Following President Joe Biden’s withdrawal, the fate of American politics is now charting new waters with. As Vice President Kamala Harris is stepping up to run for the Democratic party, the election race has found a newfound boost of energy. Considering how she is set to have a showdown against Republican candidate, Donald Trump, here’s a comparison of the two, looking at how Kamala Harris vs Donald Trump differ on important issues.
With less than four months before election day, Biden’s withdrawal from the race presents considerable challenges for the Democratic Party, plunging US politics into uncharted waters. The big change-up also comes on the heels of the recent assassination attempt on Donald Trump, which happened during an election rally in Bethel Park, Pennsylvania. The tense atmosphere following this attack has been the force that has led to increased chatter around the situation of both candidates, nearly forcing the Democratic party to reconsider and find a stronger nominee.
My fellow Democrats, I have decided not to accept the nomination and to focus all my energies on my duties as President for the remainder of my term. My very first decision as the party nominee in 2020 was to pick Kamala Harris as my Vice President. And it’s been the best… pic.twitter.com/x8DnvuImJV
— Joe Biden (@JoeBiden) July 21, 2024
As 46th President of the United States, Joseph R. Biden Jr. successfully steered the country out of the pandemic, which is widely regarded as one of the biggest global catastrophes to have occurred in recent times. However, questions around Biden’s current capabilities for the job have risen amid his recent public appearances and poor debate performance against Donald Trump. The Republican Party has also taken repeated jibes at him for his inability to complete another term, probing his mental acuity at the age of 81.
Seasoned politicians and seniors in the Democratic party have remained sympathetic to Biden’s bid despite the looming fears of his loss against Trump. Oddly enough, it was a strong voice from Hollywood that made a significant impact on the current president’s big decision to step down. On July 10, Hollywood star George Clooney, a “lifelong Democrat” and donor of the party, called on Biden to drop out in a blunt New York Times guest column. The actor had previously helped to raise USD 28 million for Biden’s campaign at a Los Angeles fundraiser.
After announcing his exit from the presidential race, Biden endorsed Vice President Kamala Harris for the election, a decision that has received an overwhelmingly positive response. Amid growing celebrity support as well as in-party backing from towering figures like Nancy Pelosi, Harris is on her way to becoming a star candidate for the party. According to BBC, following Biden’s endorsement of Harris, democrats poured USD 81 million in donations into her presidential campaign, setting a record for the largest 24-hour period of campaign funding in presidential history.
With Kamala Harris and Donald Trump set to go head to head in the US elections, let us compare the two candidates on key factors like their age, wealth, and more.
The role of age in presidential candidacy has become a particularly potent subject amid Joe Biden’s recent debacles showcasing signs of forgetfulness. While memes of the US President zoning out during public events have entertained netizens, politicians such as US Congresswoman Katie Porter have spoken about the age limit being a key conversation to consider amid the recent election.
Among the current candidates — Donald Trump, who previously served as the 45th President of the United States, was born on June 14 1946 and is 78 years old. Democratic nominee Kamala Harris who currently holds the office of Vice President of the United States was born on October 20 1964, and is 59 years old.
Biden, 81, is currently the oldest president to ever take office. At 78, Trump, who is not too far behind Biden in age, seemingly holds a disadvantage over Harris at this point.
No, she did not “fall out of a coconut tree” like her viral comment might suggest. Vice President Kamala Harris was born in Oakland, California, attending Thousand Oaks Elementary School in Berkeley where she is also featured in a mural on campus. She later moved to Montreal with her mother and sister (Maya Harris) and later received her bachelor’s degree at Howard University. Harris then pursued law, returning to the Bay Area to attend law school at the UC Hastings College of the Law. Her impressive legal career began at the office of the district attorney (DA) of Alameda County, following which she was recruited to the San Francisco DA’s Office and later appointed city attorney of the San Francisco office.
On the other side of the coast, New Yorker Donald Trump was born in Queens and is the son of successful real estate developer Fred Trump. He attended the New York Military Academy and later majored in economics at the University of Pennsylvania’s Wharton School. While still in college, Trump began his career in business by investing in Philadelphia real estate and the family business.
Who are Kamala Harris’ parents?
A reflection of their distinctive family backgrounds is probably visible in Harris and Trump’s approach towards administrative strategies. The Vice President hails from a humble background, and her parents are Donald J. Harris and Dr. Shyamala Gopalan, who came to the United States to pursue their dreams.
