2024 Election: Where Donald Trump stands on California issues
SAN FRANCISCO - Donald Trump, making his third consecutive run for the White House, has blasted the current administration on its policies ranging from the handling of the economy to immigration.
The state of the country is vastly different from when he left office in 2021. With the pandemic ongoing and amid social unrest, he departed from Joint Base Andrews that late January day, telling his supporters, "We will be back in some form."
Here is where he stands today on key issues important to California voters.
Abortion
During the presidential debate on Sept. 10, Trump said he would not sign a federal abortion ban into law and rather said that it should be up to the states to decide.
During the debate, he also erroneously accused Democrats of allowing abortion up to the ninth month of pregnancy. Kamala Harris has said that she supports restoring Roe v. Wade, which allowed for abortion until a fetus becomes viable. Figures from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention show a vast majority of abortion happen in the first trimester.
Trump has not offered a consistent stance on the issue of reproductive rights, though it was under his three Supreme Court appointees who voted to overturn Roe v.Wade in 2022.
Gun control and crime
The Trump-Vance Campaign has promised to protect gun rights and has expressed opposition to gun-restriction laws. The Trump-Vance Campaign boasted that Trump’s three Supreme Court appointees expanded the Second Amendment right to keep and bear arms. "He will also always defend your Second Amendment right to keep and bear arms," the campaign promised.
Presidential debate watch party attendees in SF give high marks to Vice President Kamala Harris
A sold-out crowd of 240 filled the Commonwealth Club in San Francisco attended the highly anticipated presidential debate between Vice President Kamala Harris and former President Donald Trump. It was largely a crowd of Democratic voters, but there were some Republicans who attended. Most people, including one man who said he's voted for Mr. Trump and will likely vote for him again, agreed that Vice President Harris won the debate.
Taxes
Among Trump’s list of 20 "Core Promises," he said he would implement "large tax cuts for workers."
He’s pledged to extend and make permanent his 2017 Tax Cuts & Jobs (TCJA) Act, an overhaul of the tax code which is set to expire in 2025. His campaign said that the policy doubled the standard deduction and expanded the child tax credit.
Critics say the law has largely benefited businesses and the wealthiest Americans.
Trump has also said he wants to further cut corporate income tax rates. He has proposed cutting the overall corporate tax rate to 15% from 21% — but only for companies that make their products in the U.S., according to the Associated Press.
When it comes to tipped income, he is aligned with Kamala Harris in pushing for making gratuities exempt from federal income tax. Trump has also said that he wants to eliminate taxes on Social Security benefits.
Outside analyzes suggest that Trump’s ideas would do much more to increase budget deficits than what Harris would do, without delivering the growth needed to minimize any additional debt, the Associated Press reports.
Economy
Trump has made the economy a key focus of his campaign, promising to "end inflation and make America affordable again."
Trump has said part of that plan includes bringing in more jobs and manufacturing opportunities.
As part of that goal, his campaign said he will extend his earlier policy of imposing tariffs, proposing a 60% fee on imports from China, and at least 10% on all other imports into the U.S.
The Trump-Vance Campaign said it will "defeat inflation" through policies that include deregulation, to promote economic growth, though he hasn’t offered specific details on the plan.
Housing
Trump said he will strip down regulations that increase costs for housing and open up large tracts of federal land to build new housing constructions and increase supply.
He also promised to promote homeownership through tax incentives and support first-time buyers.
The former president has used housing as another aspect of his plan to crack down on undocumented immigrants. He says he can reduce housing costs by preventing undocumented immigrants from getting mortgages, although figures from the non–profit research group Urban Institute suggest a very small portion of undocumented immigrants are homeowners in the U.S.
Social Security
The Trump-Vance Campaign has pledged to fight for Social Security and Medicare and protect the programs from cuts and said it will not approve any changes to the retirement age.
Healthcare
The Trump-Vance Campaign said that Republicans will expand healthcare options, transparency and make it more affordable by promoting competition. Trump said he would also expand access to prescription drug options. He also promised to protect Medicare.
Fentanyl and opioid crisis
Trump pledged to combat crime and drug cartels by securing the border. "We will deploy the U.S. Navy to impose a full Fentanyl Blockade on the waters of our Region—boarding and inspecting ships to look for fentanyl and fentanyl precursors," his campaign said.
Immigration
The former president has made immigration a centerpiece of his run for the White House. He pledged to strengthen U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), increase penalties for illegal entry and restore Title 42, which went into effect during the COVID-19 crisis and restricted access to cross Southern Border in the name of protecting public health.
The campaign also promised to launch the "largest deportation program in American history" and end sanctuary cities by cutting federal funding to sanctuary jurisdictions.
Energy costs and climate
The Trump-Vance Campaign said it will "unleash American energy." Trump said to boost the U.S. economy, the country must become energy independent and to accomplish that, "We will DRILL, BABY, DRILL."
The campaign also promised to cancel the Biden Administration's electric vehicle rule which sets carbon emissions limits for vehicles.
He has also pledged to re-exit the Paris Climate Accords, end wind subsidies and eliminate regulations imposed and proposed by the Biden administration targeting energy-inefficient kinds of lightbulbs, stoves, dishwashers and shower heads, according to the Associated Press.
Foreign policy: Israel-Gaza War / Russia Ukraine War
During the presidential debate, Trump said that he would end the war in Ukraine, though he skirted the question of whether he wanted Kyiv to come out triumphant. The former president has previously expressed complementary comments about Russia’s president. He has also repeatedly boasted that if re-elected he would be successful in brokering a peace deal within a day in the Russia-Ukraine conflict, though he has not offered specific details on how that would be achieved.
Trump has expressed continued support behind Israel. Here on U.S. soil, he said that he would deport "pro-Hamas radicals" and has denounced pro-Palestinain protests on college campuses.