Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump, who scored a major victory in a series of Super Tuesday nominating contests, has been criticised by some in his party for being vague on policy specifics and heavy on rhetoric.
Here is a closer look at what Trump has said he would do on trade, taxes, the economy, immigration, healthcare and defense should he become the nominee and win the November 8 election. The policies are drawn from a review of his website, stump speeches, debates and town halls, and televised interviews.
Trump has complained that China, Japan, Mexico, Vietnam and India are ‘ripping us off’ by devaluing their currencies and keeping out some US exports.
He would not sign the 12-nation Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) trade pact and would renegotiate the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) with Mexico and Canada.
He would designate China a currency manipulator and impose countervailing duties on its exports. He also wants to pursue a World Trade Organization case on Chinese government programs that subsidize exporters.
Trump has said he would put activist investor Carl Icahn in charge of negotiating a better trade relationship with China. Icahn has said he is happy to advise Trump, but would not seek a formal position if Trump were elected.
Trump has said he would slap 35% tariffs on air conditioners made by United Technologies Corp’s Carrier in Mexico after the company decided to move production there from Indiana, and on Ford Motor Corp vehicles made in Mexico that are sold in the United States.
Taxes
Trump has pledged to cut and simplify taxes. Individuals making less than $25,000 per year and married filers earning less than $50,000 would not pay income tax.
There would be three other brackets, down from seven currently, with a top marginal income tax rate of 25%, and a top rate for long-term capital gains and dividends of 20%.
Charitable giving and mortgage interest deductions would remain unchanged. Other deductions would be trimmed in the highest tax brackets.
He would eliminate the alternative minimum tax, the estate tax, and the carried interest tax break that allows investment fund managers to treat income as capital gains.
The corporate tax rate would be cut to 15%, down from the current level of 35%.
He would phase in a ‘reasonable cap’ on deductions for business interest expenses and would cut other corporate loopholes.
Trump would impose a one-time 10% ‘deemed repatriation’ tax on deferred corporate overseas profits and would end deferral of income from foreign subsidiaries.
The Tax Foundation, an independent policy research group, has said Trump’s plan would cost more than $10 trillion over the next decade. His campaign has said the plan is fully paid for.
Economy
Trump has pledged to get rid of the $19 trillion deficit by boosting jobs, and cutting government waste, but he has not released a formal policy paper on how he would do this.
He has said he would not cut the Medicare and Medicaid health care programs for senior citizens and low income Americans, nor Social Security retirement benefits.
He would cut the Education Department and the Environmental Protection Agency.