What’s at Stake in the 2024 Election
A 14-day series highlighting our best coverage of the most important issues in this election.
Limits of Power
We’ve spent two years examining the implications of a second Donald Trump presidency. He wants to radically reshape the federal government and consolidate executive power. He tried to do much of this in his first term but was largely stymied. Now, he’s intent on hiring people less likely to say no.
Pace of Change
Kamala Harris is not offering sweeping change, even as voters express dissatisfaction about the direction of the country. She’s an institutionalist who wants to preserve democratic ideals, and an incrementalist who believes progress takes time. That means her pragmatic approach could be frustrating to some supporters.
Immigration
Donald Trump’s first-term crackdown on immigration looks mild compared with his new plan. He wants to mobilize law enforcement and the military for what he’s dubbed the largest deportation operation in U.S. history: He’d round up millions of undocumented people and hold them in camps to await expulsion.
Rule of Law
Donald Trump says he would use the power of the presidency to order F.B.I. investigations and criminal prosecutions of his political foes. He was largely thwarted in this in his first term. But the Supreme Court has made it easier for him to succeed if he gets a second chance.
Abortion Rights
Donald Trump has boasted that he was able to kill Roe v. Wade, allowing states to ban abortion. He has said he would not sign a national ban if Congress passed one. But his allies in the anti-abortion movement have plans that would let him effectively impose such a ban without Congressional action.
Kamala Harris’s Rise
Harris’s ascent reflects a changing Democratic Party, one that has reorganized in the Trump era around reproductive rights, racial representation and protecting democracy. She’s kept a distance from the left wing, and united Democrats in a crisis — seeking to recreate the anti-Trump coalition that won victories in 2020 and 2022.
Taxation
Donald Trump wants to cut taxes in novel and potentially very expensive ways if he returns to the White House. He would instead impose broad tariffs on imports to fund the government. Taken together, his plans could remake the nation’s tax system, placing a greater burden on low-income Americans.
Deploying Troops on U.S. Soil
Donald Trump says he’d deploy the U.S. military on domestic soil, including to suppress protests he deems riots, patrol Democratic-run cities he deems crime dens and hunt for undocumented immigrants. The strongman tactics would carry profound implications for individual rights and constraints on federal power.
Climate
During his presidency, Donald Trump dissolved more than 100 environmental regulations. If elected again, he would kill any federal effort to study and fight climate change, encourage oil and gas companies to “Drill, Baby, Drill” and restrict the government agency that protects air and water.
Imagining a Harris Presidency
Kamala Harris is shattering precedents, but it is easier to see her as president in light of her story as a daughter of motivated immigrants and as a longtime prosecutor. She favors facts over ideology. Her guardedness, as an often prejudged woman of color, makes her aware of inequities in policy.
Tariffs and Trade
Donald Trump has proposed sweeping tariffs on imports that would raise trade barriers to a level unseen in generations. Those tariffs would protect some U.S. factories but raise costs for American households. They would also probably incite trade wars and shake the alliances the U.S. has worked to construct since World War II.
America’s Place in the World
Donald Trump claimed his presidency marked an “America First” approach to the world. But to friends, foes and aides, it was chaotic: He tweeted out policy before it could be analyzed, and allies were often punished more harshly than adversaries. And in his current campaign, he has reversed positions he took as president.
Trump’s Criminal Trials
Donald Trump has a uniquely personal stake in the outcome of this election. If he wins, he may be able to wriggle out of many, if not all, of his four criminal cases. If he loses, he could end up in jail and lose his liberty, too.
Still More Scandals
Donald Trump has been enveloped in more scandals than any other president. A new term could bring more allegations and retribution. But now he’d have immunity granted by the Supreme Court, a firmer grip on the Justice Department and little fear of impeachment after two failed efforts to remove him.
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