What are Harris and Trump's policies?
- Published
American voters will face a clear choice for president on election day, between Democratic Vice-President Kamala Harris and Republican Donald Trump.
Here's a look at what they stand for and how their policies compare on different issues.
Inflation
Harris has said her day-one priority would be trying to reduce food and housing costs for working families.
She promises to ban price-gouging on groceries, help first-time home buyers and provide incentives to increase housing supply.
Inflation soared under the Biden presidency, as it did in many western countries, partly due to post-Covid supply issues and the Ukraine war. It has fallen since.
Trump has promised to “end inflation and make America affordable again” and when asked he says more drilling for oil will lower energy costs.
He has promised to deliver lower interest rates, something the president does not control, and he says deporting undocumented immigrants will ease pressure on housing. Economists warn that his vow to impose higher tax on imports could push up prices.
Taxes
Harris wants to raise taxes on big businesses and Americans making $400,000 (£305,000) a year.
But she has also unveiled a number of measures that would ease the tax burden on families, including an expansion of child tax credits.
She has broken with Biden over capital gains tax, supporting a more moderate rise from 23.6% to 28% compared with his 44.6%.
Trump proposes a number of tax cuts worth trillions, including an extension of his 2017 cuts which mostly helped the wealthy.
He says he will pay for them through higher growth and tariffs on imports. Analysts say both tax plans will add to the ballooning deficit, but Trump’s by more.
Abortion
Harris has made abortion rights central to her campaign, and she continues to advocate for legislation that would enshrine reproductive rights nationwide.
Trump has struggled to find a consistent message on abortion.
The three judges he appointed to the Supreme Court while president were pivotal in overturning the constitutional right to an abortion, a 1973 ruling known as Roe v Wade.
Immigration
Harris was tasked with tackling the root causes of the southern border crisis and helped raise billions of dollars of private money to make regional investments aimed at stemming the flow north.
Record numbers of people crossed from Mexico at the end of 2023 but the numbers have fallen since to a four-year low. In this campaign, she has toughened her stance and emphasised her experience as a prosecutor in California taking on human traffickers.
Trump has vowed to seal the border by completing the construction of a wall and increasing enforcement. But he urged Republicans to ditch a hardline, cross-party immigration bill, backed by Harris. She says she would revive that deal if elected.
He has also promised the biggest mass deportation of undocumented migrants in US history. Experts told the BBC this would face legal challenges.
Foreign policy
Harris has vowed to support Ukraine “for as long as it takes”. She has pledged, if elected, to ensure the US and not China wins "the competition for the 21st Century".
She has been a longtime advocate for a two-state solution between the Israelis and Palestinians, and has called for an end to the war in Gaza.
Trump has an isolationist foreign policy and wants the US to disentangle itself from conflicts elsewhere in the world.
He has said he would end the war in Ukraine in 24 hours through a negotiated settlement with Russia, a move that Democrats say would embolden Vladimir Putin.
Trump has positioned himself as a staunch supporter of Israel but said little on how he would end the war in Gaza.
Trade
Harris has criticised Trump’s sweeping plan to impose tariffs on imports, calling it a national tax on working families which will cost each household $4,000 a year.
She is expected to have a more targeted approach to taxing imports, maintaining the tariffs the Biden-Harris administration introduced on some Chinese imports like electric vehicles.
Trump has made tariffs a central pledge in this campaign. He has proposed new 10-20% tariffs on most foreign goods, and much higher ones on those from China.
He has also promised to entice companies to stay in the US to manufacture goods, by giving them a lower rate of corporate tax.
Climate
Harris, as vice-president, helped pass the Inflation Reduction Act, which has funnelled hundreds of billions of dollars to renewable energy, and electric vehicle tax credit and rebate programmes.
But she has dropped her opposition to fracking, a technique for recovering gas and oil opposed by environmentalists.
Trump, while in the White House, rolled back hundreds of environmental protections, including limits on carbon dioxide emissions from power plants and vehicles.
In this campaign he has vowed to expand Arctic drilling and attacked electric cars.
Healthcare
Harris has been part of a White House administration which has reduced prescription drug costs and capped insulin prices at $35.
Trump, who has often vowed to dismantle the Affordable Care Act, has said that if elected he would only improve it, without offering specifics. The Act has been instrumental in getting health insurance to millions more people.
He has called for taxpayer-funded fertility treatment, but that could be opposed by Republicans in Congress.
Law and order
Harris has tried to contrast her experience as a prosecutor with the fact Trump has been convicted of a crime.
Trump has vowed to demolish drugs cartels, crush gang violence and rebuild Democratic-run cities that he says are overrun with crime.
He has said he would use the military or the National Guard, a reserve force, to tackle opponents he calls "the enemy within" and "radical left lunatics" if they disrupt the election.
Guns
Harris has made preventing gun violence a key pledge, and she and Tim Walz - both gun owners - often advocate for tighter laws. But they will find that moves like expanding background checks or banning assault weapons will need the help of Congress.
Trump has positioned himself as a staunch defender of the Second Amendment, the constitutional right to bear arms. Addressing the National Rifle Association in May, he said he was their best friend.
Marijuana
Harris has called for the decriminalisation of marijuana for recreational use. She says too many people have been sent to prison for possession and points to disproportionate arrest numbers for black and Latino men.
Trump has softened his approach and said it's time to end "needless arrests and incarcerations" of adults for small amounts of marijuana for personal use.
