Trump vs. Haley: Can you tell their similarities and differences on issues?

Former SC Gov. Nikki Haley and former President Donald Trump have both expressed similar sentiments at times. While the two draw stark lines on their differences, both Republicans are running take on President Joe Biden.

Both candidates have made it clear they are not fans of each other, throwing jabs and insults over the last few months. While many of their words may contrast, when it comes to their policies, they may share some similarities.

Can you tell the difference between what Trump and Haley have said on issues? Test yourself.

Abortion

1. “As much as I’m pro-life, I don’t judge anyone for being pro-choice, and I don’t want them to judge me for being pro-life. Let’s find consensus. … We don’t need to divide America over this issue anymore.”

2. “We’re living in a time when there has to be a little bit of a concession one way or the other.”

1. Haley: Haley has said that America needs to find consensus on abortion and that it’s up to the states to decide how they handle abortion rights. She has said that the issue needs to quit being “demonized.” Haley has identified areas where there is room for compromise, such as rejecting jail time or the death penalty, access to contraception and banning late-term abortions. When she was governor of South Carolina, she signed a ban for 20 weeks in the state, but in November 2023, when asked by the New York Times if she would sign a six week ban if she was governor, she said yes.

2. Trump: Trump has claimed himself as “the most pro-life” president. However, up until 2011 when he first started running as a Republican candidate, he was considered supportive of abortion rights. Recently, the New York Times reported that Trump privately told advisers and allies he liked the idea of a 16 week national ban with three exceptions, incest, rape and saving the mothers life. {maybe add the win elections quote here in the context of this is what he said when asked about it}

Immigration

1. “We passed the toughest illegal immigration law in the country. President Obama sued us over it, and we won.”

“We don’t need to talk about them as criminals, they’re not.”

“They’re families that want a better life, and they’re desperate to get here. What we need to do is make sure that we have a set of laws that we follow.”

2. “They let — I think the real number is 15, 16 million people into our country. When they do that, we got a lot of work to do. They’re poisoning the blood of our country.”

1. Haley: When she was governor, Haley signed one of the most strict immigration laws. Law enforcement was required to check someone’s legal status during stops if they suspected they were in the US illegally. Although courts blocked parts of it, were blocked, employers still use e-verify. Haley has supported building a wall, as well as adding 25,000 more border and ICE agents. However, she doesn’t use as much of the inflammatory language as Trump does.

2. Trump: Trump has said if he’s elected president, he will start “the largest domestic deportation operation in American history.” He will give state officials and the national guard authority to arrest and deport immigrants living in the US illegally. He has also promise to reinstate policies like the “Remain in Mexico” policy, and ones that disqualify asylum for most migrants.

The Economy

1. “Biden’s inflation disaster has crushed your household finances. What he’s done to your finances are incredible. He’s crushed your finances and his open borders policy. They’ve demolished your wages,”

2. “Joe Biden has created a political subsidy economy. That’s what Bidenomics really is. The government is taking money from the middle class and giving it to everyone else. The well-connected are getting wealthier through corporate welfare, while the poor get trapped in regular welfare.”

1. Trump: Trump has made tariffs on imports a main part of his economic plan. He has said he would impose tariffs of 60% on Chinese imports. He has continuously criticized Biden’s economic plan and has said his was thrown into “disarray” when COVID-19 hit. He has said he would reduce taxes for individuals and businesses, although details of how he would do so are unclear.

2. Haley: Haley has said under her plan she would eliminate the federal gas and reduce income tax rates. She has said she would veto any budget that doesn’t reduce the economy to pre-COVID spending. She would also make small business tax relief permanent. In a Town Hall Sunday, Haley said “If 8% of our budget is interest, quit borrowing, cut up the credit cards. You have to balance budget every day. I had to balance the budget as governor. Why is Congress the only group that refuses to balance a budget?”

China

1. “China’s dictators want to cover the world in communist tyranny. We are the only ones who can stop them.”

2. “Look, I want China to do great, I do. And I like President Xi a lot, he was a very good friend of mine during my term.”

1. Haley: Haley has said China is the “greatest threat to American security and proesperity.” One of the parts of her plan includes preventing Chinese investors from buying land. She would also eliminate federal funding for universities that accept money from China. However, during her time as governor, she recruited and worked with Chinese companies, even characterizing the support for the work as what it’s like to have “passion again” to “work with urgency.” She has said that during this process she always talked through and warned of potential risks, issues and threats that could come.

2. Trump: While Trump has shown praise, and even envy for China’s President Xi, he has said he would ban Americans from investing in China, make a complete ban of some imports from China, including steel, pharmaceuticals and electronics. He has also said he would raise tariffs, up to 60% on good shipped to America. During his presidency, he said the United States relationship with China had “never been better,” and in 2020 when speaking about President Xi, said, “He’s for China, I’m for the U.S., but other than that, we love each other.”

Joe Biden

1. “We cannot have a country in disarray in a world on fire and have two presidential candidates in their 80s when we need someone who’s going to put eight years into making sure that we are disciplined, focused on getting our economy, the border, preventing war, and getting our country back on track.”

2.“You could take the five worst presidents in American history, and put them together, and they would not have done the damage Joe Biden has done to our nation in just a few short years. Not even close.”

1. Haley 2. Trump: Both candidates have actively gone after Biden, and many times for the same reason, often citing his age or memory, as well as other policies he has implemented that they disagree with.

Each other

1. “ ’I will never run against our great President,’ she said, ‘he has done an outstanding job.’ To which I responded, ‘How nice of you to say, Nikki,’ knowing full well that her words mean nothing. She even came to Mar-a-Lago with her family, ‘bearing gifts.’ Anyway, Birdbrain doesn’t have the talent or temperament to do the job. Make America Great Again!

2. “He is unhinged; he is more diminished than he was, just like Joe Biden’s more diminished than what he was.”

1. Trump 2. Haley: Both candidates have thrown numerous insults and jabs at each other