But there is little sign that either side is listening.
Donald Trump, left, and Joe Biden, both photographed on Nov. 2, 2023, are two of the three oldest men ever to serve as president.
Trump: Brandon Bell/Getty Images; Biden: AP Photo/Evan Vucci
Many years beyond the average American retirement age, politicians vie for power and influence. Their constituents tend to prefer they step back and pass the torch to younger people.
The Shorts Protest of 1930 brought more than 600 students to the steps of Robinson Hall at Dartmouth College.
Courtesy of Rauner Library, Dartmouth College
As fashion norms change, what people wear in public becomes ground zero for hashing out new ideas of race, class and gender.
In this November 2019 photo, patrons smoke marijuana at a state-licensed but federally illegal marijuana establishment in Los Angeles.
(AP Photo/Richard Vogel)
Endless filibustering has paralysed the US Senate, and with it all of Congress. Will this form of obstructionism be one of the main challenges facing Biden, as some Democrats fear?
On January 14, 2021, Speaker of the House of Representatives Nancy Pelosi officially signed Donald Trump’s indictment.
Stefani Reynolds/AFP
Donald Trump is now the subject of a second impeachment trial. Although Democrats were initially optimistic, it is unlikely to succeed given the position of Republicans.
The problem of unsafe drinking water afflicts poor communities most.
Reuters/Carlos Barria
Just as America’s highways, sewage systems and water pipes need fixing, so does the growing gap between rich and poor. Trump and the Democrats could use that money to address both.
Trump meets with Schumer and Pelosi at the White House in December.
Reuters/Kevin Lamarque
Trump, Schumer and Pelosi have fallen into a classic negotiation trap that often prevents deals from getting made, which has led to the shutdown stalemate.