As we head into the final stretch of the 2020 U.S. presidential election, political tensions are at an all-time high. With both major parties fiercely vying for votes, debates and campaigning have been taking place across the country.
At the same time, Americans are also searching for information on health topics as the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic continues to ravage the nation. According to Google Trends, the current top health-related search queries in the United States include “coronavirus,” “COVID-19 symptoms,” “hand sanitizer,” and “face masks.”
While the pandemic has been at the forefront of many people’s minds, politics have also been a major topic of discussion. The upcoming election has sparked debates on various topics, including healthcare, immigration, taxes, and racial justice.
On the healthcare front, both Democrats and Republicans have presented their own plans for reforming the system to make it more accessible and affordable for all Americans. The Republicans have proposed a plan that would involve more competition among insurers and providers, while Democrats have been pushing for a public option that would allow people to buy insurance directly from the government.
Immigration has also been a hot-button issue this election cycle, with President Trump taking a hardline stance on border security and Joe Biden calling for a more compassionate approach to asylum-seekers and immigrants. The issue has become even more pressing in light of the pandemic, as undocumented immigrants have been left out of many relief programs and have been disproportionately affected by the virus.
Taxes are another area where there are clear differences between the candidates. Trump’s signature tax law, passed in 2017, lowered taxes for corporations and high-income earners, while Biden has proposed increasing taxes on the wealthy to fund social programs like healthcare and education.
Finally, racial justice has been a major issue in the wake of the Black Lives Matter protests that swept the nation earlier this year. Both candidates have presented plans to address systemic racism and police brutality, with Biden calling for police reform and increased funding for minority communities, while Trump has focused on cracking down on rioting and looting.
Overall, the 2020 U.S. presidential election has been marked by heated debates and deep divisions between the major parties. As Americans continue to grapple with the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, many are turning to search engines to learn more about both political and health-related issues.