On the issues
As the 2024 election approaches, it is as important as ever for voters to make their voices heard and vote with a clear understanding of the issues at stake. Kamala Harris and Donald Trump represent two very different paths for the future of the country. On key issues like abortion, the economy, foreign policy, healthcare, voting rights, climate change, immigration, racial justice, gun control, and education, their views are quite different. Harris supports government involvement to expand access to abortion, healthcare, voting rights, gun control, and public education, while pushing to strength relations with allies to boost national security and fight climate change. Trump, by contrast, advocates for less government regulation, focusing on limiting abortion rights, reducing taxes, cutting environmental policies, loosening immigration laws, and limiting government involvement in gun ownership, while taking an “America First” approach to foreign policy, creating relationships with countries generally if it serves America’s financial interests. Voting informed on these crucial topics is vital, as the outcome will shape the nation's future for years to come. Below is a summary of key differences on the issues, as well as a more in-depth breakdown of the candidates’ positions on each issue.
Overall Summary of Key Differences:
Reproductive Rights
Kamala Harris: Kamala Harris supports abortion rights and wants to make sure abortion is legal across the entire country by passing a federal law. She also advocates for expanding access to reproductive healthcare, especially for people with fewer resources, to ensure everyone can access the care they need.
Donald Trump: Donald Trump is against abortion and has appointed anti-abortion judges to the Supreme Court, which led to the overturning of Roe v. Wade, the decision that had originally made abortion legal across the U.S. He supports both state and federal restrictions on abortion access, aiming to limit or ban abortions in many areas of the country.
Economy and Inflation
Kamala Harris: Focuses on creating a more fair and equal economy by raising taxes on wealthy individuals and corporations. She plans to use this revenue to invest in clean energy, infrastructure (like roads, bridges, and public transit), and programs that help people, such as healthcare and affordable housing. Harris also supports increasing wages to ensure that more Americans can earn a living wage and live comfortably.
Donald Trump: Emphasizes tax cuts, especially for businesses and wealthy individuals, to stimulate economic growth. He supports reducing regulations, which means cutting back the laws that control how businesses operate, allowing them more freedom. Trump promotes maximizing fossil fuel production, like oil and gas, to achieve energy independence. He also focuses on trade policies that boost business growth and create jobs within the U.S., aiming to strengthen the economy through corporate success and fewer government restrictions.
Foreign Policy and National Security
Kamala Harris: Kamala Harris emphasizes rebuilding and strengthening relationships with other countries through diplomacy by working together to solve problems peacefully. She believes in addressing global challenges like climate change, cybersecurity, and human rights by working closely with international partners. Harris supports strengthening international organizations, such as the United Nations, and agreements, like Paris Climate Agreement, and believes that global cooperation is essential for solving the world's most pressing issues, like climate change.
Donald Trump: Donald Trump focuses on an "America First" approach, which prioritizes the interests of the U.S. over involvement in international agreements and global cooperation. He believes in reducing U.S. participation in international institutions and agreements that don't directly benefit the country. Instead, Trump emphasizes military strength and using economic power to get better deals for the U.S. His focus is on forming relationships with other countries when it serves American interests.
Healthcare
Kamala Harris: Emphasizes improving healthcare by strengthening the Affordable Care Act (ACA), which helps people get health insurance. She also supports expanding Medicaid, which helps low-income individuals get the care they need. Harris believes in lowering prescription drug prices by allowing Medicare to negotiate those prices, making them more affordable. Additionally, she supports creating a "public option," which would be a government-run health insurance plan to give people more affordable choices. Her goal is to make sure everyone, especially those with fewer resources, can access quality healthcare.
Donald Trump: Focuses on replacing the Affordable Care Act (ACA) with a more market-driven healthcare system, whcih means he wants businesses and insurance companies to have more control. Trump also supports expanding Health Savings Accounts (HSAs), which are savings accounts that people can use for medical expenses. He believes in lowering prescription drug prices by encouraging competition between companies. His plan focuses on less government involvement and more control by companies.
Voting Rights and Election Integrity
Kamala Harris: Focused on making it easier for people to vote, especially those who may face challenges due to limited resources. She supports restoring the Voting Rights Act, which protects against discrimination in voting. Harris also advocates for modernizing election systems and making voting more accessible through measures like automatic voter registration, early voting, and mail-in voting. Her goal is to ensure that everyone has an equal opportunity to participate in elections.
Donald Trump: Emphasizes strengthening election security by supporting stricter voting laws. He advocates for measures like requiring voter ID and limiting the use of mail-in voting, which he believes can lead to election fraud. Trump also supports giving states more control over how elections are run and making it harder to change voting rules in ways that might expand access. His emphasis is on preventing fraud and ensuring that elections are secure
Climate Change and Environmental Policy
Kamala Harris: Advocates for taking bold action against climate change. She supports significant investments in renewable energy, such as solar and wind power, to reduce reliance on fossil fuels. Harris emphasizes the importance of environmental justice, aiming to protect communities that are disproportionately affected by pollution and climate change. She wants to end subsidies for fossil fuel companies and rejoin international climate agreements, like the Paris Accord, to work with other countries in fighting global warming. Her policies focus on expanding clean energy jobs and treating climate change as an urgent national crisis.
Donald Trump: Prioritizes energy independence by promoting the use of fossil fuels like oil, coal, and natural gas. He supports limiting the government’s impact on protecting the environment from companies to allow for more fossil fuel development and believes that fewer laws protecting the environment will boost economic growth. Trump is against international climate agreements, like the Paris Accord, arguing that they hurt the U.S. economy. His platform focuses on reducing goverment involvement and continuing to provide funding to the fossil fuel industry.
Immigration
Kamala Harris: Supports comprehensive immigration reform that would create a pathway to citizenship for undocumented immigrants, including those who have lived in the U.S. for many years. She strongly advocates for protecting Dreamers, young people who were brought to the U.S. as children, and supports creating more humane border policies. Harris also emphasizes the importance of treating migrants with dignity and addressing the root causes of migration, such as poverty and violence, particularly in Latin America.
Donald Trump: Focuses on strict border security and reducing both legal and illegal immigration. He is known for his efforts to build a border wall and has advocated for limiting immigration to protect national interests. Trump also supports ending birthright citizenship, which grants citizenship to anyone born in the U.S., and has pushed for stronger deportation efforts to remove undocumented immigrants from the country. His immigration policies prioritize national independence and security.
Racial Justice and Police Reform
Kamala Harris: Focuses on reforming the criminal justice system to address systemic racism. She advocates for increasing police accountability, ending the cash bail system (which disproportionately affects low-income individuals), and strengthening oversight of law enforcement agencies. Harris supports policies aimed at reducing racial disparities in policing, incarceration, and the legal system, with a goal of creating a fairer and more equitable justice system.
Donald Trump: Emphasizes a "law and order" approach, supporting policies that provide more resources to police departments and opposing efforts to defund or reduce funding for law enforcement. He advocates for stricter penalties for violent crimes and rejects broad criminal justice reforms that would limit police authority. Trump believes in maintaining strong police forces to ensure public safety and opposes changes that could weaken their power.
Gun Control
Kamala Harris: Advocates for stricter gun control measures, including universal background checks, banning assault weapons, and holding gun manufacturers accountable for violence. She focuses on reducing gun violence through government involvement.
Donald Trump: Opposes most forms of gun control. He supports expanded gun ownership and opposes efforts to ban assault weapons or implement universal background checks, framing gun rights as essential to personal freedom and safety. He wants limited government involvement.
Education and Student Debt
Kamala Harris: Focuses on reducing student debt and expanding access to higher education, particularly for low-income and minority students. She supports student loan forgiveness, free community college, and increased federal investment in education.
Donald Trump: Donald Trump supports school choice, which means giving families more options for where their children can go to school, including expanding charter schools and programs that help pay for private school tuition (called voucher programs). He does not support large-scale student loan forgiveness, which would help people pay off their college debt. Trump also believes the federal government should have less control over education and that more responsibility should be given to states and private organizations.
Below are the candidates’ stances on issues in greater detail:
Reproductive Rights
Summary of Key Differences:
Kamala Harris: Pro-abortion rights, supports codifying Roe v. Wade into federal law, and expanding access to reproductive healthcare, especially for marginalized groups.
Donald Trump: Anti-abortion, celebrates the overturning of Roe v. Wade, has appointed anti-abortion judges, and supports state and federal restrictions on abortion access.
