The 2024 presidential election presents Americans with a monumental decision between two candidates: former President Donald Trump and Vice President Kamala Harris.
The pair is putting forward starkly different visions of America, with Trump’s revived goal of making America great again and Harris’ rallying message of unity.
Trump’s campaign focus is mostly on immigration and inflation, attempting to paint Harris with the same brush he was using on President Joe Biden before he dropped out of the election. Harris has centered her campaign around reproductive issues, including abortion access and preserving democracy, while trying to differentiate herself from Biden on certain topics, including the economy.
To learn more about the how the candidates differ on major policy issues, explore the seven election decision guides below:
Harris is only beginning to reveal her own foreign policy agenda. Yet analysts expect her to surround herself with expertise and – like President Joe Biden – seek to uphold alliances and American engagement.
For Trump, “there is no overarching ideology, or even a trust in sort of a foreign policy tradition of the United States,” says Michael O’Hanlon, a senior fellow in Foreign Policy at the Brookings Institution.
Trump has sowed doubt about America’s commitment to NATO, promised to impose a 60% tariff on all Chinese imports, expressed pro-Russia leanings and bragged that he could end the war in Ukraine in one day, all of which are at odds with Harris’ professed positions. Both candidates have emphasized their support for Israel in its genocide in Gaza.
– Trevor Bach
