The presidential election is in just days, occurring Tuesday, November 5th, 2024. There are five candidates: one Democrat, one Republican, and three Independent or third-party candidates. In this article, we’ll focus on the main two going head-to-head, Kamala Harris and Donald Trump. Here’s the basics of what to know.
Main Candidates for the 2024 Presidential Election
Kamala Harris – Democrat
Donald Trump – Republican
Kamala Harris’ summed up presidential plan:
Tax Plan(s) – Kamala Harris’ tax plan encourages more tax benefits for families, while doing this she would raise corporate tax. In addition, it is expected that around 95% of Americans would see a lower tax bill. This would make the top 0.1%($3.3 million plus) pay higher taxes by around $167,000 more, as well as eliminate federal taxes on tips. In sum, she would attempt to moderate inflation, and taxes, and make prices more accessible for low to middle-class families, which has been a huge issue with inflation rising by 21.4% since the beginning of 2020. (https://kamalaharris.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/Policy_Book_Economic-Opportunity.pdf)
Immigration – Harris has not fully released an immigration plan, Still, she has introduced the topic of immigration and some of what she is hoping to achieve during her presidency. Some of these include:
Extend restrictions on asylum access
Securing the Border
Creating an earned pathway to citizenship
(https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/interactive/2023/presidential-candidates-2024-policies-issues/kamala-harris-immigration/?tid=wa_hardregwall_auth)
Abortion – Kamala has stated her ongoing support for abortion access, and has stated she would like to restore the federal right of abortion if passed by Congress. She is an active supporter of abortion access and reproductive rights.
Climate – Kamala has not fully outlined a complete plan for climate control, but she has stated her support to keep pursuing the goals of the 2022 Inflation Reduction Act, which has multiple different projects that aim to reduce carbon emissions by around 40% by 2030.
Israel and Gaza – Kamala is currently supporting a two-state solution, calling the bloodshed in Gaza quote “devastating”, but stated there will be little to no policy change with Israel, she has also pushed for a cease-fire deal along with Joe Biden.
Donald Trump Summed up presidential plan:
Tax plan(s) – Donald Trump’s tax plan includes the following; Extending the expiring 2017 tax cuts and Jobs Act, bringing back deductions for state and local taxes, reducing corporate tax rate for domestic production, exempting various types of income from the income tax, repealing green energy tax credits, and imposing steep new tariffs. (taxfoundation.org)
Immigration – According to Trump’s words, he wants to implement the “largest domestic deportation operation in American History” In this process the following would occur;
– Relocating military troops to the US-Mexico border
– Authorizing ICE raids of workplaces
– Denying due process to unauthorized migrants
– Constructing additional ICE detention facilities along the southern border
– Overturning the Flores settlement (provides protections for migrant children)
– Military and national guards would be used to round up and deport unauthorized migrants
– End birthright citizenship for children of undocumented parents
– Deport and revoke visas of foreign Pro-Palestinian student protestors
– Revoke humanitarian parole
– Impose ideological screening
– Continue to build “The Wall”
– Restrict legal and illegal immigration
– Reinstate “Remain in Mexico and “Safe Third Country” agreements
– Subject visa applicants to extreme vetting
(https://www.piie.com/blogs/realtime-economics/2024/trump-vs-harris-immigration-future-policy-proposals)
Abortion – It is not officially clear what Trump plans to implement towards abortion during his possible presidency, on multiple occasions he has stated his somewhat support of abortion access, while other times bragging about overturning Roe V Wade.
In addition, Trump has also stated he has nothing to do- and wants to distance himself from “Project 2025”, a 922-page conservative extremist blueprint for the next republican president to usher in. In part of this blueprint, major and extreme conditions and restrictions target abortion. It hopes to prevent distribution and abortion care for all women in the US. We have come to find out that over 140 people who have worked with him or in his cabinet are directly involved with this plan.
Climate – Donald Trump has made it clear that he does not have a plan like Kamalas, and instead it’s quite the opposite. Trump’s plan includes extensive regulatory rollbacks, and “a scaling back of renewable energy policies”. He justifies this by emphasizing these changes are mandatory to reduce energy costs and achieve “energy dominance”. He also seeks to remove the United States from the Paris Agreement for Global Warming and remove the regulations put on drilling for oil and gas. (https://www.brookings.edu/articles/trump-has-big-plans-for-climate-and-energy-policy-but-can-he-implement-them/)
Israel and Gaza – As of now, Trump has declared his ongoing support for Israel after an Iran aerial assault, stating “they’re under attack right now” and “that’s because we show great weakness”. But he has not stated much on the matter or about what he will do. He has been seen agreeing with pro-Palestine protesters chanting “Genocide Joe”, but his total stance is not clear. Especially if you include the section of his immigration plan that seeks to deport pro-Palestinian protesters on college campuses
(https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2024/apr/25/trump-presidency-israel-gaza-middle-east-crisis)
As of now both are head to head with almost equal amounts of votes, finalized results will be determined on November 5, 2024… See you there!
Sources
https://www.cnn.com/2024/07/11/politics/trump-allies-project-2025/index.html
https://www.npr.org/2024/09/05/nx-s1-5099253/project-2025-was-made-by-loyalists-and-allies-of-trump-hes-tried-to-distance-himself
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2024/apr/25/trump-presidency-israel-gaza-middle-east-crisis)
https://www.brookings.edu/articles/trump-has-big-plans-for-climate-and-energy-policy-but-can-he-implement-them/)
https://www.piie.com/blogs/realtime-economics/2024/trump-vs-harris-immigration-future-policy-proposals
https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/interactive/2023/presidential-candidates-2024-policies-issues/kamala-harris-immigration/?tid=wa_hardregwall_auth
https://kamalaharris.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/Policy_Book_Economic-Opportunity.pdf
https://time.com/7096543/kamala-harris-abortion-plan-2024/