Kamala Harris
Kamala Harris, as the Vice President and a Democratic candidate, is a strong advocate for protecting abortion rights and reproductive freedom. Here are some specific aspects of her stance:
Right to Abortion: Kamala Harris believes that the right to abortion should be protected by law, even after the Supreme Court’s 2022 decision in Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization, which overturned Roe v. Wade. She wants to pass federal legislation that would guarantee a woman’s right to choose, regardless of individual state laws that may try to restrict access.
Goal: Ensure abortion rights across the country, despite state restrictions.
Federal Action to Protect Reproductive Rights: Harris has been a strong supporter of federal efforts to maximize abortion access. For example, she supports the Women’s Health Protection Act, which would prevent states from passing extreme abortion restrictions.
Goal: Pass federal laws like the Women’s Health Protection Act to ensure that no state can heavily restrict or ban abortion access.
Expanding Access to Reproductive Healthcare: Kamala Harris advocates for expanding access to reproductive health services beyond just abortion. This includes providing better access to birth control and maternal care, especially for marginalized and low-income communities who are most affected by restrictive abortion laws.
Goal: Ensure broader access to reproductive healthcare, including birth control and maternal care, particularly for underserved groups.
Opposition to State-Level Abortion Restrictions: Harris is strongly against state laws that impose strict restrictions on abortion, like the "heartbeat bills" that ban abortion after six weeks or mandatory waiting periods before an abortion. She has also criticized the Supreme Court's conservative majority, warning that their decisions could roll back progress on reproductive rights.
Goal: Challenge state laws that restrict abortion and protect women’s reproductive rights from being reversed by future legal rulings.
Donald Trump
Donald Trump, as a former Republican president and current candidate, has taken a strong anti-abortion stance, particularly during his presidency. His actions and statements reflect a commitment to limiting or ending access to abortion.
Appointment of Conservative Supreme Court Justices: Perhaps Trump’s most significant contribution to the anti-abortion movement was his appointment of three conservative justices—Neil Gorsuch, Brett Kavanaugh, and Amy Coney Barrett—who helped overturn Roe v. Wade in 2022. These appointments were seen as part of a larger strategy to shift the Supreme Court toward a more anti-abortion stance.
Goal: Appoint conservative justices to the Supreme Court and high courts to solidify a long-term shift toward anti-abortion rulings, ultimately overturning decisions like Roe v. Wade and promoting a more restrictive stance on reproductive rights.
Defunding Planned Parenthood: During his presidency, Trump worked to strip federal funding from Planned Parenthood, which provides a range of reproductive health services, including abortions. He reinstated and expanded the Mexico City Policy (the "Global Gag Rule"), which prohibits U.S. foreign aid from going to organizations that provide or promote abortion services.
Action: In 2017, Trump signed a bill that allowed states to withhold federal funds from organizations like Planned Parenthood that provide abortions.
Support for State-Level Restrictions: Trump consistently voiced support for restrictive abortion laws at the state level, including six-week abortion bans (often called “heartbeat bills”) and laws that severely restrict abortion access later in pregnancy. He has also praised states like Texas for enacting stringent abortion restrictions.
Goal: Support and promote state-level restrictions on abortion, including six-week abortion bans and laws limiting access later in pregnancy, with the aim of advancing a pro-life agenda and reducing abortion access nationwide.
Pledging to Further Restrict Abortion at the Federal Level: Although Trump was more ambiguous about pushing for a nationwide abortion ban during his presidency, he has increasingly aligned with the idea of introducing federal limits on abortion in the future, possibly backing a 15-week abortion ban, which some Republicans have proposed.
Opposition to Abortion Exceptions: While Trump has supported exceptions for rape, incest, and the life of the mother in the past, he has also expressed a willingness to support laws without such exceptions, aligning himself more closely with the most conservative elements of the anti-abortion movement.
Goal: Align with the most conservative elements of the anti-abortion movement by supporting laws that restrict abortion, including those without exceptions for rape, incest, or the life of the mother.
Important information to know:
Project 2025 is a policy agenda created by the Heritage Foundation, a conservative think tank, with strong ideological connections to former President Donald Trump. While Trump has not formally authored the document, it is widely seen as a roadmap for his potential second term, as it aligns closely with the political goals of his administration. The Heritage Foundation played a significant role in shaping policies during Trump’s first term and continues to support "institutionalizing Trumpism."
Many of the individuals involved in drafting Project 2025 previously worked in Trump’s administration. Reports indicate that at least 140 contributors to Project 2025 were affiliated with Trump's previous administration, including influential figures in areas such as immigration, healthcare, and judicial appointments. The agenda focuses on far-reaching conservative reforms, including efforts to restrict abortion, overhaul federal agencies, and shift power from the federal government to states, all of which are consistent with Trump's political views.
Project 2025 envisions a range of aggressive actions to further restrict reproductive rights. Some of the key abortion-related proposals include:
Ending Medication Abortion: Project 2025 calls for revoking FDA approval of mifepristone, a drug used in more than half of all U.S. abortions, effectively banning medication abortion nationwide.
Criminalizing Abortion Pill Distribution: The plan seeks to prosecute individuals involved in shipping or transporting abortion pills, further restricting access to abortion by mail.
Restricting Emergency Abortions: The plan includes allowing hospitals to deny emergency abortion care to women facing life-threatening conditions.
Tracking Abortion Patients: Project 2025 proposes a national abortion surveillance system to track personal details of patients receiving abortion care, raising concerns about privacy and state interference.
Defunding Planned Parenthood and Related Services: It advocates cutting federal funding to organizations like Planned Parenthood that provide abortion services or referrals, impacting access to reproductive healthcare, especially for low-income women.
Economy and Inflation
Summary of Key Differences:
Kamala Harris: focuses on raising taxes on the wealthy, investing in clean energy and infrastructure, increasing wages, and expanding social programs like healthcare and affordable housing to create a more equitable economy.
Donald Trump: emphasizes tax cuts, deregulation, fossil fuel production, and protectionist trade policies to boost private sector growth and domestic job creation.
Kamala Harris
Kamala Harris’s economic plans are largely aligned with the Biden administration’s focus on strengthening the middle class, expanding economic equality, and investing in infrastructure and clean energy. Here are key aspects of her economic agenda:
Strengthening the Middle and Lower Classes
Wage Growth: Harris supports raising the federal minimum wage to $15 an hour to help low-income and middle-class workers. She has consistently advocated for worker rights, including expanding protections for union organizing and collective bargaining.
Goal: Raise the federal minimum wage to $15 an hour and expand labor protections to support wage growth and improve working conditions for low-income and middle-class workers.
Tax Reform: Harris and the Biden administration propose raising taxes on the wealthiest individuals and large corporations, while ensuring that middle and lower-income families benefit from tax credits like the Child Tax Credit and the Earned Income Tax Credit. Their aim is to reduce income inequality by taxing the wealthiest Americans and redistributing that wealth to support working families.
Goal: Implement tax reforms that increase taxes on the wealthiest individuals and corporations while expanding tax credits for working families, reducing income inequality, and supporting middle- and lower-income households.
Infrastructure Investment: Harris is a key supporter of the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, which allocates $1.2 trillion toward rebuilding U.S. infrastructure. This plan is designed to create millions of jobs in construction, clean energy, and transportation while improving roads, bridges, and broadband access.
Goal: Invest in U.S. infrastructure by supporting the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, aiming to create millions of jobs in construction, clean energy, and transportation while improving essential infrastructure such as roads, bridges, and broadband access across the country.
Clean Energy and Climate Investment: Harris’s economic plans place a strong emphasis on building a clean energy economy. The Inflation Reduction Act includes major investments in renewable energy projects such as solar and wind power, aimed at creating sustainable, high-paying jobs. Harris supports the transition to a low-carbon economy, seeing it as a long-term solution to job creation and environmental sustainability.
Goal: Achieve net-zero emissions while ensuring economic growth, focusing on clean energy jobs that benefit both middle and lower-class workers.
Healthcare Reform: Harris supports expanding access to affordable healthcare, particularly for lower-income families. She backed the Inflation Reduction Act, which includes provisions to lower prescription drug prices and allow Medicare to negotiate drug prices. She also supports expanding Medicaid in states that have not done so, aiming to reduce healthcare costs for working families.
Investing in Education and Workforce Development: Harris supports making community college tuition-free and expanding access to job training programs, particularly in sectors like clean energy and healthcare. She advocates for making higher education more accessible to working-class families, reducing student debt, and providing workforce development programs to help Americans gain the skills needed in high-demand industries.
Affordable Housing: Harris has spoken about the need for expanding affordable housing. She supports increasing federal investments in housing projects to address the housing shortage and reduce the cost burden on low- and middle-income families.
