Trump, Biden on the issues -------------------------------- ECONOMY, TAXES Donald Trump: Wants states to reopen as quickly as possible. Predicts U.S. economy will rebound and take off like a “rocket ship” in 2021. Advocates payroll tax cut. Encourage multinationals to stop offshoring U.S. jobs to China Joe Biden: Address wealth inequality. Reverse Trump’s 2017 tax cuts. Increase corporate income tax rate by 7% to 28%, payroll tax hikes for highest earners to 39.6%. Boost spending on infrastructure. Raise national minimum wage to $15/hour -------------------------------- FOREIGN POLICY Trump: Has built 320km of his promised wall along U.S.-Mexico border and reduced military footprint in Afghanistan and Iraq. Counts talks with North Korea’s Kim Jong-un as monumental. Pulled U.S. out of Iran nuclear deal Biden: Will work with NATO allies to counter Russia’s expansionist aims. Pledges to rebuild decimated U.S. diplomatic corps and rejoin Paris Climate Accord. Hard line on China’s alleged intellectual property theft -------------------------------- HEALTHCARE Trump: Proposed replacing Obamacare with his plan to provide better, less-costly healthcare “for everybody.” Cut prescription drug costs by basing price of some drugs on cheaper cost in foreign countries. Impose limitations on Medicaid coverage to low-income people Biden: Lower Medicare eligibility age from 65 to 60 – extending scheme to 20 million more Americans. Allow Medicare to negotiate drug prices -------------------------------- INTERNATIONAL TRADE Trump: Views signing of two major trade deals – United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement and Phase 1 China agreement – as signature achievements of presidency. As part of Phase 1, signed in January 2020, China agreed to boost purchases of U.S. farm goods by at least $32 billion in 2020-21. To date, China’s buying bonanza has failed to materialise Biden: New domestic spending must come before any new international trade deals. Plans to direct $400 billion of federal government purchases to American firms over four-year term, plus $300 billion to support U.S. technology firms’ research and development. Criticizes Trump’s tariff war with China as bad for American consumers and farmers U.S. trade deficit ($ billions, goods and services) 09 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 0 -100 -200 -300 -400 -500 -600 -395 -447 -526 -503 -555 -484 -491 -481 -514 -580 -577 -------------------------------- RACE AND CRIMINAL JUSTICE Trump: Has very few black Americans among his advisers and White House staff. Responded to nationwide protests over death of George Floyd in Minneapolis police custody by focusing on “law and order” and urging aggressive response by federal agents (above). Supports “tough-on-crime” policies, including seeking to restart executions of death row inmates Biden: Has pledged that his Cabinet, judicial appointments and running mate will reflect country’s diversity. Has resisted activist calls to “defund the police.” He has pledged $20 billion in grants in exchange for scaling back mandatory-minimum sentences. Wants to eliminate death penalty, solitary confinement and legalize marijuana use -------------------------------- CORONAVIRUS PANDEMIC Trump: Acknowledges that pandemic may “get worse before it gets better” as many states see surge in infections. Says key to economic recovery from epidemic is to reopen schools. Maintains that vaccines and therapeutic treatments for infection are coming in not-so-distant future Biden: Argues that presidency and government should handle pandemic slowdown with generous federal spending. Spend “whatever it takes” to expand testing, contact tracing, treatment, and other health services. Return U.S. to position of global leadership and rejoin World Health Organization -------------------------------- Pictures: Associated Press, Getty Images © GRAPHIC NEWS Sources: Associated Press, Council on Foreign Relations, Reuters, The Atlantic