Former President Donald Trump is aiming to retake the office he lost to President Joe Biden in 2020. Trump has largely retained his base of supporters and stronghold on the Republican Party despite facing legal investigations from the Justice Department and state authorities. The Supreme Court is poised to decide whether Trump can be kept off the ballot because of his alleged efforts to overturn his 2020 election loss, a ruling that could either solidify or complicate his path to become only the second candidate to return to the Oval Office after his ouster.
Abortion: Noncommittal on a national abortion ban despite appointing the Supreme Court justices that helped overturn Roe v. Wade.
Climate Change: Supporter of fossil fuel production, frequently mocking climate scientists.
Ukraine War: Said he believes the war is not a vital U.S. interest and should be handled by Europe.
Immigration: Plans to deport undocumented immigrants and may once again ban travelers from several majority-Muslim countries. Continues to promote greater militarization of the southern border.
Trump Investigation: Denies any wrongdoing and criticizes the justice system for its investigations.
China: Claims to be tough on China, vowing to decouple the U.S. economically, but regularly praises President Xi Jinping.
Economic Policy: Signed $1.5 trillion in tax cuts in 2017, permanently reducing taxes for corporations from 35 percent to 21 percent and reducing taxes on individuals through at least 2025.
Transgender Rights: Barred transgender service members from the military and eliminated protections against discrimination by doctors and insurers. Vows to sign national ban on medically-endorsed transition care for minors.
Social Security and Medicare: Claims that he will not cut the programs but opposes raising taxes to solidify funding for them.
Israel: Promises “full support” for Israel and said he wants to bar Gazan refugees from entering the U.S.
Democracy: Attempted to overturn the results of the 2020 elections and continues to claim that it was stolen.
Education: Wants to eliminate the Department of Education and impose ideological requirements on schools, requiring them to eliminate instruction on LGBTQ+ and gender identity issues.
Health Care: Vows to repeal the Affordable Care Act.
Trump commands far and away the greatest number of endorsements of any Republican candidate. He has been endorsed by at least 8 governors, 20 GOP senators and 106 House Republicans, including current House Speaker Mike Johnson. Former Republican presidential candidate and South Dakota Governor Doug Burgum also endorsed Trump.
The Trump campaign had raised $60 million and had $37 million cash on hand, according to October 2023 campaign disclosure reports. Between Jan. 1, 2023 and Jan. 7, 2024, Trump’s campaign and super PAC spent $9.97 million on ads in Iowa.
Trump is polling at 48%, according to the Des Moines Register/NBC News/Mediacom Iowa Poll released on Jan. 13.