The United States‘ presidential election held on November 3, 2020, was the 59th presidential election. The two largest parties‘ presidential candidates were the former Democratic Vice President Joe Biden and the current Republican President Donald Trump. Despite his loss, Trump declared victory and rejected the official results.

Key topics in the recent US election included the impact of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic as well as racial unrest and protests in response to the murder of George Floyd. However, the election results have raised new topics and new questions to be addressed, primarily Kamala Harris’s position in the new administration, the attack on the Capitol, and the suspension of Donald Trump’s social network accounts.

These topics, among other issues, were discussed in an interview with Alexander Braun, an internationally renowned Czech expert standing behind Joe Biden’s success. The discussion was moderated by Šárka Prát, Executive Director of the Institute for Politics and Society.

Alexander Braun participated in the Presidential and Vice-Presidential election campaigns of Joe Biden and Kamala Harris. He currently heads one of America’s most reputable communication agencies, that of SKDKnickerbocker. The company played various roles in the election campaign, including the overall strategy, interstate campaign, and Biden’s preparation for foreign policy issues. Mr. Braun was also involved in Tony Blair’s and Hillary Clinton’s election campaigns.

However, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the current campaign was much more demanding than the previous ones. Having taken place online, the campaign was complicated by a lack of in-person meetings and direct cooperation. Such reliance upon online collaboration significantly influenced the dynamics of the team and weakened its ideas. Nevertheless, it is clear that Biden’s team handled the situation better than his opponent’s.

The US presidential election is a long-term process. The campaign usually starts a year and a half to two years before the actual election. Having been a candidate for at least a year before the global pandemic broke out, Joe Biden was able to adapt his election strategy to the challenges of the situation. His campaign proved that it is possible to win in the online world.

During the interview, Mr. Braun also spoke of the attack on Capitol Hill. While the events left many American citizens understandably upset, Braun believes that the repercussions of this act can be indirectly favourable for the Republican Party. The violence was so severe that it could negatively affect the attitude of traditional Republicans towards the so-called Trumpism or, possibly, a complete departure from this direction.

Following the attack on the Capitol, Donald Trump’s social networks were suspended. According to Mr. Braun, it is questionable whether social networks currently function only as platforms for communication or serve as social houses. In fact, Section 230 protects social media platforms from having the responsibility of the users’ published content, and it was on this basis that Trump’s social networks were suspended.

In the interview, Mr. Braun also addressed the Lincoln Project’s impact or the phenomenon of various hoaxes on the presidential campaign.