How does each candidate stand on the issues
Donald Trump
Republican
Trump opposes most climate change legislation, a position that hasn’t changed since his term in the White House. During his presidency, he withdrew the United States from the Paris Agreement, a global climate initiative that Biden rejoined once he took office. Trump also says supporters of climate change are trying to destroy the nation’s energy industry. As president, Trump rolled back swaths of the nation’s environmental regulations, and he has regularly minimized the effects of climate change around the world.
Joe Biden
Democrat
Biden has warned that denying the impacts of climate change in the U.S. and around the world is “condemning the American people to a very dangerous future.” Biden has announced the nation’s first American Climate Corps, with a goal of training young people who want to take on the climate crisis. He has also set a national goal to reduce greenhouse gas emissions in half by 2030 and pledged to make the American power sector 100% carbon-pollution-free by 2035. Biden’s administration has also offered widespread support for electric vehicles.
Marianne Williamson
Democrat
Williamson has warned that the nation’s biggest crisis surrounding climate change is “humanity’s massive state of denial that it exists on the scale it does.” As president, the author would enact a full-scale effort to reach 100% renewable energy in the U.S. and lower carbon emissions by 2035. She has also called for halting all new fossil fuel subsidies and instead investing that money into wind and solar energy, among other energy initiatives. Williamson has said she will ban all fracking operations in the U.S. and prioritize training workers to move from traditional energy sectors to new ones.
Robert F. Kennedy
Independent
Kennedy spent more than 20 years as an environmental lawyer, with his advocacy focusing on clean water, the environment and human rights. His campaign’s environmental policies focus on shifting agricultural subsidies to encourage more sustainable practices. He has also proposed incentivizing industries to use clean energy sources in an effort to reduce toxic waste, industrial poisons and pesticides. Kennedy has said he also wants to reduce corporate connections with federal agencies like the U.S. Department of Agriculture and the Food and Drug Administration to allow them to focus on protecting the environment.
Jill Stein
Green Party
Stein has said the U.S. must take “decisive action” to address climate change and “prevent the worst-case scenario of climate collapse.” She has backed a Green New Deal, a climate-focused model based on the New Deal programs enacted in American in the wake of the Great Depression. Stein’s program would feature investments in sustainable jobs and industries, both to target climate change and help the U.S. economy. The USA TODAY Network has reached out to Stein’s campaign for specifics on her climate change priorities.
Cornel West
Independent
West supports declaring a climate emergency, which would include nationalizing the fossil fuel industry and enacting a federal moratorium on fracking and what he calls “false climate solutions,” a major undertaking that would surely face legal challenges. He has supported a constitutional right to clean air and water and urged a pause on oil and gas leasing projects on federal lands and waters. As commander in chief, he would also create a commission on clean drinking water access for communities where it’s not guaranteed.
Donald Trump
Republican
Trump supports increased powers for police and says Democratic policies are leading to crime sprees in big cities. Meanwhile, opponents say his proposed crackdowns threaten civil liberties. Trump during his term in office did sign the First Step Act into law, which expanded some early-release programs for people convicted of crimes and reduced certain mandatory minimum sentences, among other changes. He also issued several high-profile pardons and commutations while in office, working alongside Kim Kardashian on some efforts.
Joe Biden
Democrat
Biden has often said he believes in safer American communities, but with accountability for policing across the country. The president has still sought to distance himself from calls to “defund the police,” and his administration has expressed concern about rising crime rates in some areas. To address mass shootings and gun violence, he has often called on Congress to reinstate a ban on assault weapons and high-capacity magazines. Additionally, his budget proposal to lawmakers in 2023 included more money for law enforcement officials to fight gun violence.
Marianne Williamson
Democrat
The author and spiritual leader has called America’s longstanding efforts to fight crime ineffective. Instead, she proposes what she calls a holistic approach to address underlying causes of crime. Williamson has called culture and education “the strongest preventative medicines” for American communities. As president, she would fund and increase the number of social workers, create “wraparound” programs to provide healthcare and other services for children and fund efforts for law enforcement officials to repair relationships with their communities.
