Where Biden and Trump stand on key issues

Where Biden and Trump stand on key issues

American voters will choose between re-electing Democratic President Joe Biden or his Republican predecessor, Donald Trump, to the White House.

Here’s a look at what they stand for and how their policy proposals compare on 10 key issues.

Economy

The economic policy of President Biden has its own name – Bidenomics – and involves building the economy, in his words, “from the bottom up”. That means investing in infrastructure and manufacturing, clean energy and expanding job opportunities, and he can point to major pieces of legislation passed that try to do that. The economic data shows strong growth and jobs creation under his leadership. But prices keep rising at a stubborn clip and are up 19% since he took office.

Mr Trump – whose economic record receives higher marks from voters – has blamed his successor’s big spending for inflation and vowed a return to an agenda of lower taxes and less regulations. He also says he will look to replace Federal Reserve chairman Jerome Powell, a man he appointed but now accuses of being too “political”.

Immigration

President Biden’s promise of a more humane approach on immigration saw him suspend or revoke several Trump-era border policies, lift the refugee admissions cap and expand humanitarian parole. But a massive surge in illegal immigration and ensuing public backlash has prompted the Democrat to shift in favour of more restrictive measures, including a recent cross-party bill that would allow him to shut down the border.

Mr Trump rallied his congressional allies to kill that bill, claiming it did not go far enough. He is promising, if re-elected, to revive first-term policies that will “seal the border” and to carry out “the largest deportation operation” in US history. The Republican has also pledged to end birthright citizenship for the children of undocumented migrants and to wage war on Mexican drug cartels.

Abortion

President Biden has painted his opponent as the “architect” of an assault on reproductive freedom, after a Supreme Court with three Trump-appointed justices overturned Roe v Wade, the landmark 1973 ruling that granted US women the constitutional right to an abortion. With several states moving to restrict abortion access, he is promising to restore the rights afforded by Roe as the law of the land if Democrats win back Congress.

Mr Trump calls himself “proudly the person responsible” for ending Roe but at the same time has criticised extreme measures in states like Arizona and Alabama. After a muddled few months, he finally set out his position as supporting states’ rights to determine their own laws. But he declined to show support for a national law or how many weeks in his view should be the limit. He has also falsely claimed that Democrats support a policy of “execution after birth”.

Ukraine aid

President Biden has repeatedly urged Congress to continue funding Ukraine, warning that a win for Russia’s Vladimir Putin will endanger Europe and embolden another major US adversary – China.

Mr Trump warned in February he would “encourage” Russia to “do whatever the hell they want” to Nato countries if those allies did not meet their financial obligations to the bloc – though he has since softened his rhetoric.

Israel/Gaza War

President Biden remains “rock solid” in his support for Israel, providing billions of dollars worth in weapons and urging more aid to the US ally, but has ramped up public criticisms of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu about his handling of the war in Gaza.

Often boastful of his support for Israel, Mr Trump now says the country must “finish what they started” against Hamas militants in Gaza but “get it over with fast” because it is “losing the PR war”.

Taxes

President Biden supports raising the corporate income tax rate to 28%, bringing it closer to the 35% rate that prevailed prior to Mr Trump’s term. He has also proposed cracking down on tax avoidance by large multinationals and Big Pharma and restoring or imposing higher tax rates for the wealthiest Americans. Expanding tax credits for low earners and families is also a commitment.

Mr Trump wants to extend legislation he signed in 2017 so that the law’s soon-to-expire individual income tax cuts as well as estate and wealth tax cuts are prolonged, possibly making them permanent. He will maintain the corporate income tax rate at 21% and proposes a universal 10% tariff on all US imports, and a 60% tariff on imports from China.

Healthcare

President Biden and Democrats have taken action to lower prescription drugs costs for older people. As the “Obamacare” health insurance programme continues to grow in popularity, he has fought to protect and expand coverage, and lower costs, moves that have pushed enrolment to an all-time high.

Mr Trump has often vowed to repeal and replace the Affordable Care Act with “something better”, but failed to detail an alternative. He and his Republican Party are routinely fending off Democratic claims that he will chip away at the Social Security and Medicare safety nets for American seniors.

Family planning clinic in Arizona

Crime

President Biden credits investment in public safety for the significant decline in violent crime after major spikes during the first two years of the pandemic. Recent FBI data supports this downward trend but most of the American public, like those surveyed by Gallup a few months ago, feels otherwise – that crime is rising. New York recently deployed National Guard to the city subway in response to a rise in violence.

Mr Trump has often highlighted violent incidents involving migrants or singled out public safety concerns in Democratic-led cities to paint a picture of surging, out-of-control crime levels under his rival. He has called for the death penalty to be used on drug dealers.

Climate

President Biden invested a historic $300bn (£239bn) into clean energy and climate initiatives through his Inflation Reduction Act. He has also set ambitious new goals for cutting greenhouse gas and vehicle emissions, spurred a boon in the green energy economy, and launched major initiatives on conservation and environmental justice. Some climate activists oppose actions he has taken to boost oil and gas production, including the Willow oil project in Alaska.

Mr Trump, by contrast, has vowed to “drill, baby, drill” and unleash domestic energy production, in part to bring prices at the pump down. Domestic production is, however, higher under his successor.

Gun laws

President Biden signed into law the most significant gun safety legislation in more than two decades, which includes enhanced background checks for gun buyers and other protections. His justice department has also banned the manufacture and sale of “ghost guns”. He has repeatedly urged Congress to pass a ban on assault weapons and high-capacity magazines, as well as a bill that enables universal background checks.

Mr Trump weakened US gun laws in office, but also took action to ban bump stocks, the accessories that allow semi-automatic weapons to fire more quickly. He is credited with appointing federal and Supreme Court justices who support traditional interpretations of the Second Amendment right to bear arms. He told members of the National Rifle Association in February “no one will lay a finger on your firearms” if he returns to the White House.

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