The two candidates in this year's presidential race are familiar faces: President Donald Trump is running for reelection as the Republican nominee, and he is running against Democratic nominee Joe Biden, who was Vice President from 2008-2016. As election day approaches, both candidates have released their plans for the next four years and are preparing for the first presidential debate on September 29. These are their stances on several major policy issues according to their campaign websites.
Immigration
According to Trump’s campaign website, "President Trump has enforced immigration laws… [and] called on Congress to fully fund a wall… to close legal loopholes that enable illegal immigration, to end chain migration, and to eliminate the visa lottery program.”
When he first entered office, Trump began collecting support throughout Congress to fully fund a wall along the southern border, and while it has been started, it has not been completed. According to his campaign website, he has also closed all of the legal loopholes that enable illegal immigration, ended chain migration and eliminated the visa lottery.
Trump has plans to continue this approach to migration, completing the wall along the southern border and completing the reforms made to immigration.
Biden wants to reclaim America as a country of immigrants, and his campaign website says, “Unless your ancestors were native to these shores, or forcibly enslaved and brought here as part of our original sin as a nation, most Americans can trace their family history back to a choice—a choice to leave everything that was familiar in search of new opportunities and a new life.”
Overall Biden says he plans to commit the nation to being a place for asylum-seekers and refugees.
Education
Trump does not have any new specific plans relating to education, but rather wants to continue the policies that he implemented in his current term. Recently, he has been discussing pursuing school plans, giving more control to parents as opposed to school districts. His administration had a hand in changing how the Farm Service Agency offers and funds student loans, and the Trump Administration also gave funding to the schools in each individual state so that everyone has the chance to go to college should they choose.
Biden’s campaign website has three categories revolving around education. These are K-12 education, college and education in the workforce. His college education page has three points that focus mainly on supporting colleges and making them more accessible for everyone, as well as a reliable pathway for people to follow. He also plans on supporting colleges and universities that play unique and vital roles in communities, including religious universities, historically Black colleges and universities that have a focus on serving minorities.
Health Care
Trump plans to continue the path of his previous campaign by helping large drug companies stop spreading opioids, which helps lower the amount of people dying from opioid overdoses each year. He also signed an official order that helped fund health care for nine million people.
Just like education, Biden has a broad three step plan to support everyone when it comes to healthcare. He plans to give everyone access to affordable health insurance, stand up to the abusive power of prescription drug corporations and ensure that healthcare is a right rather than a gift.
COVID-19
Trump’s approach to COVID-19 is rather vague. He plans on having a vaccine by the end of this year and for the entire country to return to normal by January 2021.
“The Biden Plan” as listed on his website details the main points of his COVID-19 action plan. The website says he is “restoring trust, credibility, and common purpose. Biden says he will mount an effective national emergency response that saves lives, protects frontline workers and minimizes the spread of COVID-19; eliminate cost barriers for prevention of and care for COVID-19; pursue decisive economic measures to stabilize the American economy and help hard-hit workers, families and small businesses; and rally the world to confront this crisis while laying the foundation for the future.”
Overall, he wants to deal with the outcome that COVID has had on the economy and families that have been affected by it.
Trade
During his first presidential campaign, Trump spoke about protecting America’s steel and aluminum industries, which he says were harmed by unfair trade practices and global standards. He took the country out of the Trans-Pacific Partnership and helped enact fair trade laws. He plans on continuing the same path if he is elected once again.
Biden’s website does not list a specific plan involving future or current trade plans or changes that he will make.