The campaign for President Donald Trump, who will face off against Democratic challenger Joe Biden in the United States presidential election, has released his second-term agenda.
The bullet-point list, which centres around 10 policy areas, comes on the first day of the Republican National Convention, which will culminate in Trump accepting the party’s nomination from the South Lawn of the White House.
Themed “fighting for you”, the Trump campaign says the policy priorities reflect Trump’s “boundless optimism and certainty in America’s greatness”.
The policies also reflect the “America First” message that had defined Trump’s previous campaign and his presidency to date.
The outlined goals remain sceptical of international institutions and trade deals, call for winding down “endless wars” and promise a clampdown on undocumented immigrants and those applying for citizenship who require public support. When it comes to education, Trump promises to “teach American exceptionalism”.
The plans also focus heavily on creating jobs, recovering from the coronavirus pandemic, and continuing to roll back regulatory restrictions on the energy sector. They also reflect Trump’s law and order 2020 campaign messaging in calling for bringing “violent extremist groups like Antifa to justice” while doing away with cash bail reforms.
The campaign has said Trump will offer further details on the plans during the convention. Amid criticism over his handling of the coronavirus and racial justice protests, Trump has said he will seek to present a more upbeat perspective on current affairs than Democrats, who widely portrayed the president as an existential threat to the country.
Here are the recently released policy priorities for a Trump second term:
Jobs
- Create 10 million new jobs in 10 months
- Create 1 million new small businesses
- Cut taxes to boost take-home pay and keep jobs in the US
- Enact fair trade deals that protect American jobs
- “Made in America” Tax Credits
- Expand opportunity zones (which provide tax advantages for some investments in low-income areas)
- Continue deregulatory agenda for energy independence
Eradicating COVID-19
- Develop a vaccine by the end of 2020
- Return to normal in 2021
- Make all critical medicines and supplies for healthcare workers in the US
- Refill stockpiles and prepare for future pandemics
Ending reliance on China
- Bring back 1 million manufacturing jobs from China
- Tax credits for companies that bring back jobs from China
- Allow 100 percent expensing deductions for essential industries like pharmaceuticals and robotics that bring back their manufacturing to the US
- Withhold federal contracts for companies that outsource to China
- Hold China fully accountable for allowing the virus to spread around the world
Healthcare
- Cut prescription drug prices
- Put patients and doctors back in charge of our healthcare system
- Lower healthcare insurance premiums
- End surprise billing
- Cover all pre-existing conditions
- Protect Social Security and Medicare
- Protect veterans and provide world-class healthcare and services
Education
- Provide school choice to every child in the US
- Teach American exceptionalism
Draining the swamp
- Pass Congressional term limits
- End bureaucratic government bullying of US citizens and small businesses
- Expose Washington’s money trail and delegate powers back to people and states
- Drain the globalist swamp by taking on international organisations that hurt US citizens
Defending police
- Fully fund and hire more police and law enforcement officers
- Increase criminal penalties for assaults on law enforcement officers
- Prosecute drive-by shootings as acts of domestic terrorism
- Bring violent extremist groups like Antifa to justice
- End cashless bail and keep dangerous criminals locked up until trial
‘Illegal immigration’ and protecting US workers
- Block illegal immigrants from becoming eligible for taxpayer-funded welfare, healthcare, and free college tuition
- Mandatory deportation for non-citizen gang members
- Dismantle human trafficking networks
- End sanctuary cities (in which local authorities do not cooperate with federal immigration enforcement) to restore our neighbourhoods and protect our families
- Prohibit American companies from replacing US citizens with lower-cost foreign workers
- Require new immigrants to be able to support themselves financially
Innovate for the future
- Launch Space Force, establish a permanent manned presence on the moon and send the first manned mission to Mars
- Build the world’s greatest infrastructure system
- Win the race to 5G and establish a national high-speed wireless internet network
- Continue to lead the world in access to the cleanest drinking water and cleanest air
- Partner with other nations to clean up our planet’s oceans
America First foreign policyr
- Stop endless wars and bring troops home
- Get allies to pay their fair share
- Maintain and expand America’s unrivalled military strength
- Wipe out global terrorists who threaten to harm Americans
- Build a great cybersecurity defence system and missile defence system
