All eyes right now are set on the 2024 presidential election taking place on Nov. 5 between former President Donald Trump and Vice President Kamala Harris. Both candidates have released proposals to solve the most important issues to voters. Check out where each of them stand on the most important issues to voters.
Economy
The economy has been at the fore-front of the election and has been rated as the most important issue to voters according to pewresearch.org. Trump has promised to end inflation as part of his effort to “Make America Great Again.” According to cnn.com,
Trump proposed tariffs of 60 percent on China and 10 to 20 percent on other nations. He plans to use the revenue to fund tax cuts. According to pbs.org, Trump also believes tariffs will lead to more jobs, shrink the national debt and lower food prices. Trump has also argued asylum seekers are straining the housing markets. He has also discussed influencing the Federal Re-
serve to change interest rates and keep inflation under control, pointing to the low inflation rate during his presidency prior to the pandemic. Trump also plans to improve and possibly replace the Affordable Care Act.
Harris plans to reduce house and food costs for working families. She wants to create more apprenticeship opportunities and encourage private companies to remove the requirement of college degrees for certain jobs. Harris also wants to give loans
to small businesses of $20,000 and tax deductions for small businesses of $50,000. She said in an interview with Julio Vaqueiro of Telemundo, “Nobody can start a small business on $5,000,” which is the current tax deduction for small businesses. Harris
has criticized Trump’s 2017 tax cuts as benefiting wealthy Americans and has also tied Trump to the recession caused by COVID-19. On healthcare, Harris wants to continue expanding the Affordable Care Act, following Biden’s policies.
Abortion
Since the overturning of Roe v. Wade in 2022, which left abortion laws up to the states, the issue has been at the forefront of this election. Roe was struck down through the Dobbs v. Jackson case, which Trump takes credit for due to his appointment of three conservative justices on the Supreme Court. Trump also openly agrees with this decision, stating in the past that he does not believe the federal government has the authority to regulate abortion, and that reproductive regulations should be left to the states. Many believe Trump could go further and make abortion banned nationwide according to nytimes.com. Trump has denied this, however, saying in a Truth Social post, “I would not support a federal abortion ban under any circumstance and would in fact veto it.”
Harris has a very different approach on abortion compared to Trump. She has brought abortion to the forefront of her campaign and is using it as a method to win over swing voters. Harris openly advocates for her plans to restore reproductive rights to women and has received endorsements from organizations like Planned Parenthood. She recently held a rally in Georgia, a state that has one of the toughest abortion laws, and brought up the story of a woman who died in 2022 due these laws. She called out Trump for not taking accountability, making exceptions for rape or incest, or prioritizing the life of the mother. According to time.com, Harris is also committed to vetoing a federal abortion ban, and has pledged to sign a bill restoring the right to abortion if Congress should pass one.
Foreign Policy
Trump has argued he can project power to foreign leaders and prevent future wars. He has expressed commitment to both Israeli and Palestinian civilians. According to jta.org, Trump said he can use his relationship with West Asian leaders to end the war and prevent the “total annihilation” of Israel. He recently told Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu “do what you have to do,” but has stressed he wants the war to end to appeal to Arab American voters according to washingtonpost.com. Trump has also emphasized that his relationship with Russian President Vladimir Putin could provide leverage to end the war in Ukraine. He said during the Sept. 10 debate, “That is a war that’s dying to be settled. I will get it settled before I even become president.”
Harris hopes for a peaceful resolution to current wars. According to the cfr.org, Harris said she “will always give Israel the ability to defend itself,” but has spoken out against the “humanitarian catastrophe” caused by the war. She supports a ceasefire and hostage release and wants to work toward resolving the long-lasting conflict between Israel and Palestine. During the war, the United States has provided about $17.9 billion in military aid to Israel according to apnews.com. Harris has pledged to continue aiding Ukraine as well. She will not accept negotiations without Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky being included. Since 2022, the United States has provided $175 billion of aid to respond to the war according to cfr.org. While at a peace summit in June, Harris also pledged $2 billion in additional aid to the nation.
Immigration
Trump advocates for an expansion of the 458 miles of southern border wall. He promises the “largest deportation operation in American history,” about 11 million people. Trump also wants to continue policies from his first term that the Biden administration repealed, including the “Remain in Mexico” policy, which requires migrants seeking asylum to stay in Mexico until their appearance in U.S. Immigration Court. Trump also wants to bring back “safe third country” policies, which require migrants to seek protection in Northern Triangle countries they are traveling through, such as Guatemala, instead of reaching the U.S. border. According to reuters.com, for undocumented migrants already in the country, Trump will end birthright citizenship. Trump will, however, give automatic green cards to college graduates with student visas.
Harris was originally assigned in March 2021 to alleviate the border crisis. According to cbsnews.com, the Biden administration has passed 89 executive orders to undo Trump’s policies. Harris embraced Biden’s proclamation from June that cracked down on illegal migration since illegal crossings reached an all-time high during Biden’s term according to apnews.com. If elected, Harris supports increasing asylum officers to reduce current backlogs and implement advanced surveillance technology. She also wants to expand protections for migrants fleeing disaster. She will also create a path to citizenship for undocumented migrants already in the country through skilled work visas and expanding DACA, the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals.