5 Things to Look Out For as Trump and Harris Face Off
Some 61 per cent of American voters say that they want to see “major change” after the Biden presidency.
TL;DR
Immigration & border controls
Democratic push for a Bipartisan Border Agreement
Trump’s Remain in Mexico policy
Trump’s bid to shut down Biden’s open border policies
American economy, housing & inflation
From both: no tax on tips
From both: building more housing
Harris’ push to ban price-gouging on groceries
Harris: building on Biden’s housing policies to fund new homebuyers
Trump’s bid to bring down housing interest rates
Trump speaks with business leaders about reducing corporate taxes
Trump’s angling of immigration issues as a root factor of economic downturns
Reproductive rights
Revisiting Roe v. Wade
Harris: more progressive than Biden, criticising the Hyde Amendment’s blocking of federal funds from being used for most abortions
Trump: going back and forth on Florida’s six-week abortion ban, ultimately swaying ‘no’ against a repeal
Trump’s angle of a state-led decision-making process for deciding abortion rights
Gun controls
Foreign policy
Coming at a critical midpoint between Kamala Harris’ replacement of Joe Biden as the running candidate for presidency and Election Day for Trump and Harris in November, the presidential debates in Philadelphia is a high-stakes, high-reward event for both candidates.
A look into Trump’s campaign thus far
Thus far, Trump’s election bid has been notably more organised than previous runs in 2016 and 2020. The GOP operatives behind this rebranded Trump campaign include Susie Wiles, who helped DeSantis win the Florida governor's race in 2018, and Chris LaCivita, a longtime strategist and former political director for the National Republican Senate Committee.
Highlights of his retail politics include promises to tighten border controls, revive the American economy after the Biden administration saw a marked rise in inflation that has not yet been successfully brought down by his later Inflation Reduction Act, and lowering taxes — both for workers and, allegedly, for corporations too.
On the foreign policy front, a Trump administration would be considerably distanced from China, overhauling national security and military infrastructure to bolster America’s strength on the international stage. Trump has previously offered open criticism of the Biden administration’s handling of various ourbreaks of geopolitical conflits, including the Russo-Ukranian conflict and the situation in Gaza.
“I will restore peace through strength.”
- Trump’s campaign trail speech in August 2024
Despite public conflation of Project 2025 as Trump’s Project 2025 in mainstream media, Trump has publicly distanced himself from the political initiative published by the Heritage Foundation, saying he has “no idea who is behind” it and finds some of its proposals “ridiculous and abysmal”. Regardless, criticism for the Project’s conservative and right-wing policies has been gaining traction on media spaces such as Instagram and TikTok, especially amongst the younger voter base.
Something interesting to note as Trump approaches viewers from critical swing states in today’s debate is that following the Republican primaries, Trump largely adopted an approach of "doubling down" on incendiary rhetoric rather than moderating it to appeal to swing voters.
A look into Harris’ campaign thus far
One of Harris’ greatest selling points is that she identifies with and understands the needs of the common American: born to two immigrant parants, she was raised primarily by her Hindu single mother in Oakland, and later stepped into a role as the Alameda County district attorney’s office, later serving as San Francisco’s top prosecutor and rising to become California's attorney general, a role she held until she took office as one of California's U.S. senators in 2017.
The latter, however, may surprisingly fail to work in her favour with the latest Republican narrative about Harris’ past as a prosecutor. As district attorney of San Francisco, she failed to pursue the death penalty for a gang member accused of murdering a police officer, citing her principled opposition to capital punishment.
“Kamala is not some new arrival in American politics. She has a record as a district attorney and as attorney general,” said Rep. Matt Gaetz, R-Fla. “That record is dangerously liberal, and President Trump is going to tie her to that record during the debate."
Regardless, Kamala’s main policy promises are thus targeted at resolving the housing crisis through a cash payout for new homebuyers, implementing corporate price controls in an attempt to lower inflation, and expanding healthcare schemes.
A significant portion of the Democratic platform also revolves around the legislation Harris has vowed to pass into law if elected president. These include the PRO Act expanding labor protections and union rights, the Public Service Freedom to Negotiate Act, protecting the right of public-sector employees to organize and join unions.
Harris is pledging to sign bills codifying codifying Roe v. Wade to reinstate reproductive rights after describing the U.S. Supreme Court’s 2022 overturning of Roe v. Wade as a “healthcare crisis”, and banning assault rifles in a push for greater gun control.
It is critical to note that Harris has vowed to endorse the bipartisan border legislation that failed in Congress earlier this year, following significant Republican opposition. Her campaign platform emphasizes the bill’s provisions for funding advanced detection technologies to combat drug trafficking and increasing the number of border agents. This direction represents a wider attempt by the Democratic Party to adapt to the raging debate on immigration happening among the American electorate.