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Trump’s four biggest wins as President

Donald Trump has been hammered for his failure to handle the coronavirus pandemic. But he has had some big successes as US President.
What do Donald Trump and Joe Biden actually stand for? Pictures: Morry Gash and Jim Watson/AFPSource:AFP

What do Donald Trump and Joe Biden actually stand for? Pictures: Morry Gash and Jim Watson/AFPSource:AFP

Political buffs are counting down the days until the US election on November 3, when Donald Trump and Joe Biden will battle it out for once and for all.

It’s shaping up to be one of the most momentous votes in recent history, with Americans finally having the chance to choose between four more years of the Republican President – or some fresh blood via Democratic hopeful Joe Biden after months of brutal campaigning.

But what do the two candidates actually stand for – and what have been some of Mr Trump’s biggest successes and failures during his first term?

Here’s everything you need to know about the upcoming US election.

BIDEN’S POLICIES

• Tax reform: One of Mr Biden’s most headline-grabbing policies is his commitment to tax reform.

Under his vision, the tax rate would be jacked up taxes for businesses – and individuals who rake in $US400,000-plus ($A561,951) per year, which prompted rapper 50 Cent to throw his support behind Mr Trump on social media.

The plan would also involve taxing capital gains and dividends at income tax rates.

• Health: Health care is a top priority, and a Biden administration would expand Barack Obama’s Affordable Care Act, and rolling out a plan which would insure “an estimated 97 per cent of Americans” via a public health insurance program.

• Climate action: If elected, Mr Biden would commit to achieving 100 per cent emissions-free power by 2035.

He would also invest $2 trillion in clean-energy infrastructure and construct 1.5 million new energy-efficient houses and social housing units.

RELATED: Why Americans don’t want to vote

Democratic Presidential Candidate Joe Biden wants to take action on climate change and health reform. Picture: Jim Watson/AFP
Democratic Presidential Candidate Joe Biden wants to take action on climate change and health reform.
Picture: Jim Watson/AFPSource:AFP

 

RELATED: America’s confusing voting system explained

• Foreign policy: Mr Biden is not a supporter of his rival’s “America First” stance, and would prioritise repairing relationships with other nations and international organisations such as the World Health Organisation and NATO.

• Coronavirus response: Mr Biden has also vowed to establish a national contact-tracing program, which would create 100,000 jobs.

TRUMP’S POLICIES

• Jobs: One of the President’s key priorities this time around is job creation to kickstart the economy.

He has promised vowing to create 10 million new jobs in 10 months as well as a million new small businesses.

• Defending the police: Mr Trump has thrown his support behind the police force in the wake of national Black Lives Matter protests against police brutality.

As a result, a re-elected Mr Trump would hire more cops, protect police funding and increase punishments for those who attack officers.

• Building the wall: Donald Trump’s signature 2016 policy of building a US-Mexico border wall remains front and centre, and the President has secured funding for 716km of the 1161km structure.

He also wants move to a “merit based” immigration system and scrap the visa lottery system.

RELATED: Biden’s long fight to take on Trump
 

US President Donald Trump wants to scrap Obama’s Affordable Care Act. Picture: Brendan Smialowski/AFP
US President Donald Trump wants to scrap Obama’s Affordable Care Act.
Picture: Brendan Smialowski/AFPSource:AFP

 

RELATED: How mail voting works in the US

• Health care: While Mr Biden wants to expand Obama’s Affordable Care Act, Mr Trump plans to terminate it.

He also wants to make many prescription medications cheaper for citizens.

• Coronavirus response: Mr Trump’s administration launched “Operation Warp Speed” dedicated to finding and rolling out a COVID-19 vaccine by the end of the year.

TRUMP’S REPORT CARD

Donald Trump became the 45th US President on January 20, 2017 – and it’s been a crazy ride since then.

Here’s a round up of the former reality TV host’s biggest hits – and flops.

BIGGEST FAILURES

• COVID-19: The US is leading the world in both the total number of coronavirus infections and deaths, with 8,774,118 cases and 226,613 fatalities, according to Johns Hopkins University.

In fact, a cluster emerged at the White House itself, with Mr Trump, First Lady Melania and the couple’s teen son Barron all contracting the virus following a “super spreader event” at the Rose Garden.

• Getting impeached: Last December, Donald Trump became the third US president to be impeached, facing charges of abuse of power (over his involvement with Ukraine) and obstruction of Congress (due to his attempts to block the impeachment process).

However, he was acquitted in February 2020.

• Racial tensions: In 2017, the white nationalist “Unite the Right” rally in Virginia turned violent when 20-year-old James Alex Fields Jr rammed his car into anti-racism protesters, killing 32-year-old Heather Heyer and leaving dozens injured.

But Mr Trump stunned many when he said there were “very fine people on both sides” in the aftermath of the tragedy, causing critics to accuse him of supporting neo-Nazis.

Since then, racial tensions have also exploded in the US following the death of George Floyd at the hands of police, which sparked the Black Lives Matter movement.

Mr Trump has also been heavily criticised for failing to strongly condemn the far-right Proud Boys group during a recent presidential debate.

• Family separation: Another major criticism of the Trump administration is the “zero tolerance” policy when it comes to those entering the US without documentation.

It has led to the separation of more than 5500 families and the shocking placement of children in cages.

The parents of 545 children separated from their families at the US-Mexico border have still not been found, three years after the Trump administration brought in the policy.

In a court filing, the American Civil Liberties Union said around two-thirds of the parents in question had been sent back to their home countries in Central America, with their kids left behind.

NED-2563-Trump-vs-Biden-Key-Demographics - 0

BIGGEST SUCCESSES

• Tax cuts: Mr Trump has made good on his 2016 election promise to introduce tax cuts for workers and drop the corporate tax rate.

• Reshaping the Supreme Court: Mr Trump said he would appoint a conservative Supreme Court justice and has managed to appoint three, including Neil Gorsuch, Brett Kavanaugh and Amy Coney Barrett.

He has also appointed hundreds of judges to lower courts during his first term.

• Bombing the Islamic State: In a 2015 speech, Mr Trump said he would “bomb the s*** out of” ISIS if elected.

He followed through by bombing an IS-controlled area in Afghanistan and claims to have driven the group out of parts of Syria and Iraq.

Mr Trump has boasted IS has been “largely defeated” and IS leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi died during a US raid in 2019.

• Boosting the stock market: Under President Trump, the US stock market hit a record high in February, although it later dropped as a result of the coronavirus pandemic.

According to the New York Times, Mr Trump made a number of economic achievements before COVID-19 hit, with the median household income reaching the highest level in history and unemployment levels for minorities reaching record lows.

Source: News Corp Australia Network:

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