As we approach what is once again the most important election of our time, it’s easy to get caught up in the endless doomscrolling of political polling. But what often gets lost in all of the noise is a good comparison of the two very different futures for the United States being offered by Trump and Harris. In our final post before the 2024 election, let’s take a look at what is at stake for the future of the United States and the world.

Economics

Coming out of a once-in-a-century pandemic and economic crisis, the U.S. economy is now the strongest in the world by a wide variety of measurements. Inflation is back down, unemployment is at a comfortably low level, and wages are rising for the vast majority of people. Any yet, global market forces have kept price too high and the cost of things like home ownership remain unrealistic for many people. That’s why the plan put forth by Vice President Harris would lower taxes for the vast majority of people and put more money in their pockets to pay for necessities. Her plan includes restoring the expanded Child Tax Credit that cut taxes by thousands of dollars for nearly 100 million people, while also providing a $6,000 tax cut for families in the first year a child is born. As someone still paying for daycare expenses, that type of savings would be a tremendous blessing and greatly ease the financial burden of parenthood.

In addition, the Harris plan would boost the economy by providing a major tax credit to new businesses. Startups are a key aspect of the American economy and allow for healthy competition in a capitalist free market. Everyday prices are still too high (while corporate executive profits remain at record-high levels), so the Harris plan would seek to ban price gouging on everyday necessities when those costs rise beyond what the free market would normally dictate. Finally, her plan will help solve America’s home ownership crisis by building millions of new houses and providing up to $25,000 to first-time home buyers to help them with the down payment on their mortgage. In all, these are significant investments in the middle class to help all of us begin to share in the prosperity of this recovered economy.

On the other hand, former president Trump has very little in the way of a coherent plan. The only real thing he has articulated so far is another massive tax cut for billionaires and a plan to place insane tariffs of up to 20% on goods imported into America. This plan is being widely criticized by economists of all backgrounds as it would all but ensure a dramatic rise in inflation. After all, a tariff is simply a tax. If a 20% tariff is placed on something coming into the United States, the price of that item goes up 20%. It is estimated that this plan would cost the average consumer in the United States over $2,600 per year! It’s both bad policy, and detrimental to the success of everyday people in America. On economics, it’s clear that Trump would seek only to enrich himself and his billionaire friends, while Harris would deliver far better results for the average American.

Foreign Policy

America’s role in the world matters. We’ve outlined dozens of times just how important it is for the United States to remain a strong, stable player on the world stage. American global leadership ensures that the United States has a seat at the table to negotiate the best economic deals, develop business ties with companies all over the world, and protect American citizens abroad. Our traditional alliances with Europe form the cornerstone of international security. If we abandon these relationships in favor of personal favors from dictators in countries like China or Russia, it will destabilize the world order. This instability makes global prices rise, increases the potential of armed conflict, and makes us all less safe. While a Harris administration would continue to uphold American global leadership and our alliance system, Trump has repeatedly said he would abandon our NATO allies and remake American foreign policy to look more like that of authoritarian nations.

In the Middle East, the Trump administration policies would be far more destabilizing than anything we have seen before. I certainly have complaints about the extent to which the Biden administration has not done enough to constrain Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu’s controversial handling of the war in Gaza. Israel absolutely has a right to defend itself, but the way the Prime Minister is doing so in Gaza and Lebanon is creating tremendous civilian suffering. Still, Vice President Harris has made it clear that she would do more to constrain the conduct in the war and be more aggressive about seeking off-ramps toward peace. A second Trump administration would certainly be far worse for the fate of the Palestinians (and by extension Israelis seeking a lasting peace). During his administration, he showed unconstrained support for Netanyahu by moving the U.S. Embassy to Jerusalem and ignoring a massive settlement expansion in the West Bank. Now his former (and possibly future) advisors are openly calling for the expulsions of Palestinians from Gaza and Israeli annexation of the West Bank. Nothing would start an all-out regional war faster than a move like this.

In Ukraine, Trump would abandon the country in its struggle against Russian aggression. It’s important to remember that Russia continues to indiscriminately bomb civilian infrastructure including hospitals and power stations in an attempt to break Ukrainian morale. By cutting off all support to Ukraine, Trump would force them to give up over 20% of their land to Russia. And it’s not even clear that the war would stop if Trump is elected. Without a guarantee of American support, Putin would have every incentive to try taking even more territory or destroy the entire country. The Harris administration recognizes the global and economic importance of supporting Ukraine to give them the best possible negotiating position to end the war. People often obsess over the top-line dollar figures being sent to Ukraine, but most of this support isn’t just cash going to Kyiv. A significant share of this equipment is military surplus that was already headed for the scrapyard anyway. In some of these cases, it’s cheaper to give away this equipment than it would be to safely scrap and decommission it. And since these stockpiles are continually being replenished, defense production companies can continue to employ millions of Americans during an otherwise tight labor market. On foreign policy, it’s clear that Harris would bring stability and shared prosperity, while Trump would cause only chaos.

Democracy

This year our core democratic values are truly on the ballot. Our fundamental freedoms and the protection of the rule of law are what ensure that we even get to have the promises of a functioning economy, basic human rights, and all the other unseen benefits that come from a responsible, responsive government. Trump’s Project 2025 would create a de-facto national abortion ban, lead to the deportation of millions of people living in America, and completely overhaul the federal government by replacing nonpartisan subject matter experts with Trump loyalists (among many other things). These moves would be extremely destabilizing to the country and create a much higher likelihood of economic and social unrest.

Then there are Trump’s recent comments about deploying the military against his perceived political opponents. This is similar to his comments during the protests in 2020 when he reportedly asked if the National Guard could shoot protesters in the street. The only reason that this didn’t happen is because the military leaders and advisors around Trump prevented it. Dozens of past officials from his own cabinet say he is unfit for office, including his former top general, who recently called him “fascist to the core.” Those guardrails will be completely gone in a second term, with only those who will execute his every command left in power. And now that the Supreme Court has granted absolute immunity for nearly any action taken in his capacity as president, there will be almost no legal repercussions from even the most extreme measures (after all, we’re still litigating his conduct from January 6, 2021).

But in all of this we have a vision for a brighter future. We can choose a path that both affirms our most basic democratic principles, helps keep the world more secure. and boosts the economy for everyday people. The policies and personality of Kamala Harris are exactly what this country needs right now. Make a plan, vote, volunteer, and do your part to form a more perfect union.