(NewsNation) — The economy, immigration and abortion are chief among Americans’ topics of interest heading into the first presidential debate of 2024.
Most voters will be listening for the candidates’ thoughts on the economy, followed by immigration and abortion, according to the latest NewsNation/Decision Desk HQ poll.
The dialogue will set the tone for the rematch between President Joe Biden and former President Donald Trump, the presumptive Republican nominee. Independent candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr. didn’t qualify to participate in the debate but plans to answer the same questions live online.
Economy
Biden signed the American Rescue Plan, a $2 trillion stimulus package that delivered checks to Americans, boosted unemployment insurance benefits and expanded the child tax credit.
Congress also passed the Inflation Reduction Act in August 2022. The White House estimates it created 117,000 jobs and will reduce Americans’ energy costs by as much as 9% by 2030.
During Trump’s presidency, the public’s federal debt rose from $14.4 trillion to $21.6 trillion. Trump’s tax cuts, particularly his slashes to the corporate tax rate, influenced the increase, according to the Annenberg Public Policy Center’s FactCheck project.
In the event of a second term, Trump said he would lower interest rates and enact universal baseline tariffs that “reward domestic production.”
Border
Trump launched the largest deportation effort in U.S. history, paid for with redirected military funds. If reelected, he said he would enact travel bans denying entry to people from the Gaza Strip, Libya, Somalia, Syria, Yemen and “anywhere else that threatens our security.” The former president also said he would renew efforts to end the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program (DACA).
Biden’s administration in October said it would allow partial construction of a border wall, citing an “immediate need” for it. He also launched the CBP One app to streamline migrant processing before they arrive at the U.S. border.
More recently, the president issued an executive order to temporarily close the border and prevent migrants from seeking asylum past a daily crossing limit. The Justice Department also sued to end certain state-level border barriers, including Texas’ use of buoys in the Rio Grande and shipping containers in Arizona.
Abortion
Biden called the U.S. Supreme Court’s choice to reverse constitutional protections for abortion an “extreme” decision and has advocated for reproductive care.
He signed an executive order to help people traveling for abortions and to further research on maternal care. He also defended FDA approval of abortion medication and proposed new rules to expand access to birth control under the Affordable Care Act.
Trump, who appointed three of the justices responsible for overturning the landmark abortion case, said abortion rules should be left to the states. He also voiced support for exceptions of rape, incest and the life of the person giving birth. He is opposed to restricting access to contraceptives and “strongly” supports fertility treatments.
Trump and Hunter Biden convictions
Both parties have criminal convictions to consider.
Trump reportedly brought in $141 in fundraising after his 34-count felony conviction for falsifying business records. The former president raised $53 million in donations within 24 hours of the verdict, his campaign said. He references himself on his campaign site as a “political prisoner.”
Meanwhile, Biden’s son Hunter Biden was convicted earlier this month on three weapons charges. He was accused of lying on a gun application by saying he wasn’t a drug user. The case culminated in the first of two trials he could face ahead of the election. He’s also expected to go on trial for separate tax charges.
Guns
Biden signed a sweeping gun safety bill in 2022 that sets aside funds for mental health programs. He also announced the first-ever White House Office of Gun Violence Prevention, which Vice President Kamala Harris oversees.
Trump called for “drastically” changing the nation’s approach to mental health and “a top-to-bottom” security overhaul after the May 2022 Robb Elementary School shooting in Uvalde, Texas. He also vowed to undo Biden-era gun restrictions.
Biden’s performance
American voters are worried about age and cognitive function impacting both candidates’ ability to serve in office, according to a September NewsNation/Decision Desk HQ (DDHQ) poll.
Voters, however, showed more concern about Biden, 81, than Trump, 78, at the time of the survey.
False ‘stolen election’ allegations
Trump has repeatedly pushed false claims that he won the 2020 election, but investigators found no evidence of widespread fraud.
Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., told NewsNation’s Leland Vittert that the former president should avoid saying the election was “stolen” during the debate.