Goal: Make housing more accessible and affordable through federal subsidies and expanded housing programs.
Reducing Inflation: The Biden-Harris administration has made combating inflation a priority. The Inflation Reduction Act aims to lower the deficit and reduce inflation by cutting government spending on healthcare, energy, and prescription drugs. Harris also supports efforts to stabilize supply chains and improve domestic manufacturing to reduce inflationary pressures.
Donald Trump
Donald Trump’s economic plans for the 2024 election build on his "America First" agenda from his previous term, focusing on tax cuts, deregulation, energy independence, trade protectionism, and job creation. Here's a breakdown of his key economic goals and proposals:
Tax Cuts and Deregulation
Lower Taxes: Trump has promised further tax cuts similar to the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act of 2017, which reduced the corporate tax rate from 35% to 21% and provided tax breaks for individuals, with a focus on benefiting high-income earners and corporations.
Future Plans: Trump has hinted at reducing the corporate tax rate further and extending individual tax cuts, which are set to expire in 2025. He’s also proposed cutting taxes for middle-class Americans as part of a broader tax reform.
Deregulation: A major focus of Trump’s 2024 agenda is reducing government regulations that he believes hinder business growth. He aims to roll back environmental, financial, and labor regulations, particularly in industries like energy, manufacturing, and agriculture.
Impact: During his first term, Trump’s deregulation policies were credited with reducing business costs.
Energy Independence: Trump’s 2024 plan emphasizes achieving energy independence by expanding oil, gas, and coal production. He has criticized Biden’s focus on renewable energy, promising to reverse climate and environmental policies that limit fossil fuel extraction.
Plan: He aims to boost domestic oil and gas production by reducing regulations on drilling and pipeline construction, including revisiting projects like the Keystone XL pipeline.
Trade and Protectionism: Trump has consistently advocated for trade policies aimed at reducing the U.S. trade deficit and bringing manufacturing jobs back to the U.S.
Tariffs on China: Trump plans to continue his tough stance on China, which included imposing tariffs on Chinese goods during his first term. He has said that he would increase tariffs to pressure China on trade imbalances and intellectual property theft.
Revitalizing Manufacturing: He seeks to create incentives for companies to bring manufacturing jobs back to the U.S. and to penalize companies that offshore jobs.
Job Creation and Workforce Development: Trump plans to revive American manufacturing and expand job opportunities through deregulation, energy production, and infrastructure projects. He touts his record of low unemployment and job growth before the pandemic and aims to replicate that success.
Lower Inflation and Interest Rates: Trump has repeatedly criticized the Federal Reserve for raising interest rates and has expressed support for maintaining low interest rates to stimulate economic growth. He also blames the Biden administration's spending policies for high inflation and promises to reduce inflation by cutting government spending and promoting domestic production.
Healthcare Reform: Trump has promised to repeal the Affordable Care Act (Obamacare) and replace it with a system that increases private healthcare competition. While specific details of his healthcare plan for 2024 are unclear, he previously advocated for expanding Health Savings Accounts (HSAs) and increasing market-driven solutions to lower healthcare costs.
Infrastructure Investment: Trump has spoken about investing in infrastructure projects like roads, bridges, and airports. In his 2024 campaign, he could push for infrastructure investment as a way to create jobs and boost long-term economic growth, though this plan contrasts with the green infrastructure focus of the Biden administration.
Goal: Invest in traditional infrastructure projects such as roads, bridges, and airports, using these investments to create jobs and stimulate long-term economic growth, with a focus on boosting the economy through large-scale construction projects, contrasting with the green infrastructure focus of the Biden administration.
Important information to know:
The Trump economy (2016-2020) was characterized by significant tax cuts through the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act of 2017, which lowered the corporate tax rate and personal income taxes for many Americans, particularly benefiting the wealthy and corporations. This resulted in short-term economic growth and record-low unemployment rates, particularly before the COVID-19 pandemic. Trump also pursued deregulation, especially in energy and financial sectors, and adopted protectionist trade policies, including tariffs on China, which had mixed results on the U.S. economy. However, his term ended with a severe economic downturn due to the pandemic.
In contrast, the Biden economy (2020-2024) has focused on economic recovery from the pandemic, with the passage of large stimulus packages like the American Rescue Plan and major investments in infrastructure through the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law. While job growth rebounded post-pandemic, the administration has faced challenges with high inflation, which critics link to pandemic-related spending. Biden’s economic policies have prioritized middle- and lower-income Americans through initiatives like the Inflation Reduction Act, which targets healthcare costs and clean energy investment, alongside proposals for higher taxes on corporations and the wealthy.
Important information to know:
Project 2025 has detailed economic policies with significant implications for the working and middle class. Here are the important things to know about how Project 2025 could affect the working and middle class:
Reduction of Worker Protections: Project 2025 seeks to reduce federal regulations, particularly in labor and environmental protections. From a liberal standpoint, this deregulation could weaken worker protections, such as safety standards, overtime pay, and benefits for working-class Americans. By rolling back labor laws, corporations could gain more power, while workers might lose important safeguards like the right to unionize and collective bargaining.
Tax Policy Favoring the Wealthy: Project 2025 outlines plans to reduce taxes on the wealthy and large corporations, which liberals argue would exacerbate income inequality. By cutting taxes for the richest Americans and corporations, while reducing or eliminating social safety net programs, the middle and working class would bear the brunt of the economic burden, with fewer public resources available to support education, healthcare, and infrastructure.
Education: Project 2025 includes plans to limit federal funding for public education and programs like student loan forgiveness, which would disproportionately harm middle- and working-class families who rely on affordable education and financial aid. Additionally, cuts to job training and workforce development programs could make it harder for workers to adapt to changing economic conditions and find good-paying jobs in the future.
Government Institutions: Project 2025 aims to consolidate power in the executive branch, diminish the role of career civil servants, and prioritize political appointees who align with conservative ideology. Liberals argue that this could weaken the federal government’s ability to deliver essential services efficiently and equitably, disproportionately harming working-class Americans who rely on public institutions for everything from disaster relief to healthcare services.
Foreign Policy and National Security
Summary of Key Differences:
Kamala Harris: emphasizes rebuilding alliances, promoting diplomacy, and addressing global challenges like climate change, cybersecurity, and human rights. She supports strengthening international organizations, and prioritizing global cooperation.
Donald Trump: focuses on an "America First" strategy, emphasizing national sovereignty, reducing U.S. involvement in international agreements, and prioritizing military strength and economic leverage. He advocates for reducing U.S. participation in global institutions and focusing on relationships to advance U.S. interests.
Kamala Harris
Kamala Harris' foreign policy and national security platform centers around restoring the U.S. as a global leader through diplomacy, multilateralism, and a commitment to addressing global challenges. Her approach prioritizes rebuilding alliances, strengthening international institutions, and promoting human rights. Key elements of her platform include:
Rebuilding Alliances and Multilateral Cooperation: Harris believes in the importance of rebuilding alliances that were strained under the Trump administration. She has emphasized re-engaging with NATO, the United Nations, and other international organizations to address shared global challenges. Harris advocates for close cooperation with traditional allies in Europe and Asia and expanding partnerships in regions like Africa and Latin America.
Goal: Restore trust with allies and reinvigorate multilateral cooperation to address issues like climate change, security threats, and global health crises.
Addressing Climate Change as a National Security Threat: Harris views climate change as one of the most pressing global security challenges. She supports re-entering the Paris Climate Agreement and working with global partners to mitigate the effects of climate change. Harris links climate change to national security, citing the risk of climate-related instability in vulnerable regions and the need to invest in sustainable energy as part of the U.S. national security strategy.
Goal: Lead international efforts to combat climate change and ensure national security through sustainable energy and environmental policies.
Human Rights and Democracy Promotion: Harris supports a foreign policy that promotes democracy, human rights, and the rule of law. She has emphasized the importance of standing up to authoritarian regimes, advocating for the rights of marginalized groups, and supporting democratic movements worldwide. Harris aims to re-establish the U.S. as a moral leader on the global stage by holding countries accountable for human rights abuses.
Goal: Promote human rights and democracy globally, with a focus on countering authoritarianism and defending the rights of vulnerable populations.
Cybersecurity and Emerging Threats: Harris emphasizes the importance of addressing cybersecurity threats, including foreign interference in elections, cyberattacks on critical infrastructure, and the rise of digital authoritarianism. She supports increased funding for cybersecurity measures and working closely with allies to combat cyber threats.
