With the United States Vice President Kamala Harris and former President Donald Trump seeking to expand their alliances in the final weeks leading up to the 2024 election day, the competition has intensified to the point where their new policies are encroaching on each other’s territory. This blur in the long-standing definitions of the two party’s priorities is indicative of the heated atmosphere in the final stages of the election.
Harris has been discussing gun rights and promising stringent border security measures. – Do you believe this is a core policy of the Democratic Party?
Meanwhile, Trump has vowed to limit credit card interest rates and compel insurance companies to cover the costs of in vitro fertilization. – Do you believe this is a typical stance of the Republican Party?
Both of these 2024 presidential candidates are adopting policies that were once detested by their supporters, disrupting long-held assumptions about their respective party stances.
According to the Associated Press, the new policies introduced by Harris and Trump are blurring the lines between the two parties, as they are winning support from each other’s camps.
Former Democratic congresswoman Tulsi Gabbard from Hawaii pointed out that many issues attracting people to support President Trump were once core pillars of the Democratic Party. Gabbard, who was a Democratic presidential candidate in 2020, now not only supports Trump but is also one of his top allies.
Barbara Comstock, a former Republican congresswoman from Virginia who served as co-chair of Nikki Haley’s presidential primary campaign earlier this year, now expresses support for Harris.
Comstock, surprised by her alignment with the Democrats, noted that Harris’s calls for expanding child care tax deductions, supporting strict bipartisan immigration measures, and taking a tough stance on Russian President Putin are reasons for her endorsement.
Despite Harris and Trump adopting policies to attract each other’s voters, their priorities still largely align with the core bases of their respective parties.
While Trump remains opposed to abortion rights actively promoting conservative approaches on trade and foreign policy, this election season, he has continued to break some of the traditional right-wing taboos, such as softening his stance on abortion by stating his opposition to a federal abortion ban.
Last week, Trump expressed his desire for the federal government to cap credit card interest rates at 10%, a move that apparently irked fiscal conservatives. He also voiced support for a federal law that would require insurance companies to cover in vitro fertilization costs, disappointing some social conservatives who believe embryos should be protected.
Gabbard supports Trump’s new policies, viewing them as based on “common sense.”
In addition to in vitro fertilization, Gabbard also backs Trump’s support for criminal justice reform, which reduces prison sentences for many inmates. She also particularly endorses Trump’s foreign policy concept aimed at avoiding U.S. involvement in global conflicts like the Russia-Ukraine war.
Gabbard said, “Many political independents and many Democrats don’t recognize the Democratic Party today. There is not one Democrat in the House or the Senate standing up and saying, ‘We need to end the war in Ukraine.'”
Gabbard and Robert F. Kennedy Jr. have both transitioned from being prominent figures in the Democratic Party to supporters of Trump, appearing prominently in his campaign to help secure the support of undecided Democrats and independents.
The Kennedy family is one of the most prominent Democratic dynasties in American politics. Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s uncle John F. Kennedy served as U.S. president, while another uncle, Ted Kennedy, was a U.S. senator, and his father, Robert F. Kennedy, also served as a U.S. senator and attorney general.
Robert F. Kennedy Jr. ran for president as an independent in the 2024 election, but announced his withdrawal in August and turned his support towards Trump. In his speech supporting Trump, he cited finding agreement with Trump on many critical issues.
On the other hand, Harris has begun outlining specific policy plans to connect with Republican voters. Recently, her campaign has held events with Republican officials focusing on abortion rights, border security, and fostering small businesses.
Seven Republicans were granted speaking opportunities at the Democratic National Convention in August. Many Democratic outside groups are spending millions to assist Harris in engaging dissatisfied Republicans, including Republican voters opposed to Trump and associated groups.
Meanwhile, Harris has adopted a tougher foreign policy stance. She pledged that if elected, she would have a Republican in her cabinet. She has even openly discussed owning a gun and how she would use it.
On September 19, Harris said on Oprah Winfrey’s live show, “I am a gun owner.” Oprah expressed surprise, saying, “I didn’t know that before!” The TV personality has been a longtime supporter of Harris.
Harris replied with a smile, “If someone breaks into my house, they would be shot. Sorry!”
Currently, more than a hundred Republican national security and foreign policy officials have expressed support for Harris. These Republicans have served in the Reagan, George H.W. Bush, George W. Bush, and Trump administrations. A notable example is former Vice President Dick Cheney under George W. Bush.
While Harris and Trump are embracing policies to attract each other’s supporters, their respective priorities largely remain aligned with their parties’ core bases.
Trump still fundamentally opposes abortion rights, taking pride in conservative Supreme Court justices he appointed overturning the federal abortion rights established in Roe v. Wade. He believes abortion laws should be left to individual states.
The former Republican president promises that if re-elected, he will undertake the largest-scale deportation of illegal immigrants in U.S. history and complete the construction of a massive border wall to prevent illegal immigration.
He dismisses climate change as a “hoax” and outlines an energy plan robustly supporting the fossil fuel industry.
He aims to expand tax cuts to benefit all Americans, opposes nearly all restrictions on gun rights, and strongly opposes left-wing notions of “diversity” and “inclusivity.”
Despite this, Trump’s team believes his policy platform is compelling and appeals to moderate Democratic voters.
Brian Hughes, a spokesperson for Trump’s campaign, believes Trump is attractive to African American, Hispanic, and union members who have long supported the Democratic Party and Democratic presidential candidates. Notably, the Teamsters Union, a long-time supporter of the Democratic Party and its candidates, announced last week that they would not endorse any 2024 presidential candidate, seen as a significant victory for Trump.
Meanwhile, Harris is just beginning to elucidate specific policy plans, having entered the presidential race only two months ago. However, her record and recent statements clearly indicate that she still mostly supports liberal policies. She tells Democratic voters that while her policies have changed, her values have not.
Harris supports federal abortion rights, bans on assault weapons, expanding President Joe Biden’s $35 insulin cap and $2,000 annual prescription drug cap to all Americans. She calls for price controls, prohibiting grocery stores from price-gouging, and advocates for pathways to citizenship for undocumented immigrants.
She pledges bold action on climate change, although she now expresses support for “fracking” – a stark departure from her stance in 2020. Fracking is the most common technique in oil extraction, criticized by the left for environmental degradation.
She supports broad voting rights, accusing Republicans of racial discrimination in restricting voting rights.
Mia Ehrenberg, a spokesperson for Harris, said, “Vice President Harris’s focus on opportunity and freedom embody America’s fundamental values that transcend party lines,” and that any American opposed to Trump and unhappy with his policies “can find their home in Vice President Harris’s campaign.”