Twenty days are now left until the presidential elections US elections. On November 5th the American people will decide the next president of the country. But what are the positions of Kamala Harris and Donald Trump on the burning issues that interest Americans?

Russia-Ukraine war

Kamala Harris: The current US vice president told the Democratic convention in August that she would “stand by Ukraine and our NATO partners.” In addition, he has accused Russia of committing crimes against humanity.

Donald Trump: The former president said for his part that he would “encourage” Russia to attack any NATO member state that defaults on its financial obligations to the Alliance, stressing that he would not help a member attacked by the Russians. Later, of course, he positioned himself in a less categorical way, but he has still threatened that the US will withdraw from NATO if the members do not increase their defense spending.

Trump has even claimed that, if elected president, he will end the war in Ukraine before he is even sworn in, i.e. before January 2025 – without ever explaining exactly how he will do this.

Middle East

Harris, like President Biden, supports Israel in its war with Hamas. However, Harris seems more open to acknowledging the humanitarian crisis in Gaza and stating emphatically that it must stop. The US vice president is in favor of a ceasefire, the release of hostages from Hamas and a two-state solution.

In April 2024, Trump said Israel must quickly end its attack on Gaza because it is “losing the public relations war”, adding “let’s go back to peace and stop killing people”. At the same time, however, Trump has indicated that he is siding with Netanyahu, with whom he has been close allies since Trump was in the White House.

Abortions

Harris is a staunch supporter of reproductive rights. As he has said in the past, if elected president, he will fight to restore abortion rights at the federal level. Her website states that both Harris and running mate Tim Walsh “trust women to make their own decisions about their bodies and not have the government tell them what to do.”

While in the White House, Trump had appointed three justices to the Supreme Court, cementing the conservative majority that overturned Roe v. Wade. In 2020, Trump also became the first president to address the March for Life, an anti-abortion rally in Washington. Although he has not come out in favor of a federal ban on abortion, Trump supports the right of states to decide how to shape their laws on the issue.

Economy

Harris has made protecting the middle class a centerpiece of her campaign. It promises to create “an opportunity economy where everyone has a chance to compete and succeed.” Its goal is to “cut taxes for more than 100 million working and middle-class Americans, but also reduce spending on everyday needs like health care, housing and basic groceries.” Harris also wants to make rental properties more affordable, allow more Americans to fulfill their dream of owning their own home, and support small businesses.

For his part, Trump is focusing on inflation, which he blames on Biden. According to his campaign website, his “vision” for the American economy includes “lower taxes, higher wages and more jobs.” Trump has also promised to extend the tax cuts he enacted during his first term as president, which benefited corporations and wealthy households, while he wants to generally limit government intervention in the economy.

Migration

As vice president, Harris was responsible for immigration and border security. During her tenure, she was criticized for not doing enough to curb illegal immigration. As president, he has said he will sign the bipartisan border security bill, which was blocked in Congress by Republicans under pressure from Donald Trump. The legislation would allow for the installation of “more detection technologies to help combat the trafficking of fentanyl and other narcotics,” while increasing the number of Border Patrol agents by 1,500, according to Harris’ campaign page. The Republicans, however, prevented the approval of this new framework, arguing that the measures provided for in it are not drastic enough.

Trump has promised that, if elected, he will proceed with the largest deportation operation in US history. The Republican wants to roll back the tougher immigration laws he enacted during his first term, for example imposing a travel ban on citizens from some Muslim-majority countries such as Syria, Iran, Somalia and Yemen. Also, “thousands of troops currently overseas will be sent to the US southern border,” according to the former president’s official website.

Climate

On climate and the environment, Harris intends to “ensure clean air and water for all” and not allow pollutants to burden the environment without impact. Additionally, with her in the White House, the US will remain in the Paris Climate Agreement. Harris also wants to strengthen the country’s resilience against extreme weather and climate disasters, as well as build a “thriving economy based on green energy”.

Trump, on the other hand, intends to withdraw the US from the Paris Agreement, end wind energy subsidies and increase US oil production, but also to lead the country to energy independence. According to his campaign website, “Republicans will make it possible to produce energy from all sources, including nuclear power, in order to reduce inflation immediately.”

LGBTQI+ community

20 years ago as a San Francisco district attorney, Harris performed some of the first same-sex weddings ever performed in the US. Now he wants to “fight to pass the Equality Act, which would enshrine a protective legal framework against discrimination against LGBTQI+ Americans in health, housing and education.” The Biden administration has even blocked various anti-trans laws in some states and overturned Trump’s ban on transgender people joining the US armed forces.

Trump will seek to reinstate that ban. He opposes transgender rights and, if re-elected, plans to “discontinue all the [ομοσπονδιακά] programs that promote gender change at any age”. In addition, he wants to exclude transgender women from women’s sports categories, as well as ensure by law that “the only genders that will be recognized by the American government are male and female – and those will be given to someone from birth.” .

Edited by: Giorgos Passas