Robert F. Kennedy
Independent
Kennedy is campaigning on “transforming” the police, rather than defunding them. He has said he wants to incentivize police to prevent violence and avoid making unnecessary arrests. Kennedy is also campaigning on training police officers in de-escalation techniques and mediation skills and establishing partnerships with local organizations to create a new relationship with the public that is not adversarial. With Kennedy’s platform on crime, police will focus on serious crimes instead of targeting a larger pool of Americans.
Jill Stein
Green Party
Stein has been critical of police brutality, calling for law enforcement to be trained further in conflict resolution tactics. After George Floyd was killed by police in Minneapolis in 2020, Stein called for community control of police, saying, “Police are supposed to protect and serve our communities, not terrorize them.” She has previously supported an assault weapons ban. The USA TODAY Network has reached out to Stein’s campaign for specifics on her crime and policing priorities.
Cornel West
Independent
As president, West says he would redistribute police funding to unarmed forces within communities, while more broadly targeting incarceration rates in the U.S. He has called for officials to invest in alternatives to incarceration for people convicted of crimes, in addition to banning the death penalty and life sentences without the possibility of parole. When it comes to gun violence, he has supported additional requirements and documentation for gun ownership, as well as a national red flag law to speed up weapons being taken away from people who pose a threat.
Donald Trump
Republican
Trump has proposed a program designed to give parents more control over local schools, including the right to elect and fire school principals. While education has not been a major focus of his campaign, he has been critical of Biden’s efforts to cancel student loan debt for millions of borrowers. In 2023, he praised the Supreme Court justices for striking down a chunk of Biden’s plan, which Trump called unfair for people who have paid back their educational loans. Trump has also praised the court’s rulings targeting affirmative action programs in higher education.
Joe Biden
Democrat
One of Biden’s signature priorities while in the White House has been addressing student loan debt. While several of his efforts have been challenged, or undone, in court, his administration has still sought avenues to cancel debt for millions of borrowers. When it comes to controversies in K-12 education, Biden has denounced book bans in school libraries. He has also attacked Florida legislation critics have called “Don’t Say Gay,” which bars instruction on gender identity or sexuality. Jill Biden is also a longtime educator and has made the classroom a centerpiece of her time as first lady.
Marianne Williamson
Democrat
Williamson has called for free tuition for students attending public colleges, including community colleges, four-year colleges and universities and historically Black colleges and universities. She has also called for free trade school tuition for certain professions, such as carpenters and plumbers. As president, the author would also forgive all federal and private student debt. She also says she would end “high stakes” testing for students in a push to “return to teachers the opportunity to practice the art of teaching.”
Robert F. Kennedy
Independent
Kennedy has several proposals for reducing student loan debt. His platform would allow students to refinance their student loans at lower interest rates to reduce monthly payments. He is also urging Congress to pass legislation to abolish interest on new and existing student loans. The junior Kennedy is campaigning on placing the responsibility on schools, instead of loan institutions and banks, when it comes to loan defaults in an effort to incentivize universities to lower tuition costs. Additionally, Kennedy backs expanding higher educational opportunities related to trades – like electricians, plumbers and mechanics — and explore funding opportunities to students who are pursuing this work.
Jill Stein
Green Party
Stein during her 2016 campaign called for wiping out student debt, arguing that if the federal government could step in during the 2008 financial crisis, it can do the same for students. She has also supported free tuition for students at public colleges. USA TODAY has reached out to Stein’s campaign for specifics on her education priorities.
Cornel West
Independent
West has a broad education platform, spanning from pre-k programs to higher education. West has said he would support national free pre-k childcare. He has also said officials should center public schools across the country, reducing the need for charter schools or other alternatives. He has called for free tuition at all state and community colleges, in addition to canceling all student loan debt. When it comes to educators, West has backed an $80,000 minimum wage for all K-12 teachers in public schools.
Donald Trump
Republican
Trump receives some of his highest marks from voters on his handling of the economy. Trump and his fellow Republicans passed a $1.5 trillion tax overhaul in 2017, which would expire during the next president’s term in 2025. He has criticized the growing federal debt, though his critics point out that the “The Art of the Deal” author did little to address it during his term in the White House. The nation’s budget and debt increased under Trump’s watch. The former president has also been more skeptical of free trade initiatives and agreements than some of his Republican counterparts, going so far as to start a trade war with China during his term in office.
