Major issues in America: Top problem the next US President will face?

Find out what are currently the major issues in America. We contrast the environmental, political, security, social and economic problems that President Donald Trump needs to address.

This public discussion wants to capture a list of the main challenges the new President of the US will have to face, and, hopefully, solve. We have created a shortlist with some of the major issues in America usually mentioned by analysts and the media,. However we would love if each of you adds at least one problem to the list (using the discussion forum below) and that you vote on other users' suggested problems by giving likes to their coments. We may add to the voting options those more popular among our users.

Problems for the President Trump

We don't live in a unipolar world: the US hegemony is challenged today. However, the United States of America continues to be the most powerful country in the world and its international role as economic powerhouse, guarantor of peace and innovation hub make American issues relevant for the entire globe. The US presidential elections took place on 8 November 2016.The Trump vs Hillary confrontational race for the White House attracted great media attention. Donald Trump won the elections against all prediction and now has a different task ahead. Political polarization in America has reached unprecedented levels and whoever will win the election will have to tackle many social, environmental, political and economic problems in America. The two nominees have been severely criticized for either their capacity to run the country or their implication in previous political controversies. We live in convoluted times domestically and internationally. The decisions made by Donald Trump will shape the future of generations to come in America and beyond. 

Major issues in America

We already know some of the major issues and problems Trump will face. To kick off the exercise we have pre-selected some potential problems that could be high in the political agenda of the next US President:

• Restoring middle-class purchase power and economic security to levels similar to those before the crisis. Although the Obama Administration has managed to partially redress many of the economic problems in the US, the loss of purchasing power and economic security provoked by the 2008 global financial crisis has not been achieved yet. Inequality (as well as poverty) has grown. Technological unemployment is another threat for the middle-classes, since it affect white collar workers too. The rich who were very fast getting richer before the crisis, did not suffer much from recession. The working and middle-classes suffered the worst the impact. By helping middle-classes the next President of the US may also indirectly contribute to the foster economic growth, government revenues and mitigate social issues in America.
• Illegal immigration from Mexico, Central America and South America. On the one hand some prominent Republicans, including Donald Trump, suggest such immigration be stopped by creating a big wall in the border with Mexico. On the other hand many analysts argue that immigration should be facilitated, however even those arguing that migrants have a positive impact in the economy agree on the need to tackle the problem of illegal immigration. Both the Republican and Democratic parties want to control the fluxes of immigrants in the country to make sure that the new workers arriving on American soil fill the gaps needed in the labor market and do not create new security or social issues.
• Gun crime. There are more than 310 million guns in the US outside the control of the military and police forces. The number of mass shootings in America, one per day in average over the last 3 years, has raised the public concern about gun violence. Some experts argue that guns should be banned, while others claim that the Government cannot take away the constitutional right to own guns for self-defense purposes. The means may vary but whoever wins the next election will certainly try to curb prominent gun crime problem.
• Islamic terrorism in the US. Radicalism is on the rise in the Western world. Germany, France, and Belgium are also suffering the jihadi threat. the recent horrific islamic terrorist attacks such as the San Bernardino attack and Orlando Night Club shootings have made Americans worry, once more, about security in the US. Although the level of public alert and concern has not reached the levels attained after the 9/11 attacks, Americans are asking for swift action from the Government to prevent more episodes of terror. 
• Instability and war in the Middle-East. The conflicts in Syria, Iraq, Afghansistan, and Lybia are causing millions of casualties and a severe humanitarian crisis. Millions are fleeing their countries and travelling to Europe. These crises can be directly linked to the rise of radicalism in Europe and the US. Many analysts argue that the military involvement of the Western powers has had a destabilizing effect in the Middle-East. These conflict add up to the longstanding Israeli-Palestinian one. The recent military coup attempt in Turkey and the underlying tensions for among Turkey, Iran and Saudi Arabia for the control of the region are also major issues to handle for the next US president.
• Climate change: There are many environmental problems in the US, such as pollution and deforestation. However, global warming seems to be the major issue and the one which is contributing to aggravate other environmental, social and economic issues in America. Although many claim climate change scientists are exaggerating, there is little doubt that the average temperatures in the world are increasing in a worrisome pattern due to the emission of CO2 and other greenhouse gases.
• Other problems. There are several other major issues in America that need to be dealt with such as the diplomatic conflict with Putin's Russia, the threat to US economic and political supremacy from China, the dangers of a new global recession triggered in Europe, political polarization, new class struggle, poverty, homelessness and racism. 

Which of these major contemporary problems America is facing do you consider the most problematic? What should be the top priority in the agenda for Trump? Which of the issues above or those suggested by users on the comment section is the most important? 

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