An American citizen stands in front of a voting booth on November 3, Election Day. They look back and forth at the candidates on the ballot trying to make a decision. They need to choose the candidate they believe will help America deal with the unprecedented times of today. 

The candidates running for the 2020 election are the current president, Donald J. Trump, and former vice president, Joe Biden. Trump, the Republican candidate, is the 45th president of the United States and was previously a businessman and television personality before entering politics. On the other side, Biden, the Democratic candidate, was a US Senator for Deleware and the 47th vice president. As president, the elected candidate will take on the responsibility of representing the people of America through his delegated jobs and duties. 

When voting, the people of America take on the role of electing the candidate that they want to be represented by. Each candidate, and voter, has their own take on popular topics. By knowing where each candidate stands on these topics should help make voting simpler for all of America. 

Abortion has become a big political topic in America. Trump is pro-life and states, “Unborn children have never had a stronger defender in the White House.” Previously, Trump supported pro-choice but since 2016, Trump has advocated for pro-life and pledged to appoint pro-life Supreme Court Justices. Biden is pro-choice, and states, “Reproductive rights are a constitutional right. And, in fact, every woman should have that right.” Biden now supports repealing acts such as the Hyde Amendment and Mexico City Policy. 

Climate Change has been a growing issue important to many Americans. Trump has “pushed back scientific findings” on climate change. During his first term, Trump rolled back all the rules put in place by the Obama administration that lessened the effects of climate change. He also pulled out of the Paris Agreement, a United Nations Framework Convention of Climate Change agreement that would help prevent climate change across the globe. Biden, however, believes in the core subjects of the New Green Deal, which supports findings for climate change. Biden’s campaign has a $1.7 trillion climate policy plan aiming to eliminate greenhouse gas emissions by 2050. He also plans to reenter the Paris Agreement that Trump pulled out of. 

Immigration is a topic that affects many people living in America. Trump supports much stronger immigration laws than Biden. Trump believes “that the U.S. must build a wall across the southern border, that current immigration laws must be fully enforced, and that the interests of American citizens must be put first.” Trump has called immigrants criminals and has shown support for various limits on legal immigration and guest-worker visas. He has also implemented a zero-tolerance policy requiring anyone who enters the country illegally to be arrested. This resulted in children being separated from their families. This policy has since been reversed however, family separation had continued. 

However, Biden wants to get rid of many policies put in place by the Trump administration on immigration, and he believes they are harmful. Biden wants to “modernize” the immigration system. He has issued the Biden Plan for Securing Our Values as a Nation of Immigrants which says that it will “secure our border, while ensuring the dignity of migrants and upholding their legal right to seek asylum. … enforce our laws without targeting communities, violating due process, or tearing apart families,” “ensure our values are squarely at the center of our immigration and enforcement policies,” and create a “fair and humane immigration system.”

LGBTQ+ rights have recently gained more traction as an influential political topic. Trump has made some decisions that have made him appear anti-LGBTQ+ rights, one being that he appointed judges that actively work against LGBTQ+ rights. Biden used to have anti-LGBTQ+ views, but has since said, his “history on gay rights has faded into the mist.” He now agrees with the positions many LGBTQ+ leaders stand on, supporting the Equality act and prohibition of discrimination against transgender people. Biden also vows to combat hate crime against the LGBTQ+ community. 

COVID-19 policies have recently become an important and pressing issue for candidates to address. To prevent the spread of coronavirus, Trump cut off travel from China early on, gave financial support to Americans, and distributed resources to hotspots. Trump currently believes in wearing masks, but previously questioned their effectiveness. On October 1, Trump tweeted that he and the first lady both tested positive for COVID-19. Since then, Republican members of the US Senate and five of the vice president’s aids have tested positive for COVID-19. Biden believes in “Mounting an effective national emergency response that saves lives, protects frontline workers, and minimizes the spread of COVID-19.” 

There are many factors in what make a president great, but understanding each canidatdes views and policies on current topics can help the people of America make the most informed decision on who will represent them for the next four years. 

Additional reporting for this story by Emma Snyder