article by Sianna Zewdie (Y11)
This article was written prior to Trump’s win of the presidency. It is purely objective and does in no way represent opinions of Ecolint as a whole.
Today, all over the United States, people are lining up to cast the ballots for their choice in the 2024 Presidential Elections. After months upon months of buildup, with criminal cases, late dropouts, heated debates and assassination attempts, the presidential race has come down to essentially two candidates: Donald Trump of the GOP and Kamala Harris of the Democratic Party. Both sides provide strongly opposing views and yet are virtually neck-to-neck in what could be considered one of the most important elections in US, if not world, history.
Supporters of both candidates can sometimes get a little carried away, making wild claims and assumptions to justify their stances, not unlike an election themed game of telephone. This not only spreads misinformation but also undermines the integrity of the electoral process. People often criticize the opposing candidate’s policies without knowing the details, only to mutter something about them being “bad”. To give a brief overview now, many of Kamala Harris’ policies are focused on benefiting not just higher income households, including cutting taxes, affordable homeownership and health care and protecting reproductive and civil rights. Healthcare is also present in Donald Trump’s policies, along with increased border security, rebuilding of the American economy and increased patriotism as opposed to globalism. More details on their policies are available on their websites respectively here and here.
Let’s dive into some hot-button issues that are on voters’ minds:
- ISRAELI-PALESTINE CONFLICT
HARRIS: Has stated that while she will ensure the security of Israel in the war, she aims to end the suffering in Gaza and has consistently advocated for a two-state solution. In previous speeches she has called for a cease-fire, saying “I have been clear: now is the time to get a ceasefire deal and get the hostage deal done.” However, she has not supported the arms-embargo on Israel, as other members of the Democratic Party have.
TRUMP: Has also stated that he wishes for an end to the conflict, however is strongly pro-Israel and has attacked Biden’s administration for not allowing Israel to achieve its war aims in Gaza. He does not support pro-Palestine protests and has stated that if he were to be elected again, he would treat any criticism of Israel harshly. “You have a big protector in me,” he said to Israeli voters. “You don’t have a protector on the other side.”
- ILLEGAL IMMIGRATION
TRUMP: Has promised a mass deportation of immigrants if elected again, and his administration has supported the RAISE act, which aims to reduce levels of legal immigration by 50%. He has promised large tariffs on Mexican goods if the levels of illegal immigration do not go down. He has stated before that he does not believe some undocumented immigrants to be ‘people’ and that they should be classified as ‘animals’. Trump has notoriously spread misinformation on this topic, on the amount of illegal aliens in the country, the criminal nature of them and general unfounded facts that inspire strong emotion (such as the infamous “In Springfield…they’re eating the dogs!” line from the presidential debate). Ironically, when a bipartisan immigration deal was floated earlier this year, he pressured his fellow GOP members to reject it—presumably to keep his campaign on a strong anti-immigration footing.
HARRIS: Has, contrary to rhetoric pushed by the GOP, explicitly stated that she supports a border bill and, if elected, would push to have the earlier bipartisan bill be signed into law. She has stated that there “should be consequences” for illegal immigration, however in the past, she had a more lenient perspective on the matter. During the Biden administration, numbers of illegal immigrants soared, however they have reduced in recent months.
- ABORTION
HARRIS: Has consistently been a strong advocate for reproductive rights and the privacy of patients and providers. After the overturning of Roe v. Wade, she toured the country to address state abortion bans and treats it as an issue of personal freedom. She has made abortion a major facet of her campaign and has stated that “When Congress passes a law to restore reproductive freedoms, as President of the United States, [she] will sign it into law.”
TRUMP: Has had varying views on abortion over the course of his campaign, though he has often credited himself with the overturning of Roe v. Wade. Trump has stated that he believes that abortion legislation should be left to the states, and when Harris stated in the debate that he would sign a national abortion ban, he denied it, saying, “It’s a lie. I’m not signing a ban, and there’s no reason to sign a ban, because we’ve gotten what everybody wanted, Democrats, Republicans and everybody else, and every legal scholar wanted it to be brought back into the states”. However, when asked by the debate moderator if he would veto a ban, he said “I won’t have to,” but did not actually say that he would veto a ban passed by Congress. This has caused frustration with other members of his party, who strongly advocate for a national prohibitory law.
- CLIMATE CHANGE
TRUMP: Has stated that he doesn’t believe in climate change, that it is “mythical”, “nonexistent”, or “an expensive hoax”. On the other hand, he has also said that he sees it as a “serious subject” , that it is “very important to me”. His stance on climate change is very difficult to place, as his statements on this topic vary wildly and are very ambiguous. However, in terms of actions, during his presidency, he withdrew from the Paris Climate Agreement which held the US and 187 other countries to a commitment to not let global temperatures rise over 2 °C because it would “undermine” the US economy.
HARRIS: Has stated that climate change is our “greatest existential threat”, and has a history of prosecuting pollutant industries. However, she hasn’t set out a climate agenda, which has raised concerns among environmentalists. While she still advocates for climate actions, her stance has toned down since 2020 and while the Biden administration has done more than any other US government on greening the country’s economy, there is still much that should have been done that is lacking.
- LGBTQ+ RIGHTS
HARRIS: Has expressed support for the Equality Act, which would protect LGBTQ Americans from discrimination. When asked in an interview with Fox News on her stance on taxpayer funded gender-affirming care for transgender prisoners, she stated that “we should follow the law,” and when pressed, added, “that is a decision that doctors will make in terms of what is medically necessary,” and people have criticized her for not mounting a more passionate defense. She has a history, however, of supporting LGBTQ+ rights and, as a senator, sponsored bills to protect their rights. When gay marriage was legalized in California, she was one of the first to officiate some same-sex marriages.
TRUMP: Has vowed to “keep men out of women’s sports”, and does not recognize transgender identities. He has spread lots of misinformation on the indoctrination of children in schools and referred to trans inclusion as ‘insanity’. He has promised to reduce the rights that the Biden administration offered to transgender youths, and during his presidency, imposed a ban on some transgender people serving in the military. Trump has a history of opposing gay marriage and he said during his 2016 campaign that he would “be very strong on putting certain judges on the bench that maybe could change things,” when referring to same-sex marriages. However, since then his comments on the topic vary, so it is difficult to discern his true attitude to the issue.
The 2024 Presidential Election represents one of the most polarized moments in U.S. history, and the sharp contrasts between Donald Trump and Kamala Harris reflect deep divisions within the nation. Voters are not just casting their ballots for a candidate, but for radically different visions of the future of their country. The choice that the American people make today will impact not just the United States but the world’s political landscape. This is one of the most significant elections in US history, one that will decide the course of our futures—and it’s in our hands.
image from https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/gender-gap-widens-harris-trump-contest-politics-desk-rcna164163
Turns out it was due to how similar they are that trump got elected. Decent article, but a severe failure in recognising their shared love for corporate interests and the interests of capital. Neither radically offers change from the system, and instead fight only on culture wars. Journalism fails us if it does not connect “policy” claims with the level of material conditions within America. Potential to explore some of the wider implications of rising fascism– which can be seen in Trumps rhetoric, but also in Kamala’s, specifically regarding the border and Gaza.