The public has a general distrust of institutions. People seem to believe more and more in individuals, sometimes to the point of turning them into gods. The presidential election is therefore less a matter of policies and more a matter of charisma. It's like going on a date. Trump and Harris understood this, relying on personal attributes to seduce the people.
Trump presents himself as a strong man, a superhero who would restore the country’s greatness, in the face of its supposed declinism. He is the providential man. He is the only one capable of bringing back the glorious years of the past. And to better convince, he brandishes his term in the White House between 2017–2021 after winning the 2020 presidential election.
Kamala presents herself as the agent of change, a breath of optimism, oxygen, and the joy of life. She sees herself as the good-vibes candidate. She seems to say “with me, tomorrow will be better and brighter; you will always have a smile even when things go badly.” She sees herself as the post-division candidate, the one to bridge the gap that has divided the country in the last few years.
Harris and Trump both play on emotions. Fear for the former President, hope for the Vice President. According to the polls, Harris’ joy, positive vibes and optimism are working. Her movement has been well received as she's reduced the lead that Trump had in the battleground states, before President Joe Biden dropped out of the race on July 21.
Joy fever has not infected everyone, especially a portion of the voters that Harris will need to win this crucial election: Black men. Unlike previous election cycles, Black men are one of the key groups. A portion of them are attracted to Trump. If this trend were to be confirmed on November 5, Trump should win, because Black men were an integral part of the coalition that allowed Biden to win against the billionaire four years ago.
Looking for a litmus test, I took a trip to the barbershop. My last trip was encouraging but now that the two candidates have spent some time competing I wanted to see what side of the fence the barber crew fell on.
“She can do something,” my personal barber shouted while looking at me in the mirror mounted on the wall just in front of the chair. He meant she can pull off the presidency. “She can do something,” he repeated. “The Lady is on to something, bro.”
“People are [still] energized,” his colleague intervened. “It’s different, bro, ‘member Biden? The dude looked like he was gonna die the next day.”
“She can win. She can do it, man,” my barber responded.
“But Trump is strong, bro,” interjected a third barber. “He’s going to win, bro, mark my words.”
“Trump knows how to win, bro,” asserted his customer. “Never count him out, bro. Me, my girl and her family were on Jekyll Island [Georgia] the other day, bro. People respect Trump. My girl’s family down there likes Trump, man.”
In early August, when I discussed the Vice President’s entry into the campaign, there was a mix of excitement and doubt among my barber and his colleagues. Excitement to see a different face than Trump and Biden as a candidate; doubt that America was ready to vote for a woman, a Black and Asian woman, at that. But she had already earned their respect.
Three weeks later, my barber and his colleagues seem torn between a premier bureau (Trump) and a deuxième bureau (Harris). The first has been the President before and has promised to bring back economic prosperity, while the second ushers a new normal to which they aspire. In their comparison of the two candidates, they talk very little about policies. For them, it revolves around their personalities.
“Trump is good for the economy,” explained my barber. “We have no money, bro. We need money. Everything is expensive. With Trump, we will have money, bro. He’s going to give us money, bro.”
“Trump knows what he’s going to do, man. He’s very smart,” one of his colleagues added from the other end of the barbershop.
“Does this mean you’re going to vote for Trump?” I asked.
“Trump says crazy stuff, man,” my barber replied, shaking his head and smiling. “He is racist, bro.”
My barber seemed to be speaking for everyone.
“Does this mean you’re going to vote for Harris?” I then asked.
“She’s got a movement, man,” replied one of the customers, sitting on the waiting bench. “Everybody’s talking about her.”
“Are you part of that movement?” I asked him. He smiled a little. But he dodged.
“It won’t make a difference, man. Democrats always win New York. New York is in the bag.”
My barber was keen to point out that both Trump and Harris are good candidates. He said that was the most important thing, also avoiding saying whether he has embraced the joy fever campaign.
“Ain’t feeling it yet, bro,” he finally replied at my insistence. “My wife feels it. She talks about [Kamala Harris] all the time, bro. I have to hide from her. She says I ruin her vibe.”
Everyone burst out laughing. It seemed like they recognized themselves in what my barber was saying.
“When is the debate?” asked one of his colleagues.
“September 10,” replied a customer.
“I want to see if she can smoke Trump [out],” he said.
The one and only scheduled debate between Trump and Harris is already considered a potential turning point for this campaign. It looks like it will force my bros to choose between the first and the second bureau. Strong man versus joyful warrior, the smash hit of the fall is yet to come.
This post originally appeared on Medium and is edited and republished with author's permission. Read more of Luc Olinga's work on Medium.
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