Goal: Strengthen cybersecurity defenses and enhance international cooperation to protect critical infrastructure and combat foreign interference.
Diplomacy First Approach: Harris advocates for diplomacy as the primary tool of U.S. foreign policy, reserving military action as a last resort. She supports engaging in diplomatic talks with adversaries to reduce tensions and prevent conflicts. Harris has also expressed support for reducing U.S. military involvement in prolonged conflicts, such as those in the Middle East, while maintaining counterterrorism efforts.
Goal: Prioritize diplomacy and peaceful negotiations, reducing unnecessary military interventions while ensuring national security.
Donald Trump
Donald Trump’s foreign policy and national security platform is centered around the "America First" doctrine, which prioritizes U.S. sovereignty, military strength, and economic interests over global cooperation and multilateralism. Trump’s approach is marked by skepticism of international organizations and agreements, with a focus on using economic leverage and military power to advance U.S. interests. Key aspects of his stance include:
America First and National Sovereignty: Trump continues to emphasize his "America First" approach, focusing on protecting U.S. sovereignty and reducing reliance on international organizations like the United Nations and NATO. He believes that global institutions often work against U.S. interests and has argued for reducing U.S. contributions to these organizations unless they provide tangible benefits to the U.S.
Goal: Limit U.S. involvement in global institutions and focus on bilateral deals that prioritize American economic and security interests.
Reducing U.S. Involvement in Global Agreements: Trump opposes multilateral agreements that he views as unfavorable to the U.S. In his first term, he withdrew the U.S. from the Paris Climate Agreement, the Iran nuclear deal, and the Trans-Pacific Partnership. He advocates for renegotiating or withdrawing from other international agreements that he believes disadvantage the U.S., favoring bilateral deals that allow for more control over the terms.
Goal: Focus on renegotiating or withdrawing from multilateral agreements that Trump believes undermine U.S. interests, favoring bilateral negotiations.
Economic Leverage and Trade Policy: Trump supports using economic leverage, including tariffs and sanctions, to advance U.S. foreign policy goals. He has argued that economic pressure, particularly on adversaries like China and Iran, is more effective than traditional diplomacy. Trump believes that aggressive trade policies, such as imposing tariffs, can help protect American industries and workers while strengthening U.S. economic power.
Goal: Use economic tools like tariffs and sanctions to exert pressure on adversaries and protect U.S. industries and workers.
Military Strength and Defense Spending: Trump advocates for maintaining a strong U.S. military, with an emphasis on increasing defense spending and modernizing military capabilities. He opposes reducing U.S. military presence in key regions, such as Asia and the Middle East, arguing that a robust military presence is essential for protecting U.S. interests and deterring adversaries.
Goal: Maintain military strength and increase defense spending to ensure U.S. dominance on the global stage and deter threats from adversaries.
Tough Stance on China and Immigration: Trump takes a hardline approach to China, framing the country as the U.S.'s main global competitor and threat. He supports economic measures like tariffs to counter Chinese influence and strengthen U.S. manufacturing. Trump also links national security to immigration, advocating for stricter immigration controls to prevent potential threats from abroad.
Goal: Continue a tough stance on China through economic and diplomatic pressure, and strengthen immigration policies as part of national security.
Healthcare Access and Reform
Summary of Key Differences:
Kamala Harris: supports strengthening the ACA, expanding Medicaid, reducing prescription drug prices through Medicare negotiations, and introducing a public option to expand affordable healthcare. Harris’s focus is on making healthcare more accessible and equitable for all Americans, particularly for low-income and marginalized groups.
Donald Trump: aims to dismantle the ACA, promote market-driven healthcare through expanded HSAs, and reduce prescription drug prices through competition. His plan emphasizes less government involvement and more private sector control.
Kamala Harris
Kamala Harris supports expanding healthcare access and improving affordability, with a focus on equity and strengthening the ACA. Her plan emphasizes broader access to care for lower- and middle-income Americans, reducing prescription drug prices, and protecting reproductive healthcare. Here are the main points of Harris’s healthcare platform:
Strengthening the ACA: Harris is committed to building on the ACA by expanding coverage and making healthcare more affordable. She supports lowering premiums and out-of-pocket costs for individuals and families who buy insurance through the ACA marketplace.
Goal: Ensure that every American has access to affordable healthcare, especially those in lower-income brackets.
Prescription Drug Pricing: Harris has supported the Inflation Reduction Act, which allows Medicare to negotiate drug prices. This law aims to reduce prescription drug costs for seniors and others on Medicare.
Impact: The Act is expected to lower drug prices for millions of Americans and set a precedent for future healthcare reforms.
Expanding Medicaid: Harris advocates for expanding Medicaid in states that have not yet done so, aiming to cover millions of additional low-income Americans. She also supports providing incentives for states to offer Medicaid coverage to more people.
Reproductive Healthcare Access: Harris is a strong advocate for protecting and expanding access to reproductive healthcare, including contraception and abortion services. Following the overturning of Roe v. Wade, she has emphasized the need for federal protections for women’s healthcare rights.
Goal: Protect reproductive freedom and ensure that women, especially in marginalized communities, have access to healthcare.
Public Option Support: While Harris has not fully endorsed Medicare-for-All during the Biden administration, she supports creating a public option that would allow Americans to buy into a government-run health insurance plan as an alternative to private insurance. This is seen as a middle ground between a fully private system and Medicare-for-All.
Goal: The public option would provide affordable healthcare options for those who do not qualify for Medicaid or who find private insurance unaffordable.
Donald Trump
Donald Trump’s healthcare strategy for 2024 is expected to focus on repealing the Affordable Care Act (ACA), also known as Obamacare, and replacing it with market-driven solutions. His goal is to reduce government involvement in healthcare and expand private healthcare options. Here are key aspects of Trump’s healthcare plans:
Repealing the ACA: Trump has long opposed the ACA, aiming to eliminate it entirely. He attempted to repeal it during his first term but was unsuccessful. In 2024, he will likely renew efforts to dismantle the ACA, targeting mandates and subsidies that he believes over-regulate the market.
Plan: Renew efforts to repeal the Affordable Care Act (ACA) by targeting individual and employer mandates, as well as subsidies, which Trump argues over-regulate the healthcare market. His approach would involve promoting market-based alternatives to replace the ACA's provisions, aiming for less government intervention in healthcare.
Expanding Health Savings Accounts (HSAs): Trump has proposed increasing the use of Health Savings Accounts, which allow individuals to save money for medical expenses tax-free. This plan aligns with his broader goal of reducing healthcare costs by fostering personal responsibility and increasing competition in the healthcare market.
Reducing Prescription Drug Prices: Trump advocates for reducing drug prices by increasing competition in the pharmaceutical industry. During his first term, he pursued measures to allow the importation of cheaper drugs from other countries and to lower prices through Medicare reforms. He is expected to continue pushing for these policies.
Market-Based Solutions and Deregulation: Trump is likely to continue advocating for free-market solutions in healthcare, with less regulation of insurance companies and healthcare providers. He opposes any expansion of government-run healthcare programs like Medicare-for-All.
Goal: To create competition in the private sector, which he believes will drive down costs.
Voting Rights and Election Integrity
Summary of Key Differences:
Kamala Harris focuses on expanding access to voting and protecting the rights of marginalized communities. She supports restoring the Voting Rights Act, modernizing election infrastructure, and promoting measures like automatic voter registration, early voting, and mail-in voting.
Donald Trump emphasizes election security through stricter voting laws, including voter ID requirements and limiting mail-in voting. He has raised concerns about election fraud and supports measures like state-level control over elections and restricting voting accessibility.
Kamala Harris
Kamala Harris strongly supports expanding and protecting voting rights and election integrity, advocating for policies that aim to make voting more accessible to all Americans, especially marginalized communities. She has a long-standing record of supporting voter protection laws and has made voting rights a central issue during her time as Vice President under the Biden administration. Here are key elements of her stance:
Voting Rights Act Restoration: Harris is a vocal proponent of restoring the Voting Rights Act (VRA), particularly after the Supreme Court’s 2013 decision in Shelby County v. Holder, which weakened federal oversight of state-level voting laws. She supports strengthening provisions that would protect voters from discriminatory practices such as voter ID laws and gerrymandering.
Support for the John Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act: Harris is a champion of the John Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act, which would restore and update key protections of the VRA, including reinstating federal oversight in states with a history of voter suppression.
Goal: Ensure federal protection against discriminatory voting laws and prevent voter suppression tactics that disproportionately affect people of color.
