Like many college students, I got my first real introduction to presidential politics during the 2016 election. I happened to be watching live when Donald Trump came down the escalator to announce his candidacy. I had no idea who he was or the impact he would have on the next decade of my life.
“Don't take a word that man says seriously,” my mom told me.
Nine years later, I have learned that while my mom was absolutely right not to trust Donald Trump, I cannot afford to not take him seriously. He campaigned in 2016 on the promise to appoint judges who would overturn Roe v. Wade. That is exactly what he did .
So now, when Trump promises to be a dictator on day one , to reinstate his “Muslim ban,” and to dep o rt student protestors, I do take his words seriously. When Project 2025 — which was crafted in part by six former Trump administration cabinet members and over 140 former Trump staffers — outlines a plan to track women’s pregnancies, eliminate protections by for LGBTQ+ people and end access to abortion and contraception, I take that very seriously.
Opinion: I'm an Arab American activist. We have no choice but to vote for Kamala Harris.
As a public policy student and as a young person who longs to experience politics free from Donald Trump, a vote for Kamala Harris is a vote for my future.
Every day, I encourage other student organizers who are canvassing, knocking on doors and phone banking to think about their “why” — and express that to the potential voters they talk to. Why are they taking time away from homework and friends to campaign for Kamala Harris? What does this election mean to them?
This is my ‘why’
Kamala Harris is running on a future-focused platform of protecting and strengthening fundamental freedoms. The Harris-Walz campaign uses a broad definition of freedom that encompasses many of the issues that most concern young Americans: the freedom to make choices about our bodies, the freedom to go about our lives without fear of gun violence, the freedom to not only get by, but get ahead.
With Harris replacing President Joe Biden on the ballot, the choice is no longer the past versus the present. It is the past versus the future. And we cannot return to the past.
Many young people seem to believe that if they sit out this year and Trump is reelected, they just need to survive another four years and wait. Wait for a new candidate to emerge who is more perfectly aligned with their values and who can usher in a more progressive future. But a second Trump presidency will not simply put a pause on progress. It could take us back decades. And it could curtail our fundamental rights to resist his regressive policies.
The energy young people feel around the Democratic ticket has risen significantly since Harris stepped up. Yet some students express frustration with certain policies or disillusionment with the American democratic system in general.
Letter: I'm the mayor of Flint. I believe Kamala Harris will help our city.
It’s true that the kind of progress I hope to see in this country will not be fully achieved during a Harris presidency. There is always more progress to be made than can be completed under any single president. But as someone who is excited to spend the rest of my life fighting to expand voting rights, increase political inclusion and build a democracy that better represents everyone , I know that Kamala Harris will move us in the right direction.
My question for other college students is this: Do you want to invest the next decade fighting for the future you want to see? Or do you want to spend your 20s fighting just to get back to where we are today?
That is the choice between Kamala Harris and Donald Trump. I know my answer.
Audrey Clayton studies public policy at the University of Michigan, where she serves as co-president of Students for Harris and has worked to register fellow students to vote.
This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Opinion: I'm a college student, and Kamala Harris is my only option for president
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