Karim Freed; Aaron Balmer; Tyler Eller
2016 Election
Describe the candidate: In the 2016 election year, the two main candidates were Donald J. Trump and Hillary R. Clinton.



Donald John Trump
          Hillary Rodham Clinton
Realestate Tycoon
Wife/First Lady of Bill Clinton (1993-2001) president
Known for being a businessman, and television personality
U.S. Senator from New York State (2001-2009); Secretary of State to President Barack Obama (2000-2013)
Hadn’t served government office or been in the military before election
First candidate to announce her run for the presidency in the 2016 election
Built campaign on “Make America Great Again”
Used traditional Demoncratic Party theme of, “Everyday Americans need a champion. And I want to be that champion.”
Doesn’t really like being on live television/talking on mic (with press)
Not good at talking to the citizens; at least not to the ones that really count
Uses his connection with social media to get his “ideas” out there/seen
She represents the old way of politics
45th president
Would of been the 45th president of the United States; mainly being the first female one


Issues of 2016: Their Stances on things
Climate Change
Donald Trump:
Disputes the notion that climate change is caused by human activity
Called global warming a “hoax” and a “pseudoscience”
Said it was invented by America’s global competitors to stifle U.S. economic growth
Pledged to renegotiate President Obama’s carbon reduction strategy, revive coal mining and other carbon-intensive industries
Pledged to abolish the “totalitarian” Environment Protection Agency
	Hillary Clinton:
Has an ambitious plan to combat climate change
Calls climate change “an urgent threat and a defining challenge of our time.”
Proposes to make the U.S. a “clean energy superpower”
Wants to deeper implement President Obama’s carbon reduction plan
Wants to cut energy waste and oil consumption by a third
Promotes the use and growth of renewables
Pledged to oversee the installation of 500 million solar panels by the end of her first term
Proposed a federal grant program called the “Clean Energy Challenge”, costing 60 billion dollars, that helps states and local communities adopt clean energy policies
Geared towards impacting low-income communities
Criminal Justice
Donald Trump:
Hasn’t released any formal positions on criminal justice, nor has he clearly outlined how he’d specifically address the issue
Repeatedly promised to be tough on crime and “restore law and order”
Claims police are often “mistreated and misunderstood”
Says the nation’s “racial tensions have gotten worse, not better.”
Noted he’d like to make the level of crime and poverty in many inner-city communities conditions better
	Hillary Clinton:
Worked hard to distance herself from the criminal justice (policies)
Pledged to reverse many criminal justice policies (including many implemented by her husband)
Vowing to end mass incarceration and close private prison
Plans to reform mandatory minimum sentencing for nonviolent offenders
Wants to redirect federal enforcement resources away from the War on Drugs, towards combating violent crime
Supports police body cameras, even stating she’ll provide federal matching funds, allowing departments to implement emerging technology
Abortion
Donald Trump:
As a presidential candidate, he shifted his position to one more in line with the Republican Party’s anti-abortion stance
Pledging to change the abortion laws by appointing pro-life judges (to the Supreme Court)
Advocates allowing states to protect the rights of the unborn
Strays from the Republican platform in the sense, he argues that abortion laws should contain exceptions for rape and inecest; when the life of the mother is at risk
	Hillary Clinton:
Constistently described herself as “pro-choice”
Has fought efforts to defund Planned Parenthood
Opposed laws aimed at restricting access to safe, legal abortions
Praised the Roe v Wade Supreme Court case; pledged to continue working to protect it
Said she would consider some restrictions on late-term abortions, aslong “...as the there is an exception for the life and health of the mother.”
National Defence
Donald Trump:
Described his foreign policy plan as replacing “chaos with peace”
Argues that America needs to focus on defending its own border rather than borders of other countries
Claims he was strongly opposed to the U.S. invasion of Iraq, in 2003
Says that although “war and aggression will not be my first instinct,” the U.S. should continue to invest heavily in the military
Repeatedly vowed to “crush ISIS”
States, yet either vaguely, “we must as a nation be more unpredictable.”
Called for upping attacks against terrorists, sending more of them to U.S. military prisons, while expanding the use of forceful interrogation methods
Has been outspoken in his opposition to President Obama’s defense and foreign policy strategies
Argues we’re too lenient with known enemies, we hurt U.S. relations with allies and altogether just made America weaker
Stated both, “Our foreign policy is a complete and total disaster,” and, “No vision, no purpose, no direction, no strategy.”
