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Family Matters
She Supports Trump. Her Daughter Supports Biden. We Helped Them Hash It Out.
Because a family debate is better than a presidential one
“Family Matters” is GEN’s series of moderated debates between parents and children who hold opposing political views.
Barbara Peña, 51, is an ER doctor in Miami who is leaning toward voting for Donald Trump. Her 19-year-old daughter, Isa Peña, is a student at Harvard University and is supporting Joe Biden. In this conversation, they sparred on their political views and the two presidential candidates. Barbara and Isa both attended Trump’s NBC town hall earlier this month, where they asked him a question about the pandemic.
GEN: Let’s start with a big-picture question: What is the most important issue to you right now and why?
Barbara Peña: My husband and I are both Cuban Americans. My parents and my husband’s parents escaped from Cuba. My father was jailed for a while because of the Communist regime. They’ve lived through that, and they’ve brought me and my brother up always talking about that regime, about how bad socialism is, how bad communism is. It was ingrained into me and my brother. To me, that might be one of the most important things in this election. Joe Biden would be a great candidate if it wasn’t for who was behind him. It’s not him that we’re voting for. It’s the Pelosis. It’s the radical part of the Democratic Party. And I don’t think he’s going to last.
He’s 78 years old. I think we’re not voting for him. We’re voting for them.
Isa Peña: My mom was just talking about how my grandfather was jailed for protesting Cuba. You’re seeing that here now. People are being jailed for protesting. Something that I love about the United States is that we can have our freedoms of opinion, and I feel like that’s being put in jeopardy right now. I’m looking for more ability to be able to express our opinions because I feel like, throughout these four years, Donald Trump has been very divisive. It’s chaotic, and I want someone who can bring the American people together. And I think Joe Biden can do that because he is a very moderate person. He is a very well-liked person. He’s a total bona fide American. He’s a total patriot…