While Harris’ father is Jamaican, her mother is of Indian heritage and the two met one another at the University of California, Berkeley. Notably, it was Harris and Gopalan’s shared interest in civil rights that brought them together and Kamala proudly addressed the same in her 2020 speech at the Democratic Convention saying, they “fell in love in that most American way — while marching together for justice in the Civil Rights Movement of the 1960s.” Presumably, it was her parent’s political views that rubbed off on her, making her a champion for issues of social justice.
Harris’ family also boasts a strong academic background, and while she herself pursued law, her mother Shyamala earned a doctorate in nutrition and endocrinology from UC Berkeley. Her father, however, was a professor emeritus of economics at Stanford University.
Harris herself appears to have found a suitable partner; she is married to Douglas Emhoff, a former entertainment lawyer at DLA Piper — one of the world’s largest law firms. After meeting through a mutual friend, Harris and Emhoff tied the knot in 2014 and it was her sister Maya who officiated the ceremony. The couple’s blended family also includes Emhoff’s two children, Cole and Ella, whom he welcomed with his first wife, Kerstin Emhoff. Harris is set to make history if she wins the presidential race; additionally, Emhoff would also become the maiden First Gentleman of the United States, the equivalent of the First Lady role currently belonging to Jill Biden.
The Trump family
Long before the Trump organisation became one of the biggest businesses in the world, real estate developer Fred Trump and Scottish immigrant Mary Anne Macleon Trump welcomed Donald Trump into their big family of five children. Donald and his late brother Robert worked together at the Trump Organization, while his other siblings followed different career paths. His sister Maryanne Trump was a former federal judge, while the late Fred Trump Jr. was airline pilot. His older sister Elizabeth Trump Grau, however, is a banking executive who is currently 81.
The scale of the Trump family wealth is evident in the shocking fact that in 1976, Fred Trump set up trust funds of USD 1 million for each of his five children. It is said that Donald Trump was a millionaire from the age of 8 and his wealth has only exponentially grown following his foray into the family business. Reports have also stated that the former US President is a beneficiary of several trust funds set up by his father and paternal grandmother from as far back as 1949. In a previous report by The Times, it was revealed that Trump’s parents have transferred over USD 1 billion to their children in inheritances.
The world of trust funds and multi-million inheritances further continues with Donald Trump’s own family. Trump has four children through ex-wives Ivana Trump and Marla Maples, as well as a son with present wife Melania Trump. Ivana’s children — Don Jr., Eric, and Ivanka — have all been involved with the Trump Organization in some capacity, while Maples’ daughter Tiffany is an attorney. Trump and Melania’s son, Barron, recently graduated high school. The former US President also has 10 grandchildren.
With the election race heating up further with each passing day, Donald Trump recently announced his running mate for the presidential race. His pick is United States Senator J.D. Vance, who will become the vice president should Trump secure the win come November. The Ohio senator first came into the public eye when his 2016 memoir Hillbilly Elegy was published. It has also been adapted into a movie starring Amy Adams and Glenn Close. Vance is married to Usha Chilukuri Vance, an Indian American woman. Following the announcement of him being Trump’s running mate, Vance has delivered fiery speeches and even called Harris “a million times worse” than Biden.
As the matter of Kamala Harris’ VP should she become the first woman president of the United States of America, multiple names have been thrown in the ring. Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro, North Carolina Governor Roy Cooper, Arizona Senator Mark Kelly, and Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg are some of the top names that have come up.
In terms of gaining celebrity support for their presidential bid, celebrities such as Kid Rock and Amber Rose have supported Trump at his rallies. However, a major chunk of Hollywood has sided with Harris, with Cardi B, Jimmy Kimmel, Mark Hamill, and others endorsing her as the new presidency candidate on social media.
Kamala Harris’ political journey has been marked with numerous firsts. She is a decorated Democrat with a list of achievements that include her role as the first woman, the first Black American, and the first South Asian American to be elected as the US Vice President in 2020. But before that, she was also the first Black American, first woman, and first Asian American elected to be the attorney general of California. Having journeyed from prosecutor to politician, Harris has garnered a strong reputation, and is widely regarded as a steadfast figure in American politics. This same reputation has earned her a place among Time’s annual list of the 100 most influential people in the world thrice: In 2013, 2020, and 2021.