	Hillary Clinton:
Advocated for greater U.S. involvement overseas
Argues that the current administration should have acted more proactively to stop the rise of ISIS, in Syria and Iraq
In Favor of increasing pressure against ISIS by intensifying air and ground military campaigns; also by launching an “intelligence surge” to discredit terrorist ideologies while subsequently halting their online recruitment tactics
Backed the 2003 U.S. invasion of Iraq, and also supported the 2009 troop surge in Afghanistan
Money
Donald Trump:
Created “America First” economic plan
The proposal includes ways to simplify the tax code, increase trade enforcement, and strike down federal agency regulations
His first tax reform proposed broad relief for the middle class and closing loophole for the rich
His campaign released a revised three-tier tax plan
That current proposal would cut top income tax rates from nearly 40 percent to 33 percent
He consistently appealed to big business; pledging to slash the top tax rate on corporations by more than half
Wants to abolish the estate tax, as well as making inheritance money tax-free
Advocates strongly against raising the federal minimum wage, but has shifted his position at some point
Now suggests is should be increased to “at least $10.”
	Hillary Clinton:
Made the income inequality issue in America a central part of her campaign
Pledged to “make the economy work for everyone, not just those at the top”
Has an ambitious plan that includes job creation, slashing corporate loopholes and raising the minimum wage
The jobs plan is mainly focused on the nations transportation, technology and energy sectors
Proposes to raise taxes on the rich, to fund the job plan, which includes a minimum 30 percent tax rate for those making more than one million dollars a year, and a four percent surcharge for incomes over five million
Immigration
Donald Trump:
Made tough immigration policy one of the cornerstones of his campaign
Has promised to deport all 11.3 million undocumented immigrants
Accuses them of stealing jobs from U.S. citizens, straining public resources and jeopardizing national security
Key part of his plan is building the “infamous” wall on the border between Mexico and the U.S.; even saying he’ll make Mexico foot the ten billion dollar bill
Plans include tripling the number of immigration enforcement officers and ending the constitutional guarantee of birthright citizenship
Outlined a 10-point immigration plan, which reiterated his intentions on cracking down on illegal immigration, building the wall and even setting a new (historically) low cap on legal immigration
	Hillary Clinton:
Supports President Obama;s executive actions to provide deportation relief to eligible undocumented immigrants
Vowed to go beyond Obama’s short-term measures and fight for comprehensive immigration reform; their path towards legal citizenship
Proposed reducing barriers to naturalization for green card holders, closing private immigration detention centers and creating the first national Office of Immigration Affairs
Supports a five-fold increase in the number of Syrian refugees allowed to enter the U.S., from 10,000 to 65,000
Maintains the notion that the U.S. would have to “be vigilant in screening and vetting refugees from Syria.”
Higher Education
Donald Trump:
Acknowledged the rising cost of higher education and said that he wants to help people struggling with student loan debt
Offered little in the way of specific proposals
Suggested eliminating the Department of Education
He just has very little to say regarding college affordability
	Hillary Clinton:
Calling to eliminate tuition at in-state public colleges and universities for families with an income below 125,000 dollars
The plan would include federal tuition grants for states that agree to provide matching funds
Plan also includes a three-month moratorium on federal student loans repayment, also a restoration to the Pell Grant funding, a program for students with financial need
Health Care
Donald Trump:
As with the Republican establishment, he is loyally opposed to Obamacare
Pledges to overturn it
Calls the law, “an incredible economic burden”
Aims to restore “free market principles,” by  allowing people to deduct health payments from their tax returns
Wants to remove barriers to entry, for legal drug providers, to lower prescription costs
Claims that providing healthcare to undocumented immigrants costs eleven billion dollars annually and that mass deportation would, “relieve healthcare cost pressure on state and local governments.”
	Hillary Clinton:
Pledged to defend, and build upon Obamacare
Her health care proposal focuses primarily on lowering out-of-pocket expenses
The proposal also aims to reduce the cost of prescription drugs, and expand Medicaid for lower-income people
Supports tax credits for people purchasing health insurance on government exchanges; has guaranteed that families will spend no more than 8.5 percent of their income, on insurance premiums
Gun Control
Donald Trump:
Calls gun bans “a total failure”
Opposed to any expansion of background checks
Wants concealed carry permits to be allowed in all 50 states
Pledged to “un-sign” President Obama’s executive actions on gun control and eliminate gun free zones in schools and military bases
States that an important way to fight crime is to “empower law abiding gun owners to defend themselves.”
Claims America’s failed mental health system is the real culprit behind the mass shooting dilemma
	Hillary Clinton:
Pushing for what she calls “common sense” reforms
Plans to ban assault weapons, and place stricter background checks for firearms
Crackdown on illegal gun traffickers
Declared gun control a “civil rights issue”
Attacked (verbally) the gun lobby for preventing legislative action
Want(s/ed) to make gun makers and sellers liable for the weapons that end up being used in crimes