Promoting Voter Access: Harris supports measures to increase voter access, including automatic voter registration, expanding early voting, and making mail-in voting easier. She advocates for removing barriers to voting, particularly those that affect low-income communities, racial minorities, and younger voters.
Action: Harris has also called for making Election Day a federal holiday to increase voter turnout and encourage participation in elections.
Opposition to Voter ID Laws: Harris has been critical of strict voter ID laws, which she believes disenfranchise minority and low-income voters. She supports creating policies that ensure everyone can vote without unnecessary restrictions.
Election Security and Integrity: Harris emphasizes modernizing election infrastructure to protect against cyber threats and foreign interference. She supports funding for election security and promoting transparency in election systems.
Donald Trump
Donald Trump’s stance on voting rights and election integrity focuses on tightening voting laws to prevent what he claims is widespread voter fraud. Trump has consistently expressed concerns over election integrity, particularly in the wake of the 2020 election, which he claimed was stolen from him due to fraud. His policies focus on ensuring election security through stricter voting rules. Here are key aspects of his stance:
Voter ID Laws and Tightening Voting Rules: Trump supports strict voter ID laws, arguing that they are necessary to prevent fraud. He has advocated for requiring photo ID for in-person voting and imposing tighter restrictions on absentee and mail-in voting.
Goal: Implement strict voter ID laws and tighten voting rules to prevent potential voter fraud by requiring photo identification for in-person voting and imposing stricter regulations on absentee and mail-in voting processes.
Opposition to Mail-in Voting: Trump has been a vocal critic of mail-in voting, claiming that it is ripe for fraud, despite no substantial evidence supporting this claim. His platform for 2024 continues to include measures that would severely limit or restrict mail-in voting.
Strengthening Election Security: Trump advocates for more aggressive measures to protect election integrity, including ensuring that voting machines are secure and implementing stricter oversight on election processes. He has voiced support for recounts and audits of voting systems, particularly in battleground states.
Action: In 2021, Trump continued to push for state-level audits of the 2020 election results, encouraging Republican lawmakers to enact laws that limit early voting and impose new restrictions on voter registration.
Eliminating Same-Day Voter Registration: Trump has expressed opposition to policies that make voting more accessible, such as same-day voter registration and automatic voter registration, arguing that they could lead to potential fraud or abuse.
Encouraging State-Level Control: Trump supports giving states more control over election procedures, opposing federal intervention in state election laws. He has criticized efforts like the John Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act as federal overreach into states' rights to manage their elections.
Important information to know:
Project 2025 outlines a detailed vision for reshaping voting rights and election integrity policies in the U.S. Below are the key aspects of its approach:
Voter ID Requirements: Project 2025 emphasizes stricter enforcement of voter ID laws across the country. It advocates for robust voter identification requirements, making it more difficult to vote without presenting an official photo ID. This measure is framed as a way to prevent voter fraud, though critics argue that it could disenfranchise vulnerable populations.
Eliminating Mail-In Voting: One of the core aspects of Project 2025 is limiting the widespread use of mail-in voting and absentee ballots, which became more prevalent during the 2020 election. The project proposes restricting these voting methods, claiming that they increase the potential for voter fraud.
Rollbacks on Same-Day Voter Registration: The plan calls for the elimination of same-day voter registration and automatic voter registration. It argues that these processes open up the election system to abuse and errors, thus supporting tighter controls on voter registration procedures.
Opposition to Federal Voting Legislation: Project 2025 opposes federal oversight of state election laws, rejecting acts like the John Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act, which aims to restore and strengthen the Voting Rights Act of 1965. The project promotes the idea that states should have full control over their voting processes, limiting the federal government’s ability to challenge or overturn state election laws.
Enhanced Polling Security: The plan emphasizes increasing polling place security and encouraging more state-led investigations into alleged voter fraud. This includes stricter oversight at polling stations and allowing more aggressive monitoring of the vote-counting process to ensure transparency.
Auditing Voting Machines: Project 2025 stresses the importance of regularly auditing electronic voting machines and ensuring that these systems are secure from hacking or tampering. It advocates for more extensive election audits, particularly in battleground states, to validate the accuracy of results.
Potential National Voter Database: The proposal includes the idea of a national voter registration database that tracks voter activity and helps identify fraud. This database would work alongside state efforts to manage voter rolls, but critics argue that it could be used to suppress voting by imposing strict matching requirements or purging legitimate voters from the rolls.
Role of State Legislatures: Project 2025 supports giving state legislatures more control over the election certification process, allowing them to step in if there are concerns about voter fraud or irregularities. This could include giving legislatures the authority to override the certification of election results under certain conditions.
Targeting Voting Rights Legislation: The plan includes rolling back many of the voting rights expansions implemented by the Biden administration, including laws that promote early voting, mail-in voting, and drop boxes. It seeks to implement nationwide restrictions that focus on "election integrity" measures, reducing the accessibility of these voting methods.
Project 2025’s approach to voting rights and election integrity focuses on tightening voting rules, empowering states, and enhancing security through restrictive measures. The overarching goal is to reduce what proponents claim is widespread voter fraud, while critics argue that these measures could disenfranchise voters, particularly minorities, low-income populations, and others who may face barriers to traditional voting methods
Climate Change and Environmental Policy
Summary of Key Differences:
Kamala Harris: advocates for aggressive climate action and investment in renewable energy. She emphasizes environmental justice, seeks to end fossil fuel subsidies, and supports rejoining international climate agreements such as the Paris Accord. Her policies focus on expanding clean energy jobs and addressing climate change as a national emergency.
Donald Trump: focuses on promoting energy independence through fossil fuels and deregulating environmental protections. He opposes international climate agreements, supports fossil fuel subsidies, and prioritizes economic growth over climate regulations. Trump’s platform is centered around reducing federal oversight and promoting fossil fuel development.
Kamala Harris
Kamala Harris’ environmental and climate change policies prioritize tackling climate change as a pressing crisis. Her policies are geared toward reducing carbon emissions, promoting clean energy, and ensuring environmental justice for communities disproportionately affected by pollution and climate change. Below are the key components of her platform:
Investment in Renewable Energy: Harris supports a robust investment in renewable energy sources such as solar, wind, and geothermal. Her goal is to transition the U.S. to 100% clean electricity by 2035. This includes federal subsidies for green energy projects, infrastructure investment in electric vehicle charging stations, and funding for research and innovation in renewable technologies.
Plan: Achieve a clean energy grid by 2035, creating millions of new jobs in the renewable energy sector.
Environmental Justice: Harris has made environmental justice a centerpiece of her climate policy. She advocates for addressing the disproportionate impact of environmental degradation on low-income communities and communities of color. Her policies include measures to reduce air and water pollution in vulnerable areas, provide funding for climate resilience projects, and ensure that these communities have access to clean energy jobs and resources.
Goal: Protect marginalized communities from environmental hazards and ensure they benefit from the clean energy transition.
Rejoining the Paris Climate Agreement: Harris is a strong supporter of rejoining the Paris Climate Agreement, which Trump withdrew from in 2017. She believes the U.S. should take a leadership role in international climate efforts and work collaboratively with other nations to curb global carbon emissions.
Plan: Restore the U.S. as a global leader in the fight against climate change by rejoining and strengthening the Paris Agreement.
Ending Fossil Fuel Subsidies: Harris calls for ending government subsidies for fossil fuel companies. She argues that taxpayer dollars should not support industries contributing to climate change. Her plan includes shifting those subsidies to clean energy projects and creating a just transition for workers in fossil fuel industries.
Goal: Redirect federal support to renewable energy and away from fossil fuel development.
Climate Emergency Declaration: Harris supports declaring climate change a national emergency, which would allow the federal government to take more aggressive actions to reduce emissions and mitigate the effects of climate-related disasters. This declaration would also unlock federal funds to invest in climate resilience infrastructure, especially in regions prone to extreme weather events.
Goal: Mobilize federal resources to address the climate crisis and prepare for future environmental disasters.
Donald Trump
Donald Trump’s environmental and climate change policies are rooted in a different philosophy, prioritizing economic growth and energy independence over aggressive climate action. His policies focus on expanding fossil fuel production, reducing environmental regulations, and opposing international agreements that he claims disadvantage the U.S. economy. Below are the key aspects of Trump’s platform:
Fossil Fuel Development and Energy Independence: Trump’s policy centers around achieving energy independence through the expansion of domestic oil, gas, and coal production. He advocates for removing barriers to drilling and fracking on federal lands and offshore, arguing that a robust fossil fuel industry is critical to national security and economic stability.
Goal: Ensure the U.S. remains a dominant global energy producer, particularly in fossil fuels, while reducing dependence on foreign energy.