Joe Biden
Democrat
Biden says he believes the best way to boost the U.S. economy is from the middle out and the bottom up. His economic plan, which he calls “Bidenomics,” has included the $1.9 trillion American Rescue Plan – a post-pandemic stimulus package – and funding for major infrastructure projects and climate initiatives. Republicans contend Biden’s policies are to blame for soaring inflation that has squeezed household budgets. They also argue that his regulatory policies are slowing the economy. Biden labels the GOP approach trickle-down economics, which he says have failed ordinary Americans.
Marianne Williamson
Democrat
Williamson has proposed an economic bill of rights for Americans, which would include the “right to a job that pays a living wage,” “the right to good, affordable housing,” and other guarantees. Williamson has also called for setting a nationwide goal of eradicating poverty and expanding social safety net programs for low-income people. She has proposed increasing the federal minimum wage to $15 per hour and closing tax loopholes for large corporations, and she includes investments in care programs, drug pricing and other common costs as part of her economic platform.
Robert F. Kennedy
Independent
Kennedy says Americans need a president who cares about their personal economy — not an economy centered around war or Wall Street. He campaigns on America’s current economic system making expenses unaffordable for most Americans. He also advocates for prosecuting union-busting corporations so labor groups can organize and negotiate fair wages. Kennedy wants to raise the minimum wage to $15, expand free childcare programs and drop housing costs by $1,000 per family. Kennedy has proposed cutting some military expenses, barring corporate bailouts and other proposals to fund his economic platform.
Jill Stein
Green Party
Stein, like some of her other presidential hopefuls, has said she would support an economic bill of rights for Americans. That would include the right to a living-wage job, housing, food, health care, education and other programs. The Green Party candidate has called for “an economy that works for all of us, not just the wealthy and powerful.” The USA TODAY Network has reached out to Stein’s campaign for specifics on her economic priorities.
Cornel West
Independent
West’s economic platform centers around what he calls “economic justice,” with goals that range from abolishing poverty and homelessness to establishing a national $27 minimum wage and implementing specific billionaire taxes. He has also called for greater rights for American workers, ending “right-to-work” practices to boost the nation’s unions and establishing a commission with a goal of creating a 4-day work week. West has also called for ending the use of credit scores for housing, finance or employment decisions.
Donald Trump
Republican
As he did in 2016, Trump is promoting an “America First” agenda that is suspicious of free trade and alliances with other countries, such as NATO. Trump also wants to pull back on U.S. defense commitments, throwing into doubt aid to Ukraine in its war with Russia. He has a tendency to praise authoritarian leaders in Russia, China and North Korea, but has criticized the actions of China and Iran. Trump has promised to support Israel in its ongoing war against Hamas, but he has also been critical of Israeli leaders.
Joe Biden
Democrat
Biden’s foreign policy priorities have largely focused on America’s allies around the world. As the war in Ukraine continues, Biden has called on Congress to provide additional support to the nation as it fights Russia’s invasion. He has also reiterated America’s support for Israel as its war with Hamas rages on in the Middle East. But the president’s critics have often focused on America’s chaotic withdrawal from Afghanistan, a devastating moment Biden’s administration has acknowledged it could have approached differently.
Marianne Williamson
Democrat
Williamson has called for the creation of a U.S. Department of Peace, which would provide support for efforts to end conflicts, coordinate humanitarian assistance and create a U.S. Peace Academy working with the U.S. Military Academy. She has vowed to increase the budget for the State Department’s peace efforts. She has also proposed launching a 10- to 20-year plan for “turning a wartime economy into a peace-time economy,” which would involve shifting current investments to building schools, infrastructure and more.
Robert F. Kennedy
Independent
Kennedy’s foreign policy looks to bring troops home, stop racking up the nation’s debt in conflicts and put an end to what he calls proxy wars. In Ukraine, Kennedy wants to end the suffering of Ukranian people by helping them defend their country. However, he supports finding a diplomatic solution to bring peace to Ukraine while bringing home U.S. resources. For example, Kennedy has questioned whether current American efforts in the war-torn nation serve to help Ukrainians or use the country’s people as a “pawn to weaken Russia.”
