US PRESIDENTIAL ELECTIONS 2020
On November 3, the citizens of the United States of America (USA) will elect their new President to lead the country for the next four years. The 2020 US Presidential elections are even more significant this time than earlier given the outbreak of the coronavirus pandemic across the globe. President Donald Trump is running for a second term and Vice-President Mike Pence is his running mate this time as well. Trump is the candidate from the Republican Party.
From the Democratic Party side, former vice-president Joe Biden is taking on Donald Trump and Indian-origin politician Kamala Harris is his running mate. After accepting nominations from their respective parties and announcing their running mates, both Trump and Biden have been engaged in a war of words.
While there are several issues that have been in the limelight in the context of the US Presidential elections, the handling of the coronavirus pandemic by the Trump administration, foreign interference in US elections, and corruption are some other key topics. With the demise of legendary US Supreme Court judge Ruth Bader Ginsberg, the issue of the new nominee and the Trump’s hurry to appoint one has polarised Americans greatly. While some think it to be Trump’s moral obligation to fill the seat at the earliest, others are panning the move as opportunistic, given the timing so close to the election and the precedence from four years ago when Republicans had blocked then President Barack Obama’s bid to fill a Supreme Court seat months before the elections.
The real showdown, however, begins on September 29, with the first presidential debate.
US Presidential Elections 2020 Important Dates:
September 29: First presidential debate
Place: Ohio
Termed as Super Tuesday, Republican Donald Trump and Democrat Joe Biden locked horns for the first presidential debate in Ohio on September 29. Trump and Biden hurled insults and repeatedly interrupted each other in their first debate, sparring over topics that included the coronavirus, the economy and their families as moderator Chris Wallace tried mostly in vain to control the conversation. In a statement afterward, the Trump campaign suggested that disorder had been the strategy. “President Trump in charge, Biden weak,” the campaign said, claiming that Trump had delivered “the greatest debate performance in presidential history.”
October 7: Vice-presidential debate
Place: Utah
Republican Vice President Mike Pence and his Democratic rival candidate Kamala Harris clashed over President Donald Trump's handling of the coronavirus pandemic, economic policy, law enforcement, and race relations. Opinion polls show support for Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden is rising, but some investors are more sceptical and warn that the election is so close that market volatility could rise after the November 3 vote. The vice presidential debate was more cordial than raucous presidential debate with frequent interruptions and outbursts. Harris acknowledged Pence's phone call to her the day she accepted the Democratic vice presidential nomination, while Pence acknowledged the well wishes from his Democratic rivals toward President Donald Trump after the president was diagnosed with Covid-19 last week.
October 15: Second presidential debate
Place: Miami, Florida
The second presidential debate between President Donald Trump and Democrat Joe Biden was officially called off. The nonpartisan Commission on Presidential Debates confirmed that the October 15 face off got scrapped. The decision was made a day after the commission announced the debate would take place "virtually" because Trump had contracted the coronavirus. Trump balked at holding the debate in that format, and Biden scheduled a town hall with ABC News for that night once Trump said he would not participate. Trump's team later countered with a call to hold the debates as scheduled once the president's doctor said he would be cleared to hold public events.
October 22: Last presidential debate
Place: Tennessee
US President Donald Trump and his challenger Joe Biden clashed over Covid-19, immigration, race relations, and several other issues during their final debate, just ahead of the November 3 presidential election, presenting Americans with sharply divergent views of where they would lead them over the next four years. The mute button, or at least the threat of it, seemed to work. In the second presidential debate, Trump and Biden were more restrained. They allowed each other to speak and used respectful tones. Even when they went on the attack, they did so in a calm, deliberate manner.
November 3: Result Day
On November 3, the US citizens and the world will get to know who leads the USA for the next four years. Will Donald Trump of the Republican Party get another term, or will he be replaced by Joe Biden of the Democratic Party? The 2020 US Presidential election results will have a far-reaching impact on the politics of the world.