Deregulation of Environmental Protections: A cornerstone of Trump’s environmental policy is the deregulation of existing environmental laws that he argues harm businesses and stifle economic growth. Under his previous administration, Trump rolled back over 100 environmental regulations, including emissions standards for vehicles, methane emissions rules, and water protections. In 2024, his platform promises further deregulation.
Goal: Reduce regulatory burdens on businesses and prioritize economic development over environmental restrictions.
Opposition to International Climate Agreements: Trump has consistently opposed international climate agreements, most notably withdrawing the U.S. from the Paris Climate Agreement. He views such agreements as unfair to the U.S., arguing that they impose costly regulations on American industries while allowing countries like China and India to continue polluting.
Action: In 2017, Trump withdrew the U.S. from the Paris Climate Agreement, citing concerns that the accord unfairly disadvantaged American industries while allowing other major polluters, such as China and India, to continue increasing their emissions. He argued that the agreement imposed costly regulations on U.S. businesses without substantial benefits.
Support for Fossil Fuel Subsidies: Unlike Harris, Trump supports continued federal subsidies for fossil fuel industries, arguing that these industries are vital for the U.S. economy and for maintaining low energy prices. He views efforts to end these subsidies as harmful to American workers, particularly in coal and oil-producing regions.
Goal: Preserve fossil fuel subsidies to maintain energy affordability and support U.S. energy workers.
Skepticism of Climate Science: Throughout his career, Trump has expressed skepticism about the scientific consensus on climate change, frequently downplaying its severity. In 2024, his stance remains that policies aimed at aggressively curbing emissions are unnecessary and detrimental to the U.S. economy.
Goal: Focus on economic growth and energy production without enacting aggressive climate-related regulations that could harm the U.S. economy.
Important information to know:
Project 2025 outlines policies that prioritize deregulation, energy independence, and the rollback of environmental protections. Here are the key environmental aspects of Project 2025:
Rollback of Climate Regulations: One of the central components of Project 2025 is the dismantling of regulations aimed at reducing greenhouse gas emissions. The plan seeks to reverse key climate policies implemented during the Obama and Biden administrations, including regulations that limit carbon emissions from power plants, vehicles, and industrial sectors.
Promotion of Fossil Fuel Production: Project 2025 heavily emphasizes U.S. energy independence through the expansion of fossil fuel production, particularly oil, gas, and coal. It calls for the removal of restrictions on drilling in federal lands and waters, including sensitive areas like the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge. The project also opposes efforts to phase out coal-fired power plants and promotes policies that prioritize the fossil fuel industry over renewable energy development.
Limiting Environmental Protections: Project 2025 advocates for the reduction or elimination of several key environmental protections, such as the Clean Air Act, Clean Water Act, and Endangered Species Act.
Opposing Global Climate Agreements: Project 2025 reinforces the idea that international climate agreements, such as the Paris Climate Agreement, are unfair to the U.S. and detrimental to its economic interests. The blueprint calls for a continued withdrawal from global climate initiatives, which are designed to reduce worldwide carbon emissions and address the global climate crisis. By distancing the U.S. from these efforts, Project 2025 advocates for a more isolationist approach to climate policy.
Renewable Energy Development: While Project 2025 focuses on fossil fuel production, it provides little support for the development of renewable energy sources such as wind, solar, and geothermal. The blueprint suggests rolling back federal incentives for renewable energy projects and eliminating subsidies that encourage the transition to a cleaner energy grid.
Public Lands and Natural Resources: Project 2025 calls for increased exploitation of public lands for resource extraction, including oil, gas, and mining. It advocates for opening up protected areas, such as national parks and wilderness reserves, to private industry. The focus is on maximizing economic output from natural resources, without plans for environmental preservation or long-term sustainability.
Immigration
Summary of Key Differences:
Kamala Harris: Advocates for comprehensive immigration reform that includes a pathway to citizenship for undocumented immigrants, protections for Dreamers, and humane border policies. She emphasizes treating migrants with dignity and addressing the root causes of migration in Latin America.
Donald Trump: Focuses on strict border security, including building the border wall and limiting both legal and illegal immigration. Trump emphasizes policies that prioritize national sovereignty, including ending birthright citizenship and strengthening deportation efforts.
Kamala Harris
Kamala Harris has long advocated for comprehensive immigration reform, emphasizing a humane and fair approach that balances security with compassion for migrants. As Vice President, Harris worked on addressing the root causes of migration from Central America, and she plans to continue focusing on these issues in her 2024 campaign. Key aspects of her immigration platform include:
Pathway to Citizenship: Harris supports creating a pathway to citizenship for undocumented immigrants, particularly Dreamers (DACA recipients) and essential workers who contribute to the U.S. economy. She believes that offering a fair and transparent path to legalization will strengthen communities and boost the economy.
Plan: Create a pathway to citizenship for Dreamers and other undocumented immigrants, ensuring they can contribute to society without fear of deportation.
Reforming Immigration Enforcement: Harris calls for reforms to immigration enforcement, aiming to ensure that Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and Customs and Border Protection (CBP) operate under strict guidelines to prevent abuses. She advocates for increased oversight of detention centers and an end to family separations at the border.
Goal: Reform immigration enforcement practices to prioritize humane treatment and ensure accountability within ICE and CBP operations.
Expanding Legal Immigration: Harris supports expanding legal immigration avenues, such as increasing the number of employment-based visas and protecting family-based immigration. She believes that legal immigration strengthens the economy and helps address labor shortages in critical industries.
Goal: Expand legal immigration opportunities to support economic growth and family reunification while addressing labor market needs.
Protecting Asylum Seekers: Harris emphasizes the need to protect asylum seekers and restore the U.S.'s commitment to offering refuge to those fleeing violence and persecution. She opposes policies that restrict asylum claims at the border and seeks to expedite the asylum process to reduce backlogs.
Plan: Restore and protect the rights of asylum seekers by creating a more efficient, humane process for those seeking refuge in the U.S.
Addressing Root Causes of Migration: Harris supports addressing the root causes of migration from Central America, such as poverty, violence, and corruption. Her plan includes foreign aid programs to stabilize these regions and reduce the need for people to flee their countries.
Goal: Address the root causes of migration by investing in economic development and security in Central America to reduce forced migration.
Donald Trump
Donald Trump’s immigration policies in 2024 reflect a continuation of his hardline approach from his first term. His focus remains on securing the U.S. southern border, reducing both legal and illegal immigration, and prioritizing American workers. Key aspects of his platform include:
Completing the Border Wall:
Trump is committed to completing the construction of the U.S.-Mexico border wall, which he views as essential for preventing illegal immigration, drug trafficking, and human smuggling. He continues to advocate for stricter border security measures, including the use of technology and additional border patrol agents.
Plan: Complete the construction of the southern border wall to enhance border security and prevent illegal immigration.
Restricting Legal Immigration:
Trump supports reducing legal immigration, particularly in programs he believes disadvantage American workers, such as family-based immigration and the diversity visa lottery. He advocates for a merit-based immigration system that prioritizes skilled workers who can contribute to the U.S. economy.
Plan: Implement a merit-based immigration system and reduce legal immigration levels to prioritize American workers.
Limiting Asylum Claims:
Trump aims to further restrict asylum claims at the southern border, arguing that many asylum seekers abuse the system. He supports policies such as the “Remain in Mexico” program, which requires asylum seekers to wait in Mexico while their cases are processed, and limiting the grounds for asylum eligibility.
Plan: Tighten asylum laws to reduce abuse of the system and implement policies that limit asylum claims at the U.S.-Mexico border.
Opposing Amnesty:
Trump remains firmly opposed to any form of amnesty for undocumented immigrants, including Dreamers. He believes that granting legal status to undocumented individuals encourages more illegal immigration. Instead, he advocates for stricter deportation policies to remove those in the U.S. unlawfully.
Goal: Oppose any form of amnesty for undocumented immigrants and enforce stricter deportation policies for those in the U.S. illegally.
Sanctuary Cities and Law Enforcement Cooperation:
Trump supports cracking down on sanctuary cities, which limit cooperation between local law enforcement and federal immigration authorities. He proposes withholding federal funding from these cities until they comply with federal immigration enforcement efforts.
Goal: End sanctuary city policies by withholding federal funding from jurisdictions that do not cooperate with federal immigration authorities.
