to say that it did not affect the election, but as we have said, this effect mainly affected the tendency of black people to vote. African-Americans who disliked Republican Trump's statements about Floyd began to gravitate toward Democrat Biden, who delivered more moderate and protective messages. Although the American election shows Biden winning by Democratic voters with the idea that Trump is racist, the phenomenon of Trumpism is in front of us as a concrete thought. That's because Biden won against Trump in an election result that was nearly halved. In the next election in America, we will live and learn who the Republicans will rival Biden and who will win.

REFERENCES

https://www.urban.org/features/structural-racism-america

https://kriterdergi.com/dis-politika/george-floydun-olumu-abd-sisteminin-bir-ozeti.

https://www.haberler.com/joe-biden-george-floyd-un-olumu-dunyayi-13306828-haberi/

https://www.bbc.com/news/election/us2020

https://www.news24.com/news24/World/News/live-us-election-2020-all-the-latest-news-results-as-trump-and-biden-face-off-20201103