How far do Kamala Harris and Donald Trump differ on policy? (economist.com)
How far do Kamala Harris and Donald Trump differ on policy?
WHEN IT COMES to style, the contrast between Kamala Harris and Donald Trump could hardly be starker. She is a former prosecutor from Berkeley, California, who is campaigning on a platform of steady responsibility; he is a property tycoon—and frequent defendant—from Queens, New York, prone to bizarre rants at rallies. But consider their policies, and the two candidates look more similar. Mr Trump’s approach to topics including trade, China and immigration have set the terms of this contest. How will America’s next president act in the areas where he or she has control?
Immigration
In 2016 Mr Trump called for “building the wall” on America’s border with Mexico. J.D. Vance, his running-mate, claims that a mass-deportation scheme could start by removing 1m people living in the country illegally. A President Trump could slow visa applications by charging higher fees and increasing vetting requirements. Ms Harris’s immigration policy, meanwhile, would largely continue that of President Joe Biden: he opened new legal routes for migrants but restricted the number of asylum claims allowed at the southern border. Mr Trump’s focus on border security has forced Ms Harris to tack to the right: she says she would make Mr Biden’s limits on asylum harder to lift.
Energy
The next president will inherit the most ambitious climate policies in American history. Left-wingers hope that Ms Harris would go further. But it seems that she would embrace both clean energy and fossil fuels. She supports domestic oil-and-gas production, fracking and other green bugbears, such as nuclear power. Conservatives, meanwhile, are confident that Mr Trump would reverse green policies. His energy mantra is “Drill, baby, drill!” He has mocked climate science and electric vehicles (EVs).
Trade
Today, America’s trade debate revolves around how much the country should close itself off. Mr Trump has a vision for tariffs that would turn the clock back nearly a century on economic strategy. He has claimed he would slap a tariff of 20% on all imports to America. His fiercest attacks are focused on China: he has threatened tariffs of up to 60% on the country’s goods. Kamala Harris is less extreme but still sees a world in which America is best served by soft protectionism. She is calling for subsidies to build up the country’s manufacturing muscle and has also signalled her willingness to take punitive trade action against China.
Defence spending
Mr Trump and Ms Harris have both issued vague commitments to strengthen America’s armed forces. Those forces do not seem ready for today’s challenges: maintaining deterrence in the Middle East, supporting Ukraine, adapting to new forms of warfare and keeping pace with China’s rapid military build-up. The main question facing the next president will be how much to increase spending. Republican hawks and the national-security establishment want a massive increase. Many Democrats oppose such measures, but agree that Mr Biden has not been aggressive enough on defence spending.
Middle East
The next president will almost certainly inherit the multi-front conflict between Israel and Iran’s “axis of resistance”. Ms Harris would probably hew to Mr Biden’s awkward policy: support Israel’s right to defend itself, try to restrain its most dangerous actions, mitigate the humanitarian impact, seek ceasefires and keep alive the idea of Palestinian statehood. Compared with Mr Biden Ms Harris has more forcefully expressed concern for Palestinians’ suffering. Mr Trump, meanwhile, suggests that Israel should be given carte blanche. But neither candidate has shown a desire to use American forces to bomb Iran. When he was president Mr Trump abandoned a nuclear deal with Iran, imposed “maximum pressure” through sanctions and in 2020 ordered the killing in Iraq of Qassem Suleimani, Iran’s head of foreign military operations—but held back from striking the country. As for Palestinians, he cares little for their cause. Переведи на русский