The Democratic candidate for the White House, Vice President Kamala Harris, and her Republican rival, former President Donald Trump (2017-2021), have clashed over their proposals on immigration, taxes, tariffs, abortion, and foreign policy. Harris advocates for stricter background checks for gun buyers, though she has revealed that she owns a semi-automatic pistol to counter Republican criticisms accusing her of wanting to ban guns. On the other hand, Trump has positioned himself as a staunch defender of the Second Amendment of the Constitution, which enshrines the right to bear arms, and claims to be the National Rifle Association's best friend.
Regarding marijuana, Harris supports the decriminalization of recreational marijuana nationwide and criticizes the disproportionate incarceration of African Americans and Latinos for cannabis possession, while Trump asserts that there should be an end to "unnecessary arrests" of people for carrying small amounts of marijuana. Harris promises tax deductions for small businesses and an increase in taxes on large corporations from 21% to 28%. Trump, for his part, wants to extend the corporate tax cut he enacted during his tenure and proposes lowering the tax rate from 21% to 15% for those companies that manufacture all their products in the United States.
On trade issues, Harris defends tariffs on some Chinese imports, such as electric vehicles, but rejects broad tariffs to avoid price increases affecting the working class. Trump, on the other hand, promises tariffs of between 10 and 20% on all imported products, and 60% on those from China, aiming to force companies to relocate their production to the United States.
Regarding foreign policy, Harris has criticized the sending of weapons to Kiev, threatens to withdraw from NATO, has positioned herself as a staunch defender of Israel, and does not support the creation of a Palestinian state. Trump, on the other hand, claims he could end the war in Ukraine in 24 hours, although he has not explained how. Both candidates also differ on health, environmental issues, and their vision of the fight against the climate crisis and the production of renewable energies.
