Republican candidate and former US President Donald Trump and Democratic Vice President Kamala Harris are neck and neck in the final phase of the US elections, with opinion polls indicating too close a fight to call a winner between the two candidates.

Although the focus of both campaigns so far has been the economy and geopolitics, democrats have grown increasingly concerned about a Trump win, with concerns stemming from a roadmap titled ‘Project 2025’, which has prompted fears of Republicans pushing for an authoritarian government.

While Donald Trump has publicly distanced himself from the plan, many are still sceptical of this pronouncement as the document seemed to align with the ex-president’s agenda, which calls for the sacking of thousands of civil servants, sweeping tax cuts, a ban on pornography, halting sales of the abortion pill, among other measures.

Republic Donald Trump — who has 34 felony convictions — has also upped his ante when it comes to electioneering, with tensions rising especially in the seven key swing states where neither Harris nor Trump has secured a lead, raising the question of what will a second Trump presidency entail.

Economy

According to Reuters, Trump has touted blanket tariffs of 10 per cent to 20pc on all imports. When it comes to Chinese imports, Trump has proposed tariffs of 60pc (or more) to promote US manufacturing.

Regarding corporate taxes, Trump has pledged to reduce the rate from 21pc to 15pc for companies that manufacture locally.

For the lower income classes, Trump has said to do away with taxes on overtime pay as part of his tax cut package, eliminate a cap on a tax deduction known as “SALT” — enjoyed mostly by wealthy taxpayers — and cut taxes on Social Security benefits.

Trump has also been a staunch supporter of the oil and gas industries, and this time around, he has promised new pipelines in order to boost the economy, pledging to bring back into play cancelled oil and gas drilling leases in Alaska’s Arctic National Wildlife Refuge.

In a bit to revive the auto industry, he has also said that he would impose tariffs up to 200pc on every car coming in from the US-Mexico border.

He has also said he would consider ending a $7,500 tax credit for electric vehicle purchases. While president, Trump sought to repeal the EV tax credit, which was later expanded by President Joe Biden in 2022.

In the past, Trump has justfied his protectionist trade policies and other fiscal proposals, dismissing the idea that they could drive up the federal debt, antagonise allies and harm the US economy.

Analysts predict a “pro-growth” Trump, with the dollar already buoyed after investors put on trade better on Trump to win the elections. In the past, he has advocated for the president to have a say in the Federal Reserve’s decisions regarding interest rates, with reports stating that a group of his allies had drafted proposals aimed at eroding the Fed’s independence if he wins.

According to AFP, an October New York Times/Siena College poll of likely voters released last week showed that economic issues remained top-of-mind around two weeks before the election. With polls slightly inclined to trust Trump more to do a better job at handling the economy than Harris.

Furthermore, Trump’s campaign says revenue from increased tariffs and a broadened tax base from higher growth would make up for any shortfall — however, economists are not convinced with some suggesting that Trump’s tax cuts would add $7.5 trillion to the US federal deficit over 10 years. While others suggest his proposals will disproportionately benefit the rich.

Foreign policy

Trump’s trade and tariff wars can have a profound impact on the US allies and foes alike.

There is a keen interest in Trump’s policy regarding China, which was seen as the brunt bearer in the previous Trump administration. Under his presidency, tariffs on Chinese products will jump to 60pc, as compared to Harris’ stance of keeping them roughly the same.

Russia

US Journalist Bob Woodward, in his book “War”, writes that Trump and Putin may have spoken “as many as seven times since Trump left the White House in 2021”. A fact that has been denied by Russian President Putin and Trump — with Trump implying that had he done so it would have been “smart”.

Regarding the Ukraine-Russia war, Trump has previously blamed Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy for starting the war with Russia, which suggests that a Trump administration would likely cut back on US support for Ukraine.

Trump has also criticised Zelenskiy, calling him the “greatest salesman on Earth” for receiving “billions of dollars of US military aid” since Russia’s invasion in 2022.

In the past, he also implied that Ukraine may have ceded some of its land to Russia for a deal. However, he has also reiterated support for Ukraine, saying that it does not mean he does not want to help Zelenskiy.

“That doesn’t mean I don’t want to help him because I feel very badly for those people. But he should never have let that war start. The war’s a loser,” he has said.

China

Trump has consistently maintained his China stance, which revolves around pricey tariffs, in his bid to revive local manufacturing and ease worries about the ballooning deficit.

“To me, the most beautiful word in the world is ‘tariff,’” Trump said.

Additionally, he has also suggested imposing new tariffs to prevent Chinese automakers from building cars in Mexico and exporting them to the United States.