Kamala Harris’ awards and accolades:
Despite these achievements, Harris’ political journey has been far from a smooth ride. Her approval ratings have taken a slump in the years that she has served as the VP. Assigned several big undertakings including immigration and voting reform, Harris’ methods have not reaped the desired benefits for her career, as she has been unable to turn any policy issue into a winsome political calling card. Her record on criminal justice issues has also been scrutinised by critics. In 2019, Harris proposed criminal justice reform plans which suggested scaling back incarceration, ending the death penalty and solitary confinement, and a ban on private prisons.
During her tenure as the Vice President, Harris also courted controversy in the form of high staff turnover rates, brought to light when her communications chief and press spokesperson stepped down. A Washington Post article also included claims from an anonymous former staffer, alleging that Harris took out her frustrations on her aides. Her gaffes during one-on-one interviews and public appearances also went viral, such as in a 2022 speech, where she misspoke the words, “alliance with the Republic of North Korea”, as opposed to South Korea.
However, Harris’ gaffes seem much less controversial when held in comparison to those of Donald Trump in his presidency years. At one point during a 2020 briefing on coronavirus, the former president drew the ire of the medical community when he suggested research into whether coronavirus might be treated by injecting disinfectant into the body.
While there have been multiple comparisons over the presidential terms of Joe Biden and Trump, according to Forbes, the Trump era saw better performances for the stock market. Inflation also rose during the Biden administration, compared to Trump’s first 41 months in office. However, these Trump achievements weigh less when compared to his bigger controversies, including the fact that he was impeached twice during his single term in office. And that’s not including his ongoing criminal prosecutions. On May 30 2024, Trump was found guilty on all 34 counts in his now-infamous hush-money trial. His sentencing is scheduled for September 18 2024.
Setting aside his political career and real estate business, Trump has also bolstered his net worth through the entertainment industry. He co-owns the Miss Universe, Miss USA, and Miss Teen USA beauty pageants, and later gained traction as creator-host of NBC reality show The Apprentice. In yet another controversy, the former president has also been accused of misconduct by former Miss Arizona Tasha Dixon, who told CBS that he used to “stroll right in” to the dressing room of beauty pageants while the contestants were changing.
For America to decide who will lead them for the next four years, it’s important to note where the two candidates stand on key issues such as climate change, gun control, and reproductive rights among others. Let’s find out how Trump and Harris differ on these issues.
Climate change: Harris has supported the climate policies of the Biden administration and is expected to continue to do if she is elected herself. However, her counterpart Trump has falsely claimed that climate change is a hoax, even overturning several environmental regulations during his term.
Gun control: Despite rising gun violence in America, Donald Trump has promised to safeguard gun rights whereas Harris has demanded stricter gun control measures in her speeches.
Reproductive rights: Kamala Harris’ stance on abortion rights and women’s healthcare has won her massive support. She became the first VP to visit a Planned Parenthood clinic in March 2024 and undertook a nationwide tour focused on reproductive rights. In comparison, Trump’s take on abortion rights has been controversial, as he has suggested the decision should be left to individual states.
There exists a significant wealth gap between Harris and Trump. Kamala Harris’s net worth was estimated to be around USD 6 million during the 2020 election. According to Time magazine, she earns USD 218,000 per year as Vice President, and her current net worth stands at an estimated USD 8 million, including a multi million-dollar home in California that her husband Doug Emhoff bought in 2012. The report also claims that Harris has earned more than USD 500,000 in advances from books she published before taking office.
In contrast to Harris, Donald Trump’s staggering net worth runs in the billions and he is one of the world’s wealthiest men. According to Forbes, Trump’s massive fortune stands around USD 7.5 billion as of May 2024. This includes a real estate portfolio of USD 1.1 billion, clubs and resorts worth USD 810 million, and other assets such as cryptocurrency, pensions and more worth USD 100 million.
(Main and featured image: Kamala Harris/Instagram; Donald Trump/Instagram)
Before becoming the first woman Vice President of the United States of America, Kamala Harris was the attorney general of California in 2010 and was re-elected in 2014.
"You think you just fell out of a coconut tree?" is Vice President Kamala Harris's famous comment that went viral as she began her presidential campaign.
Kamala Harris is fighting for reproductive rights of women, freedom to live safe from gun violence, and general health and sanitation.
Kamala Harris is an American politician who is the daughter of Shyama Gopalan, an Indian biologist and Jamaican-American father, Donald J Harris, who was a professor.
Senior Digital Writer, People, Entertainment and Fashion
Surabhi Redkar is a pop culture enthusiast with a keen interest in celebrity fashion and beauty trends. A post graduate in multimedia journalism from Birmingham City University, she has worked with several ..Read More
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