Important information to know:
Project 2025 proposes a range of immigration policies that focus on tightening both legal and illegal immigration and expanding deportation efforts. Here are the key aspects of how Project 2025 plans to reshape U.S. immigration policy:
Mass Deportation and Increased Enforcement: Project 2025 lays the groundwork for a potential mass deportation campaign. It envisions significantly increasing the detention capacity of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and directing ICE officials to prioritize the arrest of all undocumented immigrants with criminal records, previous deportation orders, or who have been flagged by local law enforcement under 287(g) agreements. The goal is to ramp up deportations, which would require greater resources, including expanding ICE's budget and detention facilities. The plan would also allow for longer detentions, removing restrictions set by the Flores Settlement Agreement that limit the time minors can be detained
Restricting Legal Immigration: The plan seeks to reduce almost every form of legal immigration. Project 2025 proposes scaling back family-based immigration (referred to as "chain migration") and moving toward a merit-based system. It also aims to reduce the issuance of work visas, including H-1B, H-2A, and H-2B visas, which are used for high- and low-skilled workers, respectively. Furthermore, the project advocates cutting student visas from countries it deems "uncooperative" or hostile, reducing opportunities for international students and skilled workers
Limiting Asylum and Humanitarian Programs: Under Project 2025, asylum seekers would face stricter eligibility criteria, with a higher bar for proving "credible fear" of persecution. The plan also reinstates the "Remain in Mexico" policy, forcing asylum seekers to stay in Mexico while their claims are processed, and it seeks to overturn protections for children and families. Humanitarian programs such as Temporary Protected Status (TPS) and the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) would be rolled back or eliminated, potentially affecting hundreds of thousands of individuals who currently have legal status
Immigration Process: The project outlines measures to increase fees for immigration applications, including citizenship and asylum petitions, making it more difficult for lower-income immigrants to apply. It also suggests that processing times be slowed, with a focus on fraud detection rather than timely processing.
Racial Justice and Policing Reform
Summary of Key Differences
Kamala Harris: focuses on reforming the criminal justice system to address systemic racism, focusing on police accountability, ending cash bail, and increasing oversight of law enforcement. She advocates for policies that address racial disparities in policing, incarceration, and the legal system.
Donald Trump: emphasizes law and order, supporting policies that provide more resources to police and opposing calls for defunding law enforcement. He advocates for stricter penalties for violent crime and opposes broad reforms that would limit police authority or reduce funding for police departments.
Kamala Harris
Kamala Harris has long been an advocate for racial justice and criminal justice reform, focusing on addressing systemic racism in the U.S. legal system. As a former prosecutor and senator, Harris brings both her legal expertise and her experience as Vice President into her 2024 campaign, where she outlines significant reforms aimed at increasing police accountability and reducing racial disparities in policing. Key aspects of her platform include:
Police Accountability and Oversight: Harris supports increased federal oversight of police departments, particularly those with a history of civil rights violations. She advocates for creating a national standard for police use of force and supports federal investigations into police misconduct. Harris has pushed for requiring all police departments to use body cameras and for federal oversight of their use.
Plan: Increase police accountability through federal standards and oversight, with an emphasis on reducing excessive use of force and racial bias.
Ending Cash Bail: Harris is a strong advocate for ending cash bail, arguing that the system disproportionately impacts low-income individuals, particularly people of color, who cannot afford to pay for their release while awaiting trial. She views cash bail as contributing to racial disparities in incarceration and proposes alternatives that assess the risk of flight or harm instead of financial resources.
Goal: Reform the pretrial detention system by ending cash bail, thus reducing the racial and economic inequalities it perpetuates.
Decriminalizing Minor Offenses: Harris supports decriminalizing minor, non-violent offenses, especially those related to drug use and addiction. She believes that criminalizing these behaviors disproportionately affects communities of color and contributes to mass incarceration. Instead, Harris calls for treating drug addiction as a public health issue, not a criminal one.
Goal: Reduce mass incarceration and racial disparities in the criminal justice system by decriminalizing non-violent offenses and investing in treatment programs.
Support for the George Floyd Justice in Policing Act: Harris has been a vocal proponent of the George Floyd Justice in Policing Act, a bill that seeks to reform police practices by banning chokeholds, creating a national police misconduct registry, and limiting qualified immunity for officers, which currently shields them from civil lawsuits.
Goal: Pass federal legislation that directly addresses police reform, including measures to increase transparency, accountability, and racial equity in law enforcement practices.
Reforming Sentencing and Reducing Incarceration: Harris supports efforts to reform mandatory minimum sentencing laws and advocates for reducing incarceration rates, especially for non-violent offenders. She has pushed for changes in sentencing guidelines that disproportionately impact Black and Latino communities and supports investments in community-based programs that offer alternatives to prison.
Plan: Address racial disparities in sentencing and reduce the U.S. prison population through criminal justice reform.
Donald Trump
Donald Trump’s policies on racial justice and police reform focus on a "law and order" approach, which prioritizes support for police and law enforcement agencies. He emphasizes public safety and opposes broad reforms to policing that he argues would undermine the ability of police to do their jobs. Trump’s platform for 2024 centers on strengthening law enforcement and punishing crime more severely, particularly violent crime. Key aspects of his stance include:
Increased Support for Law Enforcement: Trump advocates for increasing funding for police departments across the country, particularly to ensure they have the resources needed to combat rising crime rates. He opposes efforts to "defund the police" and argues that reducing police budgets will lead to higher crime rates and less safety in communities.
Plan: Strengthen law enforcement by increasing resources and opposing any movement to defund or reduce police forces.
Opposition to Police Reform Measures: Trump has been critical of police reform measures, including the George Floyd Justice in Policing Act, which he argues would undermine police authority and weaken law enforcement’s ability to maintain order. He opposes limiting qualified immunity for police officers and is against federal oversight that would impose national standards on local police departments.
Goal: Protect police from reforms that would reduce their authority or expose them to increased legal liability, maintaining their ability to enforce the law effectively.
Tough-on-Crime Policies: Trump supports tougher penalties for violent crime and opposes efforts to decriminalize certain offenses. He has advocated for restoring harsher sentencing guidelines and expanding federal support for law enforcement agencies to crack down on gangs, drug-related crimes, and violent offenses.
Goal: Reduce violent crime by imposing tougher penalties and increasing federal support for local law enforcement in combating crime.
Opposition to Defunding or Reallocating Police Budgets: Trump has repeatedly opposed any calls to defund or reallocate police budgets, arguing that police departments should receive more funding, not less, especially in cities where crime rates are high. He criticizes local governments that have cut police budgets and believes this has contributed to rising crime in certain areas.
Plan: Ensure police departments receive adequate funding and resources to maintain public safety.
Limiting Federal Oversight: Trump supports giving local governments and police departments more control over their policies without federal intervention. He argues that local law enforcement understands their communities best and that federal oversight, such as investigations into police practices, would undermine their effectiveness.
Goal: Limit federal involvement in local policing and preserve states' rights to manage their law enforcement independently.
Gun Control and Second Amendment Rights
Summary of Key Differences:
Kamala Harris: advocates for stricter gun control measures, including universal background checks, banning assault weapons, and holding gun manufacturers accountable for violence. She focuses on reducing gun violence through comprehensive legislation and regulation.
Donald Trump: emphasizes protecting Second Amendment rights and opposes most forms of gun control. He supports expanded gun ownership and opposes efforts to ban assault weapons or implement universal background checks, framing gun rights as essential to personal freedom and safety.
Kamala Harris
Kamala Harris has consistently supported gun control measures, framing gun violence as a public health crisis that requires immediate attention. Her platform emphasizes stronger regulation of firearms, accountability for gun manufacturers, and policies aimed at reducing the incidence of gun violence, especially in communities most affected by it. Key elements of her platform include:
Universal Background Checks: Harris is a strong advocate for universal background checks, arguing that all gun purchases—whether through licensed dealers or private sales—should be subject to thorough background checks. She believes this is essential to keeping guns out of the hands of people who pose a danger to themselves or others, such as those with a history of domestic violence or mental health issues.
Goal: Ensure that every gun sale, including private sales and at gun shows, is subject to a thorough background check.
Banning Assault Weapons: Harris supports reinstating the federal assault weapons ban, which expired in 2004. She argues that weapons designed for war should not be available to civilians and believes that banning high-capacity magazines will reduce the lethality of mass shootings.
Plan: Ban assault weapons and high-capacity magazines to reduce mass shootings and gun violence.
Red Flag Laws: Harris advocates for expanding the use of red flag laws, which allow law enforcement to temporarily confiscate firearms from individuals deemed a danger to themselves or others. She supports giving families and law enforcement the tools to prevent gun violence before it happens, particularly in cases involving mental health crises or domestic disputes.
