The first 2020 presidential debate focused on the Supreme Court vacancy, COVID-19, the economy, race relations and violence, and more.
But what questions would Americans ask if they were the host of the presidential debate? We asked 5,000 YouGov Chat users what they would want to press the candidates on. You can share your thoughts on what you would ask here.
“What is your long-term plan for eradicating Covid-19 in the United States? Be specific.”
When we asked Chat users to share their presidential debate questions, many formulated questions around the pandemic. “How are you going to stop Covid from killing more people?” wrote one user. “How do you propose to slow the impetus of the Covid-19 outbreak in this country, and whom will you trust to advise you?” asked another.
“How do we resolve the problem of systemic racism in the USA?”
Race relations questions were popular among Chat users. “What is the policy you intend to put in place to stop racism and police brutality?” wrote one user. “What will you do to drastically reduce the amount of hatred and racism that appear to have taken over our country?” asked another.
“Will you support the police officers?”
Others question how the 2020 presidential candidates feel about law enforcement. “What are you going to do with regard to defunding the police, Joe Biden?” wrote one user. “Will you protect and defend our police officers?” asked another.
“I'd ask Trump why he won't show his taxes...”
Some Chat users pointed their questions directly at President Trump. “Mr. Trump, you have misrepresented facts regarding your taxes, the coronavirus outbreak, and your business dealings. Why should the American people believe anything you say?” asked one Chat user. “Donald Trump, if you disagree with The NY Times exposé about your taxes and debt, why won’t you release your tax returns to disprove the allegations?” asked another.
“Biden - Why won't you take a neurological exam and publish the results?”
For Chat users with questions for Biden, many question his cognitive abilities and whether he would take a drug test. “Why he refuses to submit a drug test,” wrote one user. “Biden, have you had a mental test for your ability to function...” asked another.
Others had different questions for Biden. “I would ask Joe Biden to detail exactly what he would do if Donald Trump lost the election but refused to vacate the presidency,” wrote one user. “To Biden: Will you work to heal our country from the division that has happened over the past 4 years?” asked another.
“Where is Jo Jorgensen?”
Other YouGov Chat users expressed an interest in Libertarian nominee Jo Jorgensen taking the stage. “Why are they so afraid of letting 3rd party candidates debate with them? Dr. Jo [J]orgensen is on the ballot in all 50 states,” wrote one user. “Why do both of your parties work tirelessly to silence the voices of Americans, in excluding viable and qualified candidates such as Jo Jorgensen from these debates? What are you both so afraid of?” asked another.
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Everyday, members of YouGov Chat are asked to share their opinion on a topic in the news. We allow anyone to take part in these chats, and do not display or weight results in real-time. Instead, to make the experience informative but still interactive, the Chat displays weighted data from YouGov Direct to show them how the rest of the country voted. This enables us to pose the question to all, while retaining data accuracy and validity when communicating results.
YouGov Chat seeks to add to the ‘what?’ (the quantitative poll result) by finding the ‘why?” (qualitative open ends) in a member’s own words. Learn more about YouGov Chat here.
Image: Getty
