There are few politicians in America more polarizing than Donald Trump, but are Amer- icans’ feelings about him justified? Trump’s plans to “Make Amer- ica Great Again” in- clude key changes in areas like the econo- my, immigration, for- eign policy, health care, and climate change. In his short video series called “Agenda 47,” he describes his plans for America if he wins the presidential election.
On the economy, Trump’s plan focuses on tariffs and tax cuts. According to his cam- paign website, it in- cludes implementing a 10% worldwide tariff and a 60% tariff on Chi- na. These tariffs would decrease imports by $5.5 trillion and would reduce after-tax house- hold incomes by $1,800, according to a study by the Tax Policy Center.
According to his cam- paign website, Trump also advocates for reduc- ing the corporate income tax from 21% to 15%. The Wharton Budget Model estimates that these eco- nomic policies will decrease overall tax rev- enue by $5.8 trillion, which Brookings finds will have the effect of reducing welfare, social security, and infrastructure spending.
Trump’s most contested and polarizing issue relates to the southern border, which he claims is allowing “illegal aliens” and drug-smuggling car- tels into our country. On his campaign website, he promises to carry out the largest deportation mis- sion (over 15 million mi- grants) in American histo- ry. He references his past presidency, claiming that drug deaths from opioids smuggled in by migrants were at an all-time low due to his closed-border policies. The facts, howev- er, show the opposite, as data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) shows that annual drug overdose deaths from opioids actual- ly increased by 192%. Trump’s immigration policy is inher- ently flawed be- cause it doesn’t account for the economic and political motive that drive mi- grants to Amer- ica. Instead of solving the problem, he just tries to keep the migrants out.
The Wharton Budget Model also explains that Trump’s economic poli- cies are highly facilitative of corporate profit, and will grow the overall econ- omy. However, as a study from Yahoo Finance ex-plains, it will also wors- en economic inequality by increasing corporate profit at the expense of middle and working-class salaries, meaning these benefits won’t be felt by the average American.
On the issue of abor- tions, Trump has adopted a soft stance, saying that he will oppose late-term abortion but protect birth control, prenatal care, and IVF, according to his offi- cial platform. Although he still claims he will leave the issue of abortion to the states, his stance is much less extreme than expected, as in 2022, his running mate JD Vance said he supported a na- tional abortion ban, ac- cording to The New York Times.
According to AP News, Trump has said he has no regrets about the over- turning of Roe v. Wade, a result of his conservative Supreme Court nomina- tions. This has resulted in over 22 million women losing complete or sig- nificant access to abor- tion care, according to the Center for American Progress.
Finally, in terms of for- eign policy, Trump does not specifically mention any alliances except for stating that he will stand with Israel, and that he plans to build an Iron Dome missile defense shield for the United States, according to his platform. In 2017, he for- mally recognized Jerusa- lem as Israel’s capital and cut over $500 million in foreign aid to Palestine, according to the New York Times and NPR. Howev- er, he left military aid to Israel untouched, send- ing $3.3 billion each year, according to The Times of Israel. His aid cuts to Palestine had the effect of eliminating access to life-saving healthcare and education for Pales- tinian refugees, accord- ing to Brookings. He has also proposed aid cuts to Ukraine, according to an article by Politico.
The 2025 presidential election will be a close one, but one thing is clear: voters should be wary be- fore believing many of Trump’s claims. Many of his ideas seem effective, but in practice, they are far from it.