Anyone who listens to Donald Trump during the election campaign feels like they are back in the old days: the former US president wants to move away from green energy and is rehashing long-outdated economic ideas. A look at his most important campaign promises.
In the hush money trial against Donald Trump, it is now the jury's turn: They will spend the next few days, weeks or even months deliberating whether the former US president is guilty of election fraud or not. Until they have made their decision, Trump can return to the presidential election campaign – and the inevitably bold promises that go with it.
Donald Trump against electric cars
His latest announcement sounds – like many others – more like a threat than a promise: The conservative Republican candidate wants to stifle the sale of electric cars. To do this, he said, the option of writing off parts of the purchase costs for tax purposes should be eliminated. “You will no longer be able to sell these cars,” Trump said recently at a campaign event in Ohio, where 700 car companies and suppliers are based.
In the world of the former US president, there are compelling reasons for this unusual announcement: Firstly, promoting electromobility is one of Joe Biden's major projects and is therefore bad per se, and Trump has already pledged his all-encompassing support to the oil and gas industry. E-cars do not fit well into the concept.
Trump's fight against electric vehicles is likely to quickly backfire, however, as production and sales of electric cars are booming. The industry is creating countless jobs, especially in the south of the country – stopping this development out of ideological stubbornness is causing criticism even among Trump-loyal Republicans.
These are Donald Trump’s campaign hits:
energy transition
The Reversal of Biden's green course is one of Donald Trump's most important campaign promises. The USA must become the “cheapest energy location in the world”. To achieve this, new gas and oil areas must be developed and corresponding power plants built. Just in April, Trump asked the oil bosses for donations of one billion dollars – in his own words as an “investment” in an energy policy to their liking. In his first term in office, Trump appointed climate change denier Scott Pruitt as Minister of the Environment and had numerous climate and environmental protection regulations removed.
Joe Biden's “Inflation Reduction Act” is also set to be repealed. With it, the US government will not only promote green energy production, but also subsidies for health insurance and drug supplies, among other things.
Business
“It’s the economy, stupid”, it's always about the economyis one of those clichés about successful US election campaigns. And indeed, the economic circumstances are a major issue in this election too – especially inflation. Trump has already announced that he will drastically increase punitive tariffs on imports from China and Mexico. He also wants to extend the tax breaks he made during his first term and reduce taxes even further. The reductions have caused the US national deficit to rise to new record highs.
Trump has also already hinted that he thinks the dollar is “too strong” and interest rates are too high. This would make US products too expensive abroad and imports too cheap. In order to have more influence on interest rates, his advisory staff is considering bringing the US central bank under the control of the White House. According to experts, however, these are economic ideas from a long time ago, which last caused a “toxic inflation cocktail” in the 1970s.
Ukraine War
For a long time it seemed as if Trump would Fate of Ukraine not particularly interested. His loyalists in the US House of Representatives, such as Marjorie Taylor-Greene, even wanted to oust the Speaker of the House because he supported the billions of dollars in US military aid for the country. But the ex-president has apparently changed his mind: In April, he suddenly emphasized how important the country is to the USA. Nevertheless, he is demanding more European funds for the victim of Russian imperialism. He also maintains that with him as US President, peace would be achieved in no time.
immigration
To the One of the most important election campaign issues is immigration and Donald Trump already has precise ideas about this. Millions upon millions of people who have entered the USA illegally are to be deported without further ado. The exact number is unclear, but his radical idea would affect an estimated ten million people. He left open how exactly this would work, but recently said in “Time” magazine: “It's possible if you look at it from a military perspective. The National Guard should be enough, but if it weren't able to do that, then I would resort to the military.”
Trump criticizes Biden's immigration policy – US President counters with “loser”
The fact that the use of federal troops against civilians is prohibited does not bother the former head of state, because for Trump, immigrants are “not civilians.” He had previously been critical of immigrants without a residence permit, calling them “animals” who “poison the blood of our country.”
There is no longer any talk of building a wall on the border with Mexico, which he promised during his first election campaign. Instead, however, he does not want to rule out building detention camps to house migrants before they are deported.
crime
Closely linked to illegal immigration is the risingcrime – at least in Trump's world. Although there is no direct connection between the two issues, Donald Trump likes to mix them together into a complex. He calls crimes committed by immigrants without papers “Biden migrant crime”. His solution: kick the immigrants out.
After being selected as the 2016 presidential candidate, Donald Trump said: “The Americans watching this speech have seen the recent images of violence on our streets and chaos in our communities. Many have personally witnessed this violence, some have even been its victims. The crime and violence plaguing our country will soon – and I mean very soon – end. When I take office, safety will be restored.”
Sources:Gizmodo, DPA, AFP, Reuters, CNBC, BDI, “The Guardian”, CNN, Reuters, Project Syndicate, Deutschlandfunk, “Washington Post”, “Time” magazine, “New York Times”
