(President Trump and Presidential Nominee Joe Biden during the second Presidential debate/Image by Peter Spiegal/FinancialTimes.com)
Presidential Nominee Joe Biden
Coronavirus Response
Presidential nominee Joe Biden has consistently stated that as president he would institute a mandatory mask mandate but that he would also call on all governors to enact this mandate as well.
“I would do everything possible to make it required that people had to wear masks in public,” Biden said in June.
His team has stated that his strategy to combat COVID-19 would be one based on science and consistency.
Education
Joe Biden has made it clear that he would make public colleges tuition-free, but only for families who make under $125,000.
Biden promises to keep the DACA policy as well as make DACA Dreamers eligible for federal student aid.
Climate and the Environment
Joe Biden has announced a $2 trillion plan to combat climate change and environmental racism.
“I want young climate activists, young people everywhere, to know: I see you. I hear you. I understand the urgency, and together we can get this done,” Biden said in August.
His climate plan includes taking an active role in reducing greenhouse gas emissions by eliminating carbon emissions from the electric sector by 2035, imposing stricter gas mileage standards, and funding investments to upgrade the nation’s transportation system.
Criminal Justice
Joe Biden does not support defunding police but has advocated for police reform and community-based policing. He has also actively called for the end of qualified immunity, which is a legal doctrine that shields police from victim lawsuits.
He also plans to decriminalize marijuana on a national level and give states the option to legalize it recreationally or reclassify it for further study. Any prior marijuana-related convictions will also be expunged.
President Donald Trump
Coronavirus Response
When it comes to supporting a nationwide mask mandate, President Trump opposes the idea, leaving it to states to decide to require them.
The government provides free coronavirus testing, but has not implemented a nationwide strategy to test Americans for the coronavirus. President Trump believes that the U.S. does almost too much testing and that it makes us look bad by increasing case counts.
Education
The President criticizes the idea of free tuition even as a majority of Republican voters under the age of 30 support the idea of tuition free colleges, as stated in s study found by the Pew Research Center.
President Trump has also proclaimed to create a policy to get rid of redlining and help minority families get access to any public or private education in the U.S.
He opposes the DACA program and has clamped down on it by blocking new enrollment applications and only allowing one year renewals instead of two.
Climate and the Environment
The President has openly expressed his disbelief for climate change, as he stated in a Washington Post Interview in 2018,”Whether or not the effects that you’re talking about are there, I don’t see it.”
The President has has rolled back a vast amount of Obama’s environmental protections policies and heavily promotes the use of fossil fuels that are linked to the rise in temperatures.
Criminal Justice
President Donald Trump is opposed to defunding the police, saying that most in law enforcement “are doing an incredible job.” as during the Black Lives Matter protests he responded with a barrage of attacks on the activists and protesters. .
When asked about whether he’d consider ending qualified immunity, the President has indicated that idea to be crazy.
President Trump will also continue to allow the decision for the legalization of marijuana to be left up to the states.
