What would you do if you were elected president? | Nightly News: Kids Edition

[Music] coming up countdown to the election we're just one month away from the presidential election and we have a special episode in store for you find out just what it takes to become president of the United States then I'll sit down with a few kids to hear what they have to say about the presidential election my family and I have been talking about it like quite frequently so um and also my friends have been like talking about it like a lot my parents are are very open to discussion about politics and the election and current

events it's usually just a friendly discussion usually mostly with my family not usually like my friends or teachers I think that the President should meet with kids um and just talk with them about things that are going on Plus have you ever wondered what's the first thing you would do if you were elected president if I became president the first thing I would would rid the dinner plates of vegetables and no more broccoli first thing I would do is request behind the plate seats of the Yankee game uh but in all seriousness probably impose a

term limit on Supreme Court Justices also ahead this winning sticker design will be given to voters in Vermont and pawesome politics this race for mayor has gone to the dogs we're in Kentucky with details this is NBC Nightly News Kids edition welcome back to Nightly News Kids edition it's great to be with you we have a special episode this week dedicated to the upcoming presidential election we've join forces so to speak with the weak Junior and have some really great segments in store for you including the results of a new poll the week Junior conducted

with children ages 8 to 14 about the 2024 presid presidential election plus some kids will join me here in the studio for a really thoughtful discussion about the issues that are important to them so I would probably address the like free school lunches cuz like many kids in the United States depend on free school lunches and we also have some really fun tips on how you can get involved in the upcoming presidential election but before we get to all that let's begin with a look at just what it takes to become president of the United

States check it out Washington Jefferson Lincoln just a few of more than 40 who have served as president of the United States to date no woman has held the office hi my name is harlo and my question is who can run for president hi my name is Hunter and my question is how can I run for president of the United States those are great questions the US Constitution which is the law for the country lists only a couple requirements to run for president unfortunately a 10-year-old cannot run for president according to the Constitution you have

to be at least 35 years old to serve as president and also be native born which generally means born inside this country the president's responsibilities include things like signing bills into law although the president doesn't make the laws that's up to Congress commander-in-chief of the Armed Forces but if you look at the Constitution there's not much of a job description the Constitution interestingly is not very specific about what a president should do and there was a reason for that the people who wrote our constitution in 1787 knew that the first president of the United States

would be General George Washington and these Founders thought so much of Washington that they thought why not let him Define what a president does by his example today the president is limited to two 4-year terms in office but a lot has to happen before US president is elected there are two major political parties in the US the Republican party and the Democratic party usually those with similar ideas are a part of the same party this year vice president Kamala Harris a Democrat is running for president against former president Donald Trump a republican who was seeking

a second term in office every four years in November Americans 18 and older can vote for the candidate they want for president but the candidate with the most votes nationally doesn't necessarily win there is a system that our Founders gave us where those votes go into an electoral college each state gets a few electors and the person who gets the most electoral votes is the person who becomes president that may not be the same person as the person who got the most popular ones we know this can sound a bit confusing but it's all a

part of our Republic a government by the people well every year the week Junior magazine and the polling firm yugov conduct an annual survey of kids across the country ages 8 to 14 and this year's survey focuses on kids thoughts about the upcoming 2024 presidential election and the results are pretty interesting with me here in the studio are four kids from the weak Juniors Junior Council Seated on the chairs here are manura and anakah and behind them on the high stools are Lucas and Augustus welcome to all of you guys thank you thank you thank

you you ever been in a TV studio before no no it's a little cold in here right viewers never understand anyway it's great to have you here um I'm curious how many of you guys talk about the election on a daily basis a show of hands how many of you okay all of you do that's interesting because that falls in line with what our survey said which was that uh 67% of kids talk about who the next president will be at least once a week 16% discuss it every day so anak let me start with

