Election day is around the corner and political tensions are running high. Regardless of your political participation, elections have consequences. Your vote matters. Your vote is a chance for you to partake in the democratic process. Are you ready to make an informed vote?

Below you will find an introductory guide to the platforms of Donald J. Trump and Joe Biden. 

Economy:

Trump:

• Pushed re-opening during the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic
• Stimulates the economy with tax cuts
• Opposed to raising taxes
• Increase domestic manufacturing
• Discourages US companies from offshoring (blames the difficulty of obtaining masks and COVID-19 essentials on offshoring)

Biden:

• Cautious about re-opening during the coronavirus pandemic 
• Plans to spend trillions in job creation for clean energy and caregiving occupations
• Plans to reverse Trump’s 2017 tax cuts
• Plans to raise the federal minimum wage
• Increase domestic manufacturing 
• Disapproves of the tariff war with China

Read more about how the candidates approach the US economy here.

Criminal Justice System and Racial Relations:

Trump:

• Very few Black Americans on his White House staff
• Does not support ending qualified immunity
• Signed the First Step Act, which increased the number of drug treatment programs for inmates and reduced the mandatory minimum sentences
• Supports death row

Biden:

• Promises to have a diversified staff representative of the US population
• Aims to reform qualified immunity 
• Promise to invest in diversity programs and extensive training for police officers
• Elimination of both solitary confinement and the death penalty

Immigration:

Trump:

• Strict travel bans during the coronavirus pandemic in order to protect US jobs and health
• Increased funding for ICE and deportation of illegal immigrants
• Aims to end Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA)
• Plans to continue building a border wall between the United States and Mexico
• Uphold travel bans from Muslim-majority nations

Biden:

• Believes immigrants help create jobs and stimulate the economy
• Promises to put a hold on deportation
• Aims to protect DACA and oppose Trump’s decision to end DACA
• Promises to stop further construction of Trump’s border wall 
• Promises to lift the travel bans

Read more about how Biden and Trump both address immigration here.

Foreign Policy:

Trump:

• Aggressive action and implementation of tariffs to push back against China breaking international trade rules
• Increase surveillance domestically 
• Increase defense and weapons spending in our U.S. Military
• Withdrew from several international agreements 

Biden:

• Agrees with Trump that China is breaking international trade rules, and plans on working on building a team of allies to push back
• Aims at using smaller groups of U.S. special forces to fight terrorism
• Focus on building allies and diplomacy efforts

Read more on where the candidates stand with regards to foreign policy here.

Climate Change:

Trump:

• Does not agree with or support climate science
• His administration began removing climate change information from online sources
• Opposes the Green New Deal

Biden:

• Plans on the creation of ARPA-C (Advanced Research Projects Agency on Climate)
• Supports international agreements such as the Paris Agreement
• Supports the Green New Deal

Read more on how Trump and Biden approach climate change here.