Opinion | These Republican presidential debate questions should be asked

Here is a list of questions the moderators could ask, if they want to have a discussion of the nation’s real challenges and opportunities. Inevitably, some of them involve Mr. Trump and the damage he continues to inflict on the nation’s democracy. Yet compiling this list underscored for us the vast and varied issues politicians are talking too little about — and that Americans should be thinking about, instead.

Election integrity: As vice president, Mike Pence upheld his oath and defended the Constitution on Jan. 6, 2021. Would you have done what Mr. Pence did or what Mr. Trump pressured him to do? Do you acknowledge Joe Biden won the 2020 election? Will you commit to respect the results of the 2024 election?

The rule of law: As president, would you respect the independence of the Justice Department? Should presidents be allowed to direct the attorney general to bring criminal charges against individuals? Should FBI directors be allowed to serve out their full 10-year terms?

All defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty, but do you believe Mr. Trump has broken any federal or state laws? Would you pardon Mr. Trump if elected? Do you believe a sitting president can be charged with a federal crime? Can a president pardon himself?

Would you reform Section 702 of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act, which gives federal authorities surveillance powers some claim are too broad, to balance privacy protections for U.S. citizens with the need to protect the homeland from American adversaries and terrorists?

Reproductive rights: Do you support the holds that Sen. Tommy Tuberville (R-Ala.) has placed on military promotions in a bid to force the Pentagon to curtail abortion coverage, even though it’s undermining force readiness? Do you support federal restrictions on abortion? After how many weeks of gestation would you ban abortion? Would you support abolishing the Senate filibuster to pass legislation? Which exceptions would you insist on before signing any ban? Should the abortion drug mifepristone remain on the market? Would you have any litmus tests for your judicial nominees?

Foreign policy: How much lethal aid should the United States provide to Ukraine? Are there any weapons systems the Biden administration hasn’t provided that you would? Should the United States push Ukraine to negotiate a peace settlement with Russia, even if Crimea remains under Vladimir Putin’s control? Do you support keeping current sanctions on Russia in place? What would you do to ensure Russia is the primary funder of Ukrainian reconstruction?

Should the United States support inviting Ukraine to eventually join NATO? Would you feel bound by Article 5 of the NATO charter to defend any member state that’s attacked? How would you persuade other NATO countries to spend at least 2 percent of their GDP on defense?

Would you take the United States to war to defend Taiwan if China invaded? Do you support Taiwanese independence? Would you try to negotiate nuclear arms control with China and Russia? How would you prevent Iran from getting an atomic weapon? Are there any limits to U.S. support for Israel? Was Mr. Trump right to engage with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un or should he have continued to apply maximum pressure?

Would you be willing to deploy U.S. troops to Haiti as peacekeepers amid the worsening humanitarian crisis? Would you have agreed to the same deal as Mr. Trump with the Taliban to withdraw from Afghanistan? Should the United States have kept troops in Afghanistan? What limits would you impose on the use of military drones to minimize civilian casualties? How hands-on would you be in authorizing such strikes?

What role would promoting democracy and human rights play in your foreign policy? Mr. Biden broke his promise during the 2020 campaign to treat Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman as a “pariah,” and he offered the autocrat a fist bump in an unsuccessful bid to get Riyadh to loosen its oil spigots. Do you trust the U.S. intelligence assessment that the crown prince ordered the assassination of Post contributing columnist Jamal Khashoggi? How would you approach the Saudi relationship?

The economy: Would you lift any of the tariffs imposed by Mr. Trump and kept in place by Mr. Biden? Are there any free trade deals you’d try to negotiate? Would you have joined the Trans-Pacific Partnership? Do you believe globalization has been a net positive for America?

Is it the proper role of the federal government to subsidize the construction by private companies of semiconductor fabs to produce more microchips domestically? Are there any elements of the Inflation Reduction Act, which subsidizes green technology, that you’d keep?

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) has used Florida’s state government to penalize Disney and other job creators for exercising their First Amendment rights. Would you do the same at the federal level if companies spoke out against your policies? Would you respect the independence of the Federal Reserve? Do you support the Fed’s 2 percent target for inflation, even if it means a long period of elevated interest rates?

Taxes: Would you sign tax cuts even if they further increase the national debt? Would you undo the state and local tax (SALT) deduction limits included in the 2017 tax overhaul? What should the corporate tax rate be? Is there any circumstance in which you’d agree to new tax revenue in exchange for spending cuts? Is there any kind of monthly child tax credit you’d support to help working families? Which loopholes in the federal tax code do you think should be closed? Will you commit to release your own tax returns?

Entitlements: Would you be willing to raise the retirement age for Social Security and Medicare, or means-test some of their benefits, to ensure these vital programs remain solvent?

Hugh Hewitt: What the GOP candidates should discuss in the first debate

Immigration: Assuming you can secure the southern border, what would you do about the millions of undocumented immigrants who reside in the United States? Would you seek to deport them? Is there any scenario under which you would support giving them a path to legal status or even U.S. citizenship?

Do you support increasing or decreasing levels of legal immigration? Would you raise or lower the cap for how many refugees can be accepted into the United States annually? Will you commit not to separate children from parents who illegally cross the border?

Environment: What, if anything, would you do to combat climate change? To what degree do you believe humans are responsible for rising global temperatures? Would you seek to roll back renewable energy tax credits? Would you move to relax fuel efficiency standards? Would you rescind any of Mr. Biden’s national monument designations?

Criminal justice: Mr. Trump signed the First Step Act in 2018. Was that the right decision? What kind of criminal justice or policing reforms would you support, if any? Would you revive enforcement of federal marijuana laws or seek to change them? Do you believe that the state-level movement to legalize or decriminalize drugs has been a successful experiment? How would you combat the scourge of fentanyl?

Gun safety: What limits do you believe exist on the Second Amendment right to bear arms? Should convicted felons, drug addicts or domestic abusers be allowed to own guns? Should there be stronger background checks to buy guns? Do you support red flag laws, with due process, to temporarily take away weapons from mentally disturbed individuals? Would you ever sign a bill if the National Rifle Association opposed it?

Education: What should be the federal role in education? Should there be any national standards? How would you address the learning loss that kids have experienced since the pandemic? What is a president’s role in responding to the youth mental health crisis?

Campaign finance: Would you do anything to limit the influence of money in federal elections? Should there be more transparency for who is donating to Super PACs and other outside groups? Would you support lifting the caps for individual campaign contributions?

Health care: Would you repeal the Affordable Care Act if given the chance, or do you accept that it is the law of the land? Mr. Trump talked a big game about reducing prescription drug prices, but he was largely unsuccessful as president. What would you do differently? Should Medicare be allowed to negotiate prescription drug prices? If legislation comes to your desk to ban gender-affirming care for minors, would you sign it? Or should the issue be left to the states?

Collective bargaining: Republicans want to make inroads with blue-collar union members. Would you support a federal right-to-work law? Should all public works projects be required to pay a prevailing wage?

Technology: How would you regulate artificial intelligence? Do you see AI primarily as a danger or an opportunity? Would you support federal restrictions on children’s access to social media? Should TikTok be banned nationwide?

Grab bag: What were the single best and worst decisions made by both Mr. Biden and Mr. Trump? Has Congress turned up enough evidence to move forward with impeachment proceedings against President Biden? How would you address homelessness? What, if anything, would you do to reduce the surging cost of college? Would you officiate a same-sex wedding if asked?