With the increasing political activities towards the 2024 elections, some of the conversations making the rounds are that of Trump, the former President of the United States of America, going up against Kamala Harris, the current Vice President of the United States of America.
They were shown to outline different equally contrasting policy agendas, and their strategies continued to attract people’s attention, including voters, media, and political analysts. This article provides a detailed yet summarized comparison of Trump vs. Harris in the important policy matters of concern nowadays.
Economy: Trump vs Harris
By the nature of any given election, the economy takes center stage, and so did the Trump vs. Harris match. Trump has always pushed for a reduction of taxes, which he claims instigates growth, as well as the removal of regulations.
The Tax Cuts and Jobs Act that his administration passed in 2017 slashed corporate taxes, which, to Trump, helped in creating jobs as well as raising wages. Trump’s strategy is based on the liberalization of the economy, which imagines that if left alone, companies will generate employment opportunities and development.
Meanwhile, Vice President Kamala Harris is in support of policies that focus on reducing the level of income disparity. Harris has proposed changes to taxation laws that will make the rich pay their fair share of taxes.
COVID relief was however approved by Harris through the President Biden American Rescue Plan, which offers direct help to working families. She also advocates for increasing the minimum wage and promoting small businesses while decrying the current as being prejudiced.
Health Care: Trump vs. Harris
The next area of the Trump vs. Harris competition is health care. The ACA, or Obamacare, has been anathema to Trump’s political and policy agenda; he has long championed its repeal and the passage of a Republican care alternative.
Even though Trump and the Republicans have failed to produce a feasible replacement, the Trump administration has aimed to increase the number of market-oriented plans, limit government control, and foster competition to drive down prices.
On the other hand, Harris supports an increase in health care options, though he argues uncomfortably. In her 2020 presidential campaign, she endorsed the actions for “Medicare for All,” an idea of how to offer health coverage for all citizens of the country.
As a sitting vice president, Harris has been actively involved in advocating for the ACA and even for its expansion. Their primary concern has been expanding coverage for Americans to the needful plan and also helping minority groups.
Climate Change: Trump vs. Harris
Climate change policy is the best way to demonstrate the policies’ contrast in the Trump vs. Harris confrontation. Trump in his administration pulled the US out of the Paris Climate Accord and focused on energy sovereignty and fostering fossil fuel consumption.
Lessig pointed out that he used to portray climate regulations as business-unfriendly and detrimental to the US economy. Trump’s administration removed many environmental protections, stating deregulation will spur economic growth and job growth, including in the energy sector.
On the other hand, Kamala Harris has been an active disappointment to Trump and her MGP for showing no attempt at tackling climate change.
As a candidate, Harris supported the Green New Deal when she was still in the Senate, and she also called for more protections for the environment. The Biden-Harris administration has re-joined the Paris Agreement and enshrined its intent to cut carbon emissions, transition the American power sector to 100 percent clean energy, and build unions forged by the climate crisis.
Harris has expressed her desire and willingness that America must lead the world in combating climate change, but at the same time, the shift to clean energy should not harm those at the base of the economic pyramid.
Immigration: Trump vs Harris
Another area where Trump vs. Harris are poles apart is immigration. The immigration policy that Trump presided over during his administration aimed at reducing legal as well as unlawful immigration.
His administration toughened asylum laws, constructed sections of the wall on the southern border, as well as banned travel from specific countries that are majorly Muslim. Officials like Trump stated that the Wall was crucial for the security of the country and American workers.
While Joe Biden has called on governments and people to end the construction of walls, Kamala Harris has advocated for a better immigration policy.
She favors the legalization of immigrants who came to the United States unlawfully and called for enhanced safeguards for the Dreamers. Harris has also written that in the case of people migrating from Central America, the conditions should be made better there through negotiations and giving aid.
Foreign Policy: Trump vs. Harris
Trump vs Harris: Policy Comparison: The foreign policy differences between Trump and Harris are just as distinct. Trump, as a populist president, was bent on making America great again; he had withdrawals of different countries’ funds, while Harris, as a democrat, deeply believes in women’s rights globally and international diplomacy.
Trump’s “America First” policy was characterized by the plans to reduce American involvement in international entanglements and the condemnation and leaving of such treaties and alliances as NATO and the Iran Nuclear Agreement. Trump claimed that the United States had been exploited in international relations and aimed at revisiting trade and military partnerships for the benefit of the United States.
Harris, on behalf of the Biden administration’s foreign policy, looks more conventional or more internationally organized.
She believes that another time has come to expand the circle of partners and resume cooperation with international organizations such as the United Nations. Harris has called for partnerships with allies in dealing with global issues such as climate change, nuclear proliferation, and human rights abuses.
Social Justice: Trump vs. Harris
Another significant aspect where one can notice the Trump vs. Harris policy division is social justice. During the Black Lives Matter protests, which stemmed from the murder of George Floyd in 2020, Trump’s administration was quite scrutinized.
Trump proposed a “law and order,” backed the police, and condemned the campaigns that demanded to defund it. They accused him of supporting aggressive policing for it to be able to maintain its citizens’ order and preserve its ideals.
Kamala Harris, who set the record in the United States as the first woman of color to become a Vice President, has always been an advocate for racial justice.
She has advocated for police accountability, endorsed bills against institutionalized racism, and demanded other related changes in the criminal justice system. Harris has pointed to the importance of policies that can help raise communities of color, from education and healthcare to economic development.
Conclusion: Trump vs. Harris in 2024
As we approach the 2024 election, the Trump vs. Harris policy debate provides voters with distinct options for a changing America.
Trump is inclined towards the GOP’s way of doing business, pegged by conservative market economies with policies that entail deregulation and low taxes, among other policies, together with a topmost policy priority in the United States’ security. On the other hand, Harris supports policies for equity, affordable health care, climate change, and social justice causes.