Jill Stein
Green Party
Stein accuses both political parties of feeding an “endless war machine” that helps military contractors and public officials. As president, she has said she would revamp America’s foreign policy and center it around human rights to oppose “violence, occupation, and apartheid.” Stein has called for a cease fire in Israel as its war with Hamas continues. In February 2023, she said the people of Ukraine were being used in a “superpower proxy war.” The USA TODAY Network has reached out to Stein’s campaign for specifics on her foreign policy priorities.
Cornel West
Independent
The longtime professor has generally split with other candidates on issues of foreign policy. He has said he would slash America’s military budget, which he calls bloated. He has also vowed to disband NATO, a massive international organization. He has claimed he would cease American funding of weapons in Ukraine to invest in peace efforts. He has also called for ending military funding to Israel in one of the most significant departures from his fellow candidates. West has said he does not support any U.S. intervention in Haiti, even extending beyond military goals.
Donald Trump
Republican
Trump tried and failed to repeal the health care law signed by his predecessor, former President Barack Obama, but the real estate mogul has said little about the issue lately. The former president did sign legislation as president to increase funding for substance use disorder treatment in the wake of the opioid epidemic, and in 2017 he declared the opioid crisis a public health emergency. However, on the campaign trail Trump has been more focused on addressing the spread of fentanyl in the U.S., taking aim at drug cartels in Mexico.
Joe Biden
Democrat
Expanding health care coverage provided by the Affordable Care Act and lowering prescription drug costs were two of Biden’s signature campaign promises in 2020. He has called health care a right, not a privilege, for all. Biden also wants to cap insulin prices for Americans with diabetes at $35 a month, and his administration has participated in price negotiations for a slate of drugs. That includes medication Americans use for heart diseases, autoimmune conditions and more. Biden has also proposed changes to private Medicare plans to help seniors access health care.
Marianne Williamson
Democrat
Williamson supports a Medicare for All-type health care system, a universal plan for Americans that would replace coverage from private health insurance companies. If elected president, she would push for lower prescription drug prices by pursuing negotiations with drug companies. But Williamson has also called for a “Whole Health Plan,” in which the country would prioritize health and wellness initiatives across the board. That includes promoting healthy nutrition, encouraging exercise and activity and addressing air and water pollution.
Robert F. Kennedy
Independent
Kennedy has come under fire for false medical claims, particularly that vaccines are linked to autism. He received backlash, even being banned on Instagram, for criticizing governmental COVID-19 restrictions and spreading misinformation about the virus. He started the Children’s Health Defense, a nonprofit organization that focuses on anti-vaccine messaging. Kennedy champions lowering chronic disease rates in children, saying he would not want to be reelected if he has not significantly reduced disease among children by the end of his potential first term.
Jill Stein
Green Party
Stein has advocated for a Medicare-for-all style health care system, moving away from the current system of private health insurance companies. She has also called for mental health care and dental and vision care to be included in health benefits. She has supported a right to health care as part of her economic bill of rights for Americans. The USA TODAY Network has reached out to Stein’s campaign for specifics on her health care priorities.
Cornel West
Independent
West says the country should embrace free health care for all U.S. residents and nationalize the health care industry, moving away from health care insurance companies. He has also called for nationalizing the currently private and massive pharmaceutical industry, as well as establishing a “Health Bill of Rights” for disabled people facing challenges in accessing health care. As president, West would also support a COVID-19 Commission to address the populations disproportionately impacted by the pandemic.
Donald Trump
Republican
Trump has promised the biggest deportation and border arrest programs in American history, and the border has been his signature issues since he entered politics. Trump famously vowed to build a wall on the U.S. southern border, though he did not complete that goal while he was in office. His administration famously separated thousands of migrant families at the border, which prompted international condemnation. He also made efforts to ban travelers from a group of Muslim-majority countries during his term in the White House.
Joe Biden
Democrat
The president has tried to boost security at the southern border while still providing a “safe, orderly, and humane immigration system,” according to the White House. Though Biden pledged during the 2020 presidential election that he wouldn’t continue building former President Donald Trump’s signature border wall, additional portions of the wall have been constructed with Trump-era funds. Biden has tried to crack down on illegal border crossings while broadening legal pathways for immigrants from some countries including Venezuela, Cubans, Haitians and Nicaraguans.
