ELI5: Explain Like I'm 5

2020 United States presidential debates

So, you know how there's going to be a big event where some important people called the candidates who want to be the president of the United States are going to talk to each other? Well, that's called a presidential debate, and in the year 2020, there were a few of them.

Now, the candidates are like the students who want to be the leader of their class in school, but instead of being in a class, they want to become the leader of the whole country. So, they have to talk to each other and explain their ideas so that people can decide who they want to be the next president.

During the presidential debates, these candidates stand on a stage and have a conversation with each other. But it's not just a regular conversation – they have rules to follow. They take turns talking and answering questions, and they have a little bit of time to say what they want to say.

The debates are usually organized by different organizations, like news channels or universities, who want to help the people know more about the candidates. They invite the candidates to talk about important topics that are on everyone's minds, like the economy (that's about money and jobs) or healthcare (that's about taking care of people when they are sick).

The candidates usually have different opinions on these topics, and that's why they have to explain and debate their ideas. It's like when you and your friend both want to play a different game, so you have to talk and figure out which game to play. The candidates want to convince everyone that their ideas are the best for the country.

A lot of people watch these debates because they want to learn more about the candidates. They listen to what the candidates say, how they say it, and how they respond to each other. Some people even make up their minds about who they want to vote for based on what they see in these debates!

Now, the 2020 presidential debates were a bit different from past debates because they happened during a challenging time for the country. There was a lot of talk about things like the coronavirus, which is a big sickness that made a lot of people sick and changed a lot of things in our lives. The candidates talked about how they would handle this situation and what they would do to help people.

Some people liked to watch the debates because they got to see the candidates in action and decide for themselves who they thought would be the best leader for our country. Other people didn't like the debates because they thought the candidates were too argumentative or didn't answer the questions well. Different people have different opinions!

So, in a nutshell, the 2020 United States presidential debates were a series of conversations between the candidates who wanted to be the president. They talked about important topics, tried to convince people to vote for them, and showed how they handle tough situations. It was like watching a game where the players try to win the votes of the people!