Goal: Implement red flag laws nationwide to prevent individuals who are a threat from accessing firearms.
Accountability for Gun Manufacturers: Harris has called for repealing the Protection of Lawful Commerce in Arms Act (PLCAA), a law that shields gun manufacturers from being sued for crimes committed with their products. She argues that gun manufacturers should be held accountable when their firearms are used in violent crimes, just as other industries are held responsible for the harm caused by their products.
Goal: Repeal legal protections for gun manufacturers, allowing victims of gun violence to sue for damages.
Strengthening Community Violence Prevention Programs: Harris supports investing in community violence intervention programs that aim to reduce gun violence in high-risk areas. These programs work by providing resources and support to communities that are disproportionately impacted by gun violence, including job training, mental health services, and conflict resolution.
Plan: Reduce gun violence through community-based intervention programs that address the root causes of violence.
Donald Trump
Donald Trump’s stance on gun control centers around defending the Second Amendment and opposing most gun control measures. Throughout his political career, Trump has aligned himself with gun rights advocates and organizations like the National Rifle Association (NRA). His 2024 platform focuses on expanding gun rights and resisting efforts to restrict access to firearms. Key aspects of his position include:
Opposition to Assault Weapons Bans: Trump strongly opposes any efforts to ban assault weapons or high-capacity magazines. He argues that such bans are ineffective at reducing crime and infringe upon the rights of law-abiding citizens. He believes that law-abiding Americans should have the right to own firearms for self-defense, hunting, and recreation without undue restrictions.
Goal: Prevent the implementation of any assault weapons bans or restrictions on firearm ownership.
Defending the Second Amendment: Trump frames his stance on gun control as a defense of the Second Amendment, arguing that the right to bear arms is a fundamental freedom that must be protected. He opposes federal measures that would impose additional restrictions on gun ownership, arguing that such measures threaten individual liberties.
Goal: Protect and expand Second Amendment rights, ensuring that Americans can legally own firearms without increased regulation.
Opposition to Universal Background Checks: Trump has voiced opposition to universal background checks, arguing that they would not prevent criminals from obtaining guns and would place unnecessary burdens on law-abiding gun owners. He believes that current background check systems are sufficient and that expanding them would infringe on the privacy and rights of gun owners.
Goal: Oppose universal background checks and maintain the current system, allowing private sales and gun show purchases without federal oversight.
Supporting Concealed Carry and National Reciprocity: Trump has advocated for expanding concealed carry rights and supports national reciprocity laws that would allow concealed carry permits issued in one state to be recognized in all states. He argues that law-abiding citizens should be able to carry firearms for self-defense across state lines without facing legal penalties.
Plan: Pass national reciprocity laws to expand concealed carry rights and ensure that gun owners can travel with their firearms across state lines.
Opposition to Red Flag Laws: While Trump has expressed support for mental health initiatives to prevent gun violence, he has been critical of red flag laws, which allow law enforcement to confiscate firearms from individuals deemed a danger. He argues that these laws violate due process and can be misused to target lawful gun owners unfairly.
Goal: Prevent the widespread implementation of red flag laws, ensuring that gun owners’ rights are protected without infringing on due process.
Education and Student Debt
Summary of Key Differences:
Kamala Harris: focuses on reducing student debt and expanding access to higher education, particularly for low-income and minority students. She supports student loan forgiveness, free community college, and increased federal investment in education.
Donald Trump: emphasizes school choice, including expanding charter schools and voucher programs, while opposing large-scale student loan forgiveness. He advocates for reducing the federal role in education and shifting responsibility to the states and private sector.
Kamala Harris
Kamala Harris has made education reform and student debt relief key components of her 2024 platform. Her policies focus on making higher education more affordable and reducing the burden of student loans, particularly for low-income families and communities of color. She views access to education as essential for social and economic mobility. Key aspects of her education policies include:
Student Loan Forgiveness: Harris supports broad-based student loan forgiveness, with a focus on providing relief to borrowers who have been disproportionately affected by the rising cost of college. She has proposed canceling a significant portion of student debt for borrowers making less than a certain income threshold, and her plan includes targeted relief for borrowers who attended for-profit colleges or were victims of fraudulent practices.
Plan: Reduce student loan debt burdens by forgiving a substantial portion of outstanding loans for low- and middle-income borrowers.
Free Community College: Harris advocates for making community college free for all students, building on policies implemented during her tenure as Vice President. She believes that providing free access to two-year institutions will create more pathways to higher education, especially for students from disadvantaged backgrounds who may not be able to afford four-year universities.
Goal: Ensure free access to community college for all students, reducing barriers to higher education and increasing workforce preparedness.
Increased Investment in Pell Grants: Harris proposes expanding the Pell Grant program, which provides financial aid to low-income students, to cover a larger portion of college costs. She also supports indexing Pell Grants to inflation, ensuring that they continue to meet rising tuition and living costs.
Goal: Expand financial aid for low-income students, helping them afford higher education without taking on excessive debt.
Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs): Harris has been a strong advocate for increasing federal investment in HBCUs and other Minority-Serving Institutions (MSIs). She believes these institutions play a crucial role in educating Black and Latino students and need more federal support to continue offering quality education.
Plan: Increase federal funding to HBCUs and MSIs, ensuring they can provide affordable, high-quality education to minority students.
Public School Funding and Teacher Pay: Harris supports increasing federal funding for K-12 public schools, particularly in underserved areas. She has proposed policies to raise teacher pay and reduce class sizes, arguing that underfunded schools and underpaid teachers contribute to achievement gaps between students from different socioeconomic backgrounds.
Goal: Increase teacher pay and funding for public schools, focusing on reducing disparities in education quality across communities.
Donald Trump
Donald Trump’s education policies focus on expanding school choice, reducing the federal role in education, and promoting alternatives to traditional public schooling. He opposes large-scale student loan forgiveness, framing it as unfair to taxpayers and those who have already repaid their loans. Trump’s approach prioritizes empowering parents and students with more options in education while reducing federal oversight. Key aspects of his stance include:
School Choice and Vouchers: Trump is a strong advocate for expanding school choice programs, including charter schools, private school vouchers, and homeschooling. He believes that competition between schools will improve education quality and that parents should have the ability to choose the best education for their children, regardless of their zip code or income.
Goal: Expand school choice programs, giving parents more options to choose the right educational path for their children.
Opposition to Student Loan Forgiveness: Trump opposes widespread student loan forgiveness, arguing that it unfairly shifts the burden to taxpayers, including those who did not attend college or have already paid off their loans. Instead, he advocates for targeted solutions such as expanding income-driven repayment plans and encouraging alternative education paths, such as vocational training and apprenticeships.
Plan: Limit student loan forgiveness to specific cases of fraud or abuse while promoting income-based repayment options.
Reduction of Federal Role in Education: Trump seeks to reduce the federal government’s involvement in education, arguing that states and local communities should have more control over curriculum and school funding. He opposes federal mandates related to standardized testing, teacher certification, and school funding requirements, favoring a decentralized approach that gives more power to states.
Goal: Shift control of education policy to states and local governments, reducing federal oversight and regulations.
Promoting Vocational Education and Apprenticeships: Trump strongly supports expanding vocational and technical education, arguing that not every student needs a four-year degree to succeed. He advocates for increased funding for apprenticeship programs and partnerships between high schools, community colleges, and businesses to prepare students for careers in fields like manufacturing, healthcare, and information technology.
Goal: Expand vocational training and apprenticeships as alternatives to traditional college degrees, promoting career readiness without the burden of student debt.
Charter Schools and Private School Tax Credits: Trump’s platform includes increased support for charter schools and tax credits for private school tuition. He argues that charter schools offer innovative solutions to educational challenges and that tax credits for private school tuition will help families afford private education without relying on public school systems that may be failing.
Plan: Increase funding and support for charter schools and provide tax incentives for families to send their children to private schools.
With approximately one-third of eligible Americans not voting, the potential for change in the country is immense. If these non-voters participated, the political landscape could look drastically different. Many of the most pressing issues—like healthcare reform, income inequality, and racial justice—could be addressed in ways that more accurately reflect the will of the people. The disengagement of such a large portion of the electorate means that decisions are often made by a narrow slice of the population, leaving the interests of millions unrepresented. If more people voted, especially those who feel marginalized or disillusioned, the country could shift towards policies that benefit a broader range of citizens. Voting is one of the few tools everyone has to demand a government that works for all, not just the powerful or well-connected. If that one-third engaged, they could transform the direction of the nation.
Get out and vote.