you do you talk to your teachers about it your family about it how do you talk about the election so um my family and I have been talking about it like quite frequently so um and also my friends have been like talking about it like a lot and Augustus you talk about it a lot as well are you talking to your teachers or your classmates I think mostly my family uh and my parents are very open to discussion about politics and the election and current events so we discuss it a lot as a family yeah

and Lucas you raised your hand as well do you when you talk about it do you sometimes try to convince people of your point of view you don't have to tell me who you're you're you're backing but do you try to convince others um not usually um it's usually just a friendly discussion usually mostly with my family not usually like my friends or teachers usually like at the dinner table or we're just watching like the news or yeah how about you manur are you talk about do you talk about how close this election is yeah

so I talk about it with my mom my dad my brother Augustus um and um yeah because the election the president determines some of my rights now and also some of my rights when I'm older so it's really important all right the majority of the kids in the survey said that honesty is the most important trait in the next president I I want to know about some of the qualities you think would make a good president anak what do what do you look for in a president so I'd like to see a president who is

very like who can make tough choices the right way someone who can unite the country and like those kids said someone who's very honest yeah and and you you talk about about you know for president making decisions in the right way do you recognize how hard it is you think to be president yeah cuz like you have to pick what's best for the country and not what's best for just yourself and like your family and manura what do you look for in a president for a president I look for someone who's inclusive to all groups

of people and is willing to protect everyone and not just the people that um they voted for and is also good about speaking to other countries in a respectful way and not and really thoughtful and not just like starting World War II yeah and Lucas I mean this this idea of a president needs to be honest I I guess that's some that's a pretty simple thing to ask for right among not just our presidents but everybody yes um I really think that's like true I think Honesty is really one of an important quality no matter

even if it's not a good thing but honest like even if it's not saying something that's good for the country as long as you're being honest about it and not lying I think it's really strong and really important to me and other people yeah Augustus you agree yeah definitely honesty is super important I think kind of along the same lines there uh Integrity you know respect for the Constitution uh which has shaped our country and for the people who live in the United States and also orchestrating a peaceful transfer of power because that is one

of the main things in elections this is a I I I love talking to you how many of you guys would want to be president someday I think me just you I mean kind of it's just a big responsibility house pool sounds pretty nice yeah it's pretty plus you get the big airplane exactly that's Prett I me I probably wouldn't do it for all of the luxuries I'd probably do it cuz like to serve the country yeah yeah all right the majority of of this kids in the survey said the first thing they would do

as president is address inflation and reduce the cost of things so put yourself in the shoes of the president what's the first thing you would do if you elected anah um so I would probably address the like free school lunches cuz like many kids in the United States depend on free school lunches to get through the day and I feel like more schools are shutting down prechool lunches after Co and I feel like that's like a bad thing cuz it like it like increases inflation for certain people and but like I feel like it they

should restart fre school lunches for the sake of other for the sake of the people of the country I love these answers you guys have put a lot of thought into this Augustus what do you think if you're if you're the president what do you think you'd have to tackle pretty much right away well I mean the first thing I would do is request behind the pl seats of the Yankee game uh but in all seriousness probably impose a term limit on Supreme Court Justices uh because in the case that a president can appoint a

disproportionate amount of judges to the Supreme Court uh this term limit can ensure that they wouldn't be biased uh and yeah and Lucas I think you didn't raise your hand you don't want to be president no I think it's just a really big responsibility and a lot of like a lot of stuff rests on your shoulders and you're one of the big people to make decision but the luxury in that case is really cool with the planes the pools the people you get to meet um but what would you so if but if you were

a president I and I know you're not going to run uh but if you were a president what do you think are some of the issues that you would need to really start working on from day one um if I became president the first thing I would do would rid the dinner plates of vegetables and no more broccoli no more asparagus whatever and then I would gather smart groups of people in um in climate change foreign policies and other important things in the country and I'd have them help me make the country a better place

what manura how about you have you had time to think about it I would definitely um help the environment in our trees um I would pass protection laws um so less trees would be cut down uh deforestation is really devastating and also login companies burn the trees which releases carbon into the atmosphere and our planet is dying and we really need to think about what could happen and I want to make our future brighter well that's great you have my vote by the way uh if I want to ask you 88% of kids surveyed said

