On Nov. 7, Joe Biden won the election with 290 electoral votes after winning over the battleground state, Pennsylvania. With this election, Biden will become the 46th president of the U.S., making Trump one of the few presidents unable to secure a second term in U.S. history, and also resulting in outrage from Trump.

Discourse is nothing surprising during election season. However, the 2020 election was clearly different from past years’. From its shocking first presidential debate to its record-breaking voter turnout, it was no surprise that tensions between the two parties rose substantially as opinions became more polarized.

“On social media apps such as YouTube or Twitter, people would spam posts with their party, and everything I saw that mentioned politics was swarmed with arguments about their respective sides,” said Julie Sun, a sophomore.

There have been many disputes between the Democratic and Republican parties over the policies that each party supports. Over time, Democrats have become associated with liberal values, while Republicans have become associated with social conservative values, painting a false image on both sides. Because of this, there has been a sharp divide between the two parties, and the candidates this year seem to have only fueled the fire.

“Honestly, I just can’t believe this was the best the United States of America could do,” said Mr. Ceasar, a science teacher. “The office must be held in the highest regard, and I don’t think either candidate was the best option to hold that office.”

What this election truly showed was the outcome of the polarized political climate today, which has slowly developed over a continuous period of time. Even in Great Neck, there have been several events that occurred as a result of political tensions reaching an all time high this year.

“The current political climate in Great Neck is really, really bad,” Sun said. “Most people saw the video of Trump supporters at the ice rink screaming racist things about COVID. On the same day, there was a Trump driving thing where many supporters drove through Great Neck and screamed for people to vote for him.”

However, there is a big difference between Trump supporters and Republicans that many people ignore. Both the 2016 and 2020 elections have led to the formation of abhorrent stereotypes about the Republican party due to the rise of Trump supporters, who agree with his further right values. Unlike other candidates, Trump is very outspoken about his views, and he has earned support from the three percenters, the KKK and other groups who had previously not supported the Republican Party.

“Most people who identify as conservatives and Republicans simply identify as such solely on the economic and foreign policies,” sophomore Taikary Jiang said. “Most Republicans only voted for Trump in 2016 because he won the nomination, but in 2020, he lost the support of many conservatives due to his arrogant and outlandish claims.”

The rise of such false claims resulted in the immediate rise in tension within the political climate, which only became worse this year due to Trump already being an incredibly polarizing figure and Biden’s immature attitude towards his fellow candidate in his social media posts.

“With a lot of encouragement to vote this year, it really forces a confrontation if we know anybody from the opposing side we pick,” Jiang said.

While this year’s election has already ended, tensions within the U.S. have only continued to rise, and it is difficult to predict how future elections will play out after this year’s. Others believe that future elections will be less tense due to Trump’s failure in securing his position as president, but many believe that the divide between the two parties will only continue to grow as time passes on.

For now, all we can do is hope for the best.