RMIT experts are available for comment on the US election

Dr Emma Shortis (0430 358 798 or emma.shortis@rmit.edu.au)

Topics: US history, US politics, Trump administration

“This is the most significant election in living memory. It will have enormous repercussions not just for the United States, but for the entire world.

“The current President is threatening the democratic process, and the Supreme Court is poised to support his efforts.

“In an incredibly volatile political atmosphere, violence and intimidation are already occurring.

“While predicting the outcome is impossible, those of us who have been watching the US for a long time have every reason to be very concerned about the next few weeks.”

Dr Emma Shortis is a Research Officer at the EU Centre of Excellence at RMIT University. She was a Fox-Zucker International Fellow at Yale University during her PhD in history, is a regular media commentator on the history and current politics of the US and co-host of RMIT’s politics and culture podcast Barely Gettin’ By.

Associate Professor Aiden Warren (0420 315 003 or aiden.warren@rmit.edu.au)

Topics: US politics, Trump administration, US foreign policy, NATO

“This is the most consequential US election in recent history: a stark choice between two competing visions. 

“On the red side is Donald Trump, who wants to ‘Keep America Great’ after a first term spent redefining democratic norms and governing with an unapologetically America First agenda.

“On the blue side is Joe Biden, the career politician and former vice-president who believes he can heal the wounds of a deeply fractured nation and ‘Build Back Better’.

‘This year's election is on track for a historic rate of participation not seen since the early 1900s, despite the voting challenges posed by COVID-19, indicating a pervasive sense of urgency to define the country's course over the next four years.

“While all eyes will initially be on Florida, North Carolina, and Pennsylvania, developments in Georgia, Wisconsin, Michigan, and Ohio will quickly come into the fray followed later by Texas and Arizona.

“Whoever wins on November 3 will have an extraordinary task: to rebuild a damaged economy in the wake of a global pandemic that has so far claimed more than 230,000 plus American lives.

“While many are expecting worst case scenarios, some have argued that polling is more refined this time around, predicting Biden could get in excess of 300 college electoral votes.

“That said, there may not be a result for quite a few days – opening the possibility for bold Trump declarations, civil unrest, delays, and obstruction.”

Dr Aiden Warren is an Associate Professor at RMIT University's School of Global, Urban and Social Studies and is the 2018-19 Fulbright Scholar in Australia-United States Alliance Studies. His expertise includes international security and relations, US national security and foreign policy, US politics and arms control. His latest book is on US foreign policy and China.

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