They wish adults listen to kids more 8 % say they would would should have a say on the issues that affect them even though they're not old enough so let me ask you do do any of you guys feel like you know adults should listen to kids more definitely definitely yes yes and no yes and no what's the no the no is that like one of the downsides is that kids have like different maturity levels so if like you so that if like adults listen to kids a lot like imagine if adults let kids do

whatever they want wanted like the world could pretty much become a like full of Havoc like trouble yeah and and some of these things you guys don't have a say on because you can't vote but they affect you they're they're you mentioned somebody mentioned school lunches earlier and child care and all those sorts of things change guus you I mean what was you like to do that you can't do right now I think uh of course vote uh but I think help the Earth definitely uh I think adults should trust that kids can kind of

uh can understand Big Ideas such as politics you know I'm taking civics class in schools right now so I think enrolling kids in discussion to talk about these things and you know Civics and all politics and issues is very important and definitely the first step because every body should have a good understanding of this yeah and and Lucas I mean you know again these things affect kids yeah um do do you wish that adults would would listen more when they're making policy and talk to younger people uh yes I really wish they would and I

think it's really big because this affects our futures tomorrow and today and it's really important one of the most important I think is like education making sure all kids have access to good education because there's certain towns that or states that you live in that they don't have the highest education and kids aren't getting to their full potential and I think it's a really big deal and I think kids should really have more of a say and there's a lot of smart kids out there who who are really smart and could really give good suggestions

and how you about you manura um definitely I mean it's really important because even though we might not um have the right to vote we are still experiencing um a lot of things right now so um I mean I think that the President should meet with kids um and just talk with them about things that are going on because the point of view uh that a kid from a kid that's growing up right now could be really important because like I said our planet and um sometimes adults forget what it's like to be a kid

you wish you guys could vote that they would lower the voting age yeah maybe 16 15 yeah yeah who knows but also most kids are influenced by what their parents say so yeah are you so do you always agree with your parents politically no I mean yes but my and augustus's parents um they really want us to have our own views as long as they're educated and we can back our reasoning up and we're not just saying things I think that's good advice and it's and it's important just in general right now because we're all

getting bombarded with so much information every time every time we click on our our phones and it's really good to be skeptical about what you read and and and exercise critical thinking so look at something and then look at it again and do a little of your own research um which is really helpful because it means you're an informed voter yeah you you're coming out there and you're like okay I'm here's what I feel about climate change or the economy or whatever it may be and then you can really you know Make Your Mark so

definitely well guys it's been fascinating to talk to you and to listen to you and I'm I'm overwhelmed that you guys are so involved in in the presidential election it's really important for all of us so thanks for coming to talk to us thank you thank you you thank you all right well even though you have to be 18 and older to vote there are still some things you kids can do to get into involved in the upcoming presidential election our friend rahima Ellis spoke with the editorinchief of the week junor to find out more

thanks Lester joining me now is Andrea barbarick the editor-in chief of the week Jr Andrea the week junr has a special edition this week dedicated to the upcoming presidential election why did you decide to put this issue together thank you so much for having me and you know kids can't vote yet but it's their democracy too and the winners of the election that's coming up on November 5th will be making decisions and policies that will affect children's lives now and into the future on a wide range of issues ranging from the economy and jobs and

health care and education and the environment all issues that we know kids care deeply about so they have a right to participate in any way they can and we wanted to help them do that and even though as you point out you have to be 18 and older to vote I understand in terms of what you just spoke about that you've got some fun and creative ways that kids can still be involved in the election and the first part is to understand why the election matters right that's right as I said the the the the

decisions that will be made by the people who win will affect kids' lives so one one way they can par ipate is by researching what the different political parties stand for and what the individual candidates stand for so what do they believe what are their values what do they say they will do if they get elected and then think about how you feel what do you believe what do you think is the right decision for the country and the more kids know about what's at stake and the issues that are being decided the more they

