US polls: Economy, abortion, immigration, character top issues

When voters go to the polling stations on Tuesday, they will have to decide between the top issues presented by Kamala Harris – abortion and character – or Donald Trump – immigration and the economy.

Here is a look at the issues: Economy and Inflation: The high prices are foremost in the minds of people, and the cost of food has increased by about 25 per cent since the end of 2020.

Harris claims a victory over inflation asserting that the rate has been brought down to 2.4 per cent. But since the prices haven’t come down, people compare current prices to those in 2020.

Trump points to the economic performance of his administration before the Covid pandemic and the lower prices during his term.

Trump promises to bring back manufacturing and jobs to the US, while Harris points to the programmes like making silicon chips already introduced by her and Biden for boosting manufacturing and jobs.

Foreign Trade: To force companies to bring back jobs to the US and reduce the advantages that foreign countries have, Trump has threatened high tariffs on imports, in some cases going as high as 100 per cent.

Harris calls the tariffs a “national sales tax” that will worsen the inflation. But President Joe Biden has directed trade authorities to increase tariffs on some Chinese imports.

Immigration: Border officials have documented over 10 million people illegally crossing into the US and many more have slipped in without being apprehended.

The huge influx that Trump has labeled an “invasion” has become a national issue as cities and other areas, including those in Democratic zones, have felt its impact.

The Biden-Harris administration has re-imposed Trump-era regulations and the infiltrations have substantially abated, but the effects of previous waves of entry persist.

Trump has threatened mass deportations, while Harris has walked away from her prior policy of decriminalising illegal entry and now says laws should be reformed and enforced.

Abortion: Harris has made abortions a centrepiece of her campaign hoping to appeal to women, most of whom support abortion rights.

After the Supreme Court in 2022 rescinded an earlier decision that legalised abortion across the country and made it a state subject, several states controlled by Republicans have virtually outlawed abortions or severely restricted them.

Harris blames Trump for this because the three judges he appointed to the Supreme Court made it possible to overturn the earlier decision. She has promised to enact a national law legalising abortion. Trump has mellowed his stand to allow abortions in cases of rape or incest or when a woman’s life is in danger, but insists it should be left to the states.

Democracy and Character: Harris has called Trump a danger to democracy because he has refused to accept his defeat in the 2020 election and due to the riot by his supporters on January 6, 2021, when they broke into the Capitol while Congress was certifying Biden’s election. They threatened members of Congress and some made death threats against then-Vice President Mike Pence.

She has called Trump a fascist, and he has called her a Marxist and a Communist. Harris has pummeled Trump on the character issue, highlighting the numerous charges he faces and his conviction in a New York court on charges of manipulating accounts to hide the hush money paid to a porn star to buy her silence on claims he had a tryst with her.

Foreign Policy: Trump has said that he wants to be a peacemaker and at the same time claims that his policies for a strong US and his unpredictability have prevented major conflicts from arising and kept the US out of foreign entanglements. On Ukraine, Trump wants to end the conflict that is costing the US billions in supporting that country against Russia, if necessary through a compromise.

Harris has indicated continued support for Ukraine and opposes any talk of compromise. She has pledged support for Israel but said that she would end the Gaza War and spoke of the “scale of death and destruction in Gaza”.

Trump, on the other hand, offers Israel unquestioned support and would likely back a massive attack on Iran. He has also been highly critical of China.

Energy: A climate change sceptic, Trump has said he would undo restrictions on drilling for petroleum and gas and use increased exploitation to bring down prices.

Harris has given up her opposition to a method of gas drilling called fracking but has not committed to a massive expansion of drilling for energy or dropping many of the restrictions. She has also toned down the administration’s proposals to restrict petrol-powered cars and boost electric vehicles.

Social Issues: Trump has brought focus to the issue of transgender men competing in women’s sports and using women’s and girls' bathrooms. He has said that he would end both. Harris is sympathetic to the cause of transgender people and said she would protect their rights.

For Trump personal issues are also at stake. He is facing several cases and the election’s outcome can determine what happens. In the federal cases, he can call off the prosecutions and investigations by dismissing Special Prosecutor Jack Smith.

But in the state-level cases he has no powers and were he sentenced to prison in New York where he has been convicted of charges of manipulating business accounts there could be the bizarre scenario of him running the country behind bars.

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