Marianne Williamson
Democrat
Williamson calls for providing a path to citizenship for all immigrants living in the U.S. who haven’t violated major laws. She has also called for expanding the number of visas approved for immigrants in America. The author has vowed to speed up legal processing for migrants by expanding immigration staffing and funding, while also abolishing Immigration and Customs Enforcement, known as ICE. Instead, Williamson has said she would establish an Office of Citizenship, Refugees, and Immigration Service to provide housing, health care and other resources for migrants.
Robert F. Kennedy
Independent
Kennedy views the situation at the southern border as a humanitarian crisis. If elected, he would focus on securing the border with a goal of ending illegal immigration while expanding America’s lawful immigration system. His immigration policy looks to first get the border under control and then work with other countries to stem the tides of migrants. Kennedy also wants to fund and prioritize immigration infrastructure, which includes further funding services like courts and border agencies to handle asylum cases.
Jill Stein
Green Party
Stein in 2016 said she supported a wider pathway to citizenship for immigrants. At the time, she also accused the U.S. of playing a major role in causing an immigration crisis. She was critical of multiple American policies and agreements, including the North American Free Trade Agreement. However, the accord was replaced under former President Donald Trump’s administration. The USA TODAY Network has reached out to Stein’s campaign for specifics on her immigration priorities.
Cornel West
Independent
The philosopher says that, as president, he would transform the nation’s immigration policies to create a broad legal pathway for residency in the U.S. He has also said he would abolish Immigration and Customs Enforcement, better known as ICE, while also targeting delays immigrants to America face as they seek legal residency in the country. West would allow asylum seekers to enter the country for humanitarian refuge “without delay or prejudice.” He, like many of his fellow White House hopefuls, has also said he would ban the separation of families at U.S. borders.
Donald Trump
Republican
Trump has been more moderate on abortion, warning Republicans against supporting bans across the country that are too restrictive. He has criticized six-week bans that have been signed into law in several states, but he has not specified his own plan and claims he wants to negotiate with Democrats on the issue. Trump also says anti-abortion laws should include exceptions for rape, incest and severe medical emergencies. Trump appointed three of the six pivotal justices who voted to overturn Roe v. Wade.
Joe Biden
Democrat
Biden supports access to abortion, and his administration backs the rights provided by Roe v. Wade, the landmark 1973 decision establishing the right to an abortion that the Supreme Court overturned in 2022. The president has prioritized protecting access to mifepristone, known as the abortion pill. Biden celebrated Ohio voters’ 2023 approval of a constitutional amendment to protect abortion rights and access to other reproductive health services. His administration has also tried to project access to reproductive care for service members.
Marianne Williamson
Democrat
Williamson has promised to codify the Supreme Court’s 1973 decision Roe v. Wade into law, establishing the right to an abortion from coast to coast. If elected, she would also boost funding for Planned Parenthood and other local abortion clinics, in addition to creating a federal program to help people access contraception. The program would specifically focus on low-income communities. She has also vowed to deny funding to so-called crisis pregnancy centers, whose aim is largely to discourage people seeking abortions.
Robert F. Kennedy
Independent
Kennedy’s stance on abortion has been unclear throughout his campaign. The independent presidential contender said he would support a federal abortion ban after the first three months of pregnancy at the Iowa State Fair in Summer 2023. He later walked back the comments, and his campaign released a statement that Kennedy supports a woman’s right to choose and does not support legislation banning abortion. He previously told USA TODAY he feels the government should not be telling people what to do with their bodies, and it should be up to the woman during the first three months of pregnancy.
Jill Stein
Green Party
Stein has previously been in favor of abortion rights. She has also criticized Democratic officials for failing to codify the protections provided by Roe v. Wade into law when they controlled both chambers of Congress and the White House from January 2021 to January 2023. Stein has accused Democrats of simply fundraising off the debate surrounding abortion, instead of taking concrete steps to protect abortion rights. The USA TODAY Network has reached out to Stein’s campaign for specifics on her reproductive rights priorities.
Cornel West
Independent
West has vowed to codify abortion rights as a “constitutional mandate,” a difficult process that involves working with individual states on the controversial issue. West has often tied reproductive rights to the larger fight against racism, poverty and other challenges, including speaking out to support the work of activists in favor of abortion after the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade. He has also said that as president, he would provide resources to address the disproportionate maternal death rate among Black women.
