Donald Trump and Joe Biden are the two major candidates running for United States president. In some states, people have already begun to vote in person and by mail. What are some of the biggest issues in this year’s elections?
Economy The COVID-19 pandemic put tens of millions of Americans out of work and greatly changed the U.S. economy. If all businesses open, it might help the economy. But people might get sick if businesses open too soon. The two candidates have different ideas about how to keep people safe and help the economy at the same time.
Healthcare COVID-19 has killed at least 200,000 Americans. That has made healthcare an especially big issue for the election. Joe Biden was Vice President when the government started a health care program called the Affordable Care Act. Biden supports that law and says he wants to strengthen it. Trump opposes the Affordable Care Act. He claims that he has a better solution.
Immigration Some people feel there is too much undocumented immigration into the United States. Undocumented immigrants are people in the United States that do not have legal document that allows them to remain in the country. Some people would like undocumented immigrants to be deported (removed from) the country. Others feel this is unfair. Some undocumented immigrants in the United States were brought to the United States when they were children. Should these children have a way to become legal citizens of the United States? That is an issue in this election.
Climate Change Climate change is a change in weather conditions such as temperature or rainfall in a region over a long period of time. Scientists have observed that Earth’s surface is warming because of human action. The United States used to be part of a global agreement to reduce climate change called The Paris Agreement. Trump pulled the United States out of the agreement, saying it was expensive and ineffective. Biden wants the United States to take part in the agreement.
Race and Criminal Justice Some Americans believe that police are too often biased against African Americans, and this bias explains why particular people, like George Floyd and Breonna Taylor, have been killed by police officers. Biden agrees with this view, and Trump disagrees with it.
What Do You Think? If you could vote, which issues would be important to you? What questions would you ask the presidential candidates?
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