Nov. 5, 2024—Americans all around the country understand the significance of this day. The debates, online callouts, rallies, and countless political ads all lead to a choice of who will lead our country in 2025. The face-off between Kamala Harris,
the current Vice President, the former attorney general of California and junior U.S. Senator, and Donald Trump, the 45th President of the United States, will finally conclude. The candidates differ widely on how they view many issues, which leads to the question: what should be the next president’s biggest focus points?
Milford High School students have a wide variety of opinions on these issues. “I don’t know much about politics, but I just want to feel represented by my president,” said Mackenzie Cevallos, a senior at Milford High School. Students and even some adults don’t know what to look for in a candidate but want a change.
The economy is one of the largest issues currently, as inflation has increased about 16 percent since 2021, according to usinflationcalculator.com. Many middle-class families are worried about small things like groceries or gas because of this rapid price increase.“I worry and I have a passion for people who are on fixed incomes,” said Milford High School History Teacher Kaylene Robbins. “I’m not worried about myself so much because I’m not on a fixed income, but for those who are, it’s just really difficult.” This is not a special case and people all over America are worried because they don’t know if their next paycheck will cover their needs.
However, there are also many other issues that Americans believe should be a focus of the next President. Abortion rights are also on the ballot in this election. According to the Washington Post, Trump has said that he doesn’t support abortion, but doesn’t want a nationwide ban and wants states to determine their laws.
He has said that he would allow exceptions for the health of the mother, or victims of rape or incest. Harris has voiced that she plans to support the reinstitution of the Supreme Court case Roe v Wade and wants it to be accessible for women all over the country, no matter blue or red states, says CBS News. Milford High School senior Tori Grant is worried about how her rights could be taken away.
“Even if I don’t need an abortion, the choice of being able to have one makes me feel more secure,” she stated. Being a woman in America right now can be terrifying and uneasy with the lack of control of their bodies in states that have passed strong anti-abortion laws.
The country is extremely divided when it comes to this topic and the next president will need to come up with a solution to bring people back together despite their differences. Immigration is also a topic that is heavily debated and needs to be addressed by the 47th President. According to the Washington Post, Trump stated that he plans to implement the largest mass deportation of undocumented immigrants in U.S. history. This plan also includes bringing in local, federal, and military reinforcements to support this effort as well.
On the other side of the spectrum, Harris said that she plans to fight for immigrants and their documentation. She wants to secure the border and has closely followed Biden’s past plan on securing immigration, according to the Washington Post. Neither candidate disagrees with securing the border, but their plans for enforcing it are vastly different. These issues may divide the candidates more than any others, and will ultimately determine where Americans will place their votes in November
The people of this country want to feel secure in their president and without that security, no candidate will succeed.