can have conversations with their family and friends and the more exciting the election will be for them in terms of making it exciting you also have a fun tip you're suggesting that kids might become a vote Captain explain that yes a vote Captain is someone who supports and encourages people in exercising the right to vote so in the case of kids they can be the vote captain in their family so what this means is is they ask all the adults ages 18 and over when and how they plan to vote so if they're going to

mail in their ballot when will they be mailing it in if they're voting in person are they going to vote early are they voting on Election Day and where is their polling place and what time do they plan to go and then the child gathers all this information and creates a family voting plan and we make it very easy in this special issue of the week Junior we have a form that kids can print out fill in all the information and then put it on the refrigerator so everyone in the family can see it and

remember their commitment to vote and research shows that when this type of advanced planning takes place voter turnout increases and in the 2020 election we had the highest voter turnout of any national election since 1900 so we're hoping that with kids participation we can boost that number number and make it the highest turnout in US history and that's part of the nuts and bolts of getting people to the polls but I understand that you say engaging in conversations is also pretty important right right there is uh there is a a wide disagreement on many different

policy issues in this country and sometimes those opinions can get heated even within the same family but the wonderful thing about living in a democracy is that we all have the right to express our views and so here's a chance for kids to be a model of Civility to learn how to listen to different points of view and respect differences and state their own case calmly and clearly we just did a survey of children across the country and one of the things we asked them was what advice would you give to the next US president

and one thing came through loud and clear they said to us over and over again be kind to everyone even if you disagree with them so this is something kids feel very strongly about and something they have the opportunity to practice in their own lives right now ah they say children can lead us U finally the last tip is a really important one too and that is to register exactly in our survey 85% of kids told us they plan to register to vote as soon as they turn 18 we'd like to see that number reach

100% so there's an easy way to do that which is through a nonprofit nonpartisan organization called vote.org and kids can go to vote.org thee week junr and make a pledge to to register as soon as they turn 18 and then on their 18th birthday they'll get a text message reminding them to register and explaining exactly how to do it it's easy it's fast and it's one of the most important ways you can participate in our Dem oh fantastic information thanks so much Andrea bobik editor-in chief of the week junr that was great and we should

not starting today the week Junior special election preview issue will be available free to download for everyone at the week jr.com elction 2024 okay time now for our Pop Quiz who was the first president to live in the White House was it a George Washington B John Adams or C Thomas Jefferson I'll give you a few seconds to think about it okay time's up the answer is B John Adams that's right every president since John Adams has occupied the White House the site and the design of the White House was selected and approved by President

George Washington however he never actually lived in the White House turning now to our inspiring kids series one girl from Vermont is lending her creativity to Election Day this year a sticker design contest was just held in Vermont as part of the 2024 good citizen challenge a panel of Judges got together to pick the winning sticker and guess what the winning sticker was designed by 10-year-old kazia warfish of Walcott now voters and Walcott Vermont will get her sticker when they vote way to go more than 250 kids took part in the good citizen challenge finally

one campaign in Kentucky has literally gone to the dogs say hello to Mayor Wilbur Beast the French bulldog has been mayor of rabbit has a tiny town in Kentucky since 2020 since 1998 rabbit has has elected a dog mayor during each presidential election year the town holds he elections as a fundraiser for its Historical Society mayor Wilbur Beast says his favorite part of being mayor is making sure everyone has fun we're told some 10 candidates are running to be the leader of the pack eager to replace outgoing mayor Wilbur I'm putting in my request right

now for an exclusive sitdown interview with the new mayor come November well that is going to do it for us parents just a reminder if your child has a question about any Topic in the news email a video to us at Nightly News kids at nbcuni.com and we'll try to answer them in an upcoming episode you can also follow us on Instagram @ nightly kids thanks for watching remember to take care of yourself and each other so long [Music] la