Economy
Harris has been a loud proponent of an array of sweeping economic measures, including plans to build up to three million housing units and provide subsidies for first-time home buyers. Alongside the Biden administration, she has opposed sweeping tariffs, supported raising the corporate tax rate from 21% to 28%, and pushed for the restoration of the expanded child tax credit implemented during the pandemic. She doesn’t support extending Trump’s 2017 tax cuts for those earning above $400,000 a year.
The main focuses of Trump’s economic policy have been his promises to extend his 2017 tax cuts (which expire at the end of 2025) and impose tariffs across the board, including 10% across all imported goods and 60% on imports of Chinese goods. He has sought to encourage housing along the periphery of cities and suburban areas while discouraging the construction of high-density units in the suburbs.
Immigration
Harris was put in charge of examining the root causes of Central American migration to the U.S. by the Biden Administration in July 2021. She has pushed for the passage of a bipartisan border security bill that would make it more difficult for asylum-seekers to enter the country and be approved and increase the president’s power to limit the number of migrants entering the country if there are enough illegal crossings.
Trump has pushed for the mass-deportation of every illegal immigrant in the country, with plans including ending catch and release and restoring his “Remain in Mexico” policy—which would force migrants to wait in Mexico until their asylum claims were processed. He successfully lobbied Republicans in Congress to block the Biden administration’s border security bill.
Abortion
Harris has been the Biden administration’s mouthpiece on abortion and has strongly pushed for the codification of Roe v. Wade’s national standard of abortion rights.
Since his 2016 presidential campaign, Trump has advocated for pushing abortion back to the states and takes credit for doing so via appointing three justices who helped to overturn Roe v. Wade. He has stated his intent to veto a national abortion ban and supported a 20-week federal ban when he was president.
Israel & Palestine
Harris has argued for Israel’s right to self-defense and the total defeat of Hamas while calling the war a humanitarian catastrophe and pushing for an immediate cease-fire. She promotes a two-state solution for the existence of both the Israeli and Palestinian states.
Trump hasn’t made clear his position on the war, but he emphasized in a radio interview with conservative talk show host Hugh Hewitt in April that Israel needs to “get it over with.” He has yet to concretely define a plan for peace in the region.
War in Ukraine
Harris has committed to continuing to arm Ukraine in their war against Russia and supports continuing to provide military aid to the country until Moscow is ready to hold legitimate negotiations.
Earlier this year, Trump showed interest in “loaning” aid to Ukraine—he sought to remain on good terms with Russian President Vladimir Putin during his presidency and avoided saying whether or not he wanted Ukraine to win the war during his September debate against Harris.
Healthcare
Harris has sought to preserve the Affordable Care Act. As a presidential candidate in 2019, she took a more progressive position by supporting Medicare for All but has since put forward her own plan with a bigger role for private providers.
Trump pushed to end the ACA as president, but he has since stated that he instead prefers making changes to the act—though he has yet to provide his own plan. He loosened some of the ACA’s restrictions while he was in office.
Climate Change
Though she pledged to ban fracking in her 2020 presidential campaign, Harris has promised to keep it legal. She has been influential in the Biden administration’s climate policy via the Inflation Reduction Act, which invested into clean energy and tax credits for electric vehicles.
Trump has aimed to cut environmental regulations and withdraw from the Paris Agreement, which he did in his first term. His “drill, baby, drill” catchphrase has emphasized his push for utilizing America’s oil and natural gas resources without major investment into green energy.
January 6th & the 2020 Election
Harris voted to convict Trump for his role in the January 6th attack on the Capitol, and the Biden administration has overseen one of the largest investigations in American history into various January 6th defendants—Harris herself doesn’t hold a role in prosecution.
Trump has refused to concede the 2020 election since his defeat, repeating lies about it being stolen from him despite evidence showing that the election was secure (according to the Brennan Center for Justice). Trump has promised to pardon many participants in the January 6th attack after his speech to them prefaced their attack in 2021.
Education
Harris called education a fundamental human right in her 2019 presidential campaign, and she has been a part of President Biden’s calls for an increase in teacher pay and support of new investments into historically Black colleges and universities. She has also supported the Biden administration’s $100 billion investments in student debt relief.
Trump has announced his intent to abolish the Department of Education in favor of individual states controlling their educational systems. He also proposed providing incentives for schools to eliminate teacher tenure and pushed for cutting funding to programs that assisted with student loan forgiveness while he was president (though he suspended interest on student loans during the pandemic).
