Where do the presidential candidates stand on key issues?

Democrats are gathering in Chicago this week for the Democratic National Convention, which officially kicks off this afternoon.

The event comes as Vice President Harris and former President Trump have unveiled more details surrounding their policies for 2025 and beyond.

Economy/Taxes: Trump’s proposals include extending his previous administration’s tax cuts (which will expire in 2025), expanding tariffs on foreign goods, and giving the president a more direct role in how the independent Federal Reserve sets interest rates.

• Harris has endorsed expanded tax credits for lower-income Americans, alongside steeper taxes on corporations and high-earners. She’s also indicated she’ll keep Trump- and Biden-era tariffs in place, and recently proposed legislation to boost housing construction and restrict price gouging in the grocery industry.

Immigration: Harris, who Biden assigned in 2021 to tackle the root causes of immigration, has endorsed creating pathways to citizenship for unauthorized immigrants living in the US. She also supported a recent bipartisan Senate deal that included tougher asylum standards.

• Trump has said he would strongly restrict unauthorized immigration by carrying out the largest domestic deportation in US history, among other things. He’s also committed to reviving his previous administration’s travel ban on seven Muslim-majority countries.

Abortion: Trump has said abortion’s legality should be left for states to decide, and also said he wouldn’t sign a federal law that bans abortion after a certain period. Harris has called on Congress to codify the abortion rights from Roe v. Wade into federal law, protecting access until the point of fetal viability (~22 weeks of pregnancy).

Foreign policy: Trump has repeatedly criticized continuing US aid to Ukraine, and said he’s in favor of “fundamentally reevaluating” America’s alliance with NATO – whose members Trump has criticized for failing to hit agreed-upon military spending targets.

• Harris has aligned with Biden’s pledge of unceasing support for Ukraine, and also supported efforts to strengthen America’s relationship with NATO.
• Both candidates have expressed support for Israel’s right to defend itself against Hamas, but have been critical of some Israeli tactics.

Polling update: Harris currently holds a slim lead over Trump in polling aggregators from FiveThirtyEight (+2.6%) and RealClearPolitics (+1.4%). But Trump is currently projected to defeat Harris by a 287-251 margin in the Electoral College based on individual state polls, per RCP.

Looking ahead… The four-day Democratic National Convention will open tonight with a primetime speech from President Biden.

📊 Flash poll: If the November election was held today, which candidate would you vote for?

• Former President Trump
• Vice President Harris
• Robert F. Kennedy Jr.
• Another third-party candidate
• Not planning to vote/Too young to vote
• Unsure/other