US Election Candidates
Channel: Gapama Edu
Date: 2021-01-15

Voting is about to get underway in the US Presidential election. We take a look at the candidates in the running for America’s top job, and find out how this election is going to be different.
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OLIVIA, REPORTER: Ahh the United States, the autumn leaves are falling, the jack-o-lanterns are probably starting to go bad and after many months of campaigning and debating and all that weird stuff about Kanye West running for president too, it's finally election time.

So, who are the contenders? Well, the main parties in the US are the Democrats and the Republicans. In the red corner from the Republican Party is this guy.

DONALD TRUMP, US PRESIDENT: Thank you.

OLIVIA: Donald Trump has been US President since 2016.

DONALD TRUMP, US PRESIDENT: We are going to win four more great years in the White House.

But his journey started way back in 1946. Donald John Trump was born into a very rich family. He studied economics in college before his dad gave him a huge amount of money to kick-start his career in property development. Since then, he's built casinos, offices, hotels and golf courses around the world, and became a reality TV star.

DONALD TRUMP, US PRESIDENT: Stacey, you're fired. Out.

His presidency has had its fair share of controversies, including his handling of this whole COVID thing.

DONALD TRUMP, US PRESIDENT: When you do testing to that extent you're gonna find more people you're gonna find more cases so I said to my people slow the testing down please.

While some people are aren't happy about how he's been running the country, he's got a lot of supporters.

PERSON 1: My life has improved in the last 4 years. I feel like everyone's has with the tax cuts it's been great for the economy.

If he gets elected for a second term in office, Donald Trump says he'll cut taxes, expand fossil fuel projects in oil and gas and invest in a COVID-19 vaccine. So, who's he up against? In the blue corner from the Democratic Party, Joe Biden. Joseph Robinette Biden Junior was born in Pennsylvania in 1942. He studied arts and law and worked as a lawyer for a while. At 30, he became one of America's youngest Senators in history, so he's been in the politics game for a long time. In fact, he was Vice President to Barack Obama from 2009 until 2017. Joe Biden says he plans to take action on climate change, improve the health care system and will stop the spread of COVID-19.

JOE BIDEN, CANDIDATE FOR US PRESIDENT: I will put in place a plan to deal with this pandemic responsibly.

So, what's special about this election? Well, it's been a pretty full-on year for the US. They've had more reported cases of COVID-19 than any other country. There's been huge political disagreements on things like lockdowns and wearing masks. And we've also seen lots of protests and the rise of the Black Lives Matter movement. Some reckon the US is more divided than ever right now.

PERSON 2: I think it's a really divisive election.

PERSON 3: Democrats have lost their mind. They're insane.

PERSON 4: I don't care for not only Trump's politics but Trump as a human being.

It's why a lot of people are saying this election is so important and why record-breaking numbers of people have already put in an early vote. Many say, whoever wins, they want to see the United States, united.

PERSON 5: It's really important this election, a lot is at stake.

PERSON 6: We need a change; we definitely need to change.

PERSON 7: I think that we're doing really well right now, jobs are good, the economy's strong. I think people feel that way.

PERSON 8: More people have an opinion; more people are actually trying to vote so I think it'll be a more representative outcome than it was last time.