Taiwan

In an interview with Wall Street Journal, Donald Trump has said he would impose additional tariffs on China if it were to invade Taiwan.

“I would say: If you go into Taiwan, I’m sorry to do this, I’m going to tax you, at 150pc to 200pc,” he was quoted as saying.

Regarding the US using any military force for Taiwan, he said it “it would not come to that” because China’s President Xi Jinping “respected him”.

“I had a very strong relationship with him,” Trump said. “I wouldn’t have to (use military force), because he respects me and he knows I’m f— crazy,” he said in the interview.

Previously, he had also suggested that Taiwan should pay the US for its defence aid and for taking away America’s semiconductor prowess.

European Union

In his previous stint as president from 2017 to 2021, Trump had imposed punitive tariffs on imported washing machines, steel, aluminium and solar panels from Europe.

When asked about his trade policies annoying US allies, Trump had said, “Our allies have taken advantage of us more than our enemies.”

It is suggested by a Reuters report that Trump’s policies will “likely have the bigger impact on Europe” — a key partner of the United States and China — with one Goldman Sachs analyst saying a blanket 10pc tariff on all imports and a 20pc levy on Chinese products could cause the dollar to rally against the euro by 8 to 10pc.

Trump has also said that the European Union would “have to pay a big price” for not buying enough American exports if he becomes president the second time around.

Gaza

The Republican candidate has been a staunch supporter of Israel in its conflict against Hamas, suggesting that the conflict “should end quickly”.

It should be noted that Trump has not offered any solutions or suggested how he would differ from Biden’s policy of arming Israel.

A previous report alleged that in a conversation with Israel’s Benjamin Netanyahu, Trump told him to “do what you have to do”.

Nato

Trump has suggested that the US may differ on Nato’s “purpose” once he becomes president. In an interview with Reuters, he suggested that Ukraine may have to make some concessions to end the Russia-Ukraine war.

Climate and energy policies

During his first term as president, Trump infamously pulled the US out of the Paris Climate Accord — a framework for reducing global greenhouse gas emissions — a move that was seen as detrimental to the debate about climate change.

During his campaign, he pledged to pull the US out again and would support increased nuclear energy production. He has also said he would roll back Biden’s electric vehicle mandates and other policies to reduce auto emissions.

Furthermore, Trump pledged to issue a national emergency declaration to boost domestic energy supply by eliminating bureaucratic hurdles holding up new energy projects.

Trump has also vowed to increase US production of fossil fuels by easing the permitting process for drilling on federal land and would encourage new natural gas pipelines. He has said he would reauthorise oil drilling in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge in Alaska.

Trump has frequently criticised multilateral institutions and their climate change efforts, while proponents of the conservative Republican Project 2025 agenda have argued in favour of US withdrawal from the World Bank and IMF.

But Trump has frequently distanced himself from Project 2025.

Immigration and border security

The former president has amped up his anti-immigration rhetoric during his election campaign, particularly linking increased crime rate with immigrants.

During his campaign, Trump has been criticised for saying immigrants bring “a lot of bad genes” to the country while discussing crime rates all the while alleging they have been committed by immigrants living illegally.

Trump has also stood by claims of immigrants in Ohio eating pets even though the reports have been debunked, telling Latino voters during a town hall he was “just saying what was reported”.

The Republican candidate has also portrayed migrants as “dangerous criminals” during his Colorado rally, calling for the death penalty for migrants who commit crimes.

Reproductive rights

Recently, Donald Trump called himself the “father of IVF” at a town hall for women voters, as the Republican presidential candidate tried to convince the crucial voting bloc they could trust him on reproductive issues.

Hearing that some women were concerned about possible restrictions on fertility treatments, Trump touted his party’s support for the procedure, even though some conservative Republicans do not support in vitro fertilisation (IVF).

In recent months, Senate Republicans have blocked Democratic-led legislation designed to protect IVF access twice, with some Republicans arguing the legislation is unnecessary as IVF access is not in danger.

IVF emerged as a hot-button issue in the election after the conservative Alabama Supreme Court ruled in February that embryos are children.

For advocates of abortion rights, the nightmare scenario is a Republican-controlled Congress enacting sweeping national restrictions or an outright ban.

A second Donald Trump presidency could amplify efforts by conservative politicians to restrict abortion access across the United States.

The Republican former president’s Supreme Court picks were pivotal in dismantling decades of legal precedent protecting the national right to abortion.

While Trump has at times hinted at moderation during the 2024 campaign — even suggesting he might veto any anti-abortion law that lands on his desk — some fear Project 2025 as the real battle plan.

Experts predict abortion pills could be Trump’s first target during his second presidency.