--:-- Oliver Conway: This BBC podcast is supported by ads outside the UK. Saks Off 5th is your secret to fashion's most wanted deals at up to 70% off. On the hunt for designer steals that'll turn heads and leave a trail of envy?
--:-- Oliver Conway: Uncover Gucci, Valentino, Versace, Stuart Weitzman and more. With new arrivals dropping weekly at prices too good to stay confidential.
--:-- Oliver Conway: Lux layers, statement boots and tailored essentials from Saks Off 5th will put your wardrobe on the most wanted list. Head to SaksOff5th.com or SaksOff5th store near you for a style lineup you won't want to miss.
--:-- Oliver Conway: This message is sponsored by Greenlight. With school out, summer is the perfect time to teach our kids real-world money skills they'll use forever. Greenlight is a debit card and the number one family finance and safety app used by millions of families, helping kids learn how to save, invest, and spend wisely.
--:-- Oliver Conway: Parents can send their kids money and track their spending and saving, while kids build money confidence and skills in fun ways. Start your risk-free Greenlight trial today at greenlight.com slash iHeart. That's greenlight.com slash iHeart.
--:-- Oliver Conway: You're listening to the Global News Podcast from the BBC World Service. Hello, this is a special edition recorded on Friday the 18th of October. And with just over two weeks to go until the US presidential election, we have brought together three BBC podcast presenters to answer your questions about the vote on the 5th of November and what it all means for America and the rest of the world.
--:-- Oliver Conway: Hello, I'm Oliver Conway from the Global News Podcast. This is Sumi Somaskanda. I present the Global Story Podcast. And it's Anthony Zerker. I help present AmeriCast.
--:-- Oliver Conway: Yeah, thanks both of you for joining us from the US. I was a reporter many years ago in Washington, way back in the era of George W. Bush, but American politics has changed a lot since then. So you guys are going to be doing most of the work.
--:-- Oliver Conway: And we'll start off with a question about work or at least schoolwork from Sam Oppenheim, a teacher in New York. I'm wondering, since I teach students in high school who are going to college, how did Miss Harris and Mr. Trump do in high school? How did they do in college? Did they go to grad school? How did they pay for college and grad school?
--:-- Oliver Conway: I'm curious how they were when they were younger, since I teach students who are younger.
--:-- Oliver Conway: Well, lots of questions there, but interesting ones because a college education is part of defining who these two candidates are.
--:-- Oliver Conway: Both transferred from their original college to a new one while they were studying. Donald Trump started in Fordham University, which is in Manhattan and transferred to the University of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia.
--:-- Oliver Conway: Kamala Harris started in Vanier University in Montreal and then transferred to Howard University in Washington, D.C., which is a predominantly African-American school. She was in a sorority there. She was on the debate team.
--:-- Oliver Conway: She went on to law school at the University of California, a very prestigious law school. Donald Trump, his undergraduate degree in business at the Wharton School at University Pennsylvania was his highest attained degree.
--:-- Oliver Conway: We don't really know what grades they got. In fact, Donald Trump's former lawyer, Michael Cohen, in 2015 threatened lawsuits against Fordham and Penn if they released his grades or his SAT scores. So that's kind of a mystery.
--:-- Oliver Conway: How they paid for it, we don't really know, although Donald Trump's dad was a wealthy real estate dealer. So he probably did not have any problems footing the bill, even at an Ivy League college like Penn.
--:-- Oliver Conway: Of course, they both went on to highly successful careers in different fields. Now they are both competing for the top job. So let's turn to the election itself.
--:-- Oliver Conway: And Darius from Lithuania asked us, how is it that US presidential elections are so close? Why do we never see a 70-30 or an 80-20 split instead of 50-50?
--:-- Oliver Conway: With such a divide, we might expect to see some sort of civil unrest almost constantly, since there is no clear majority on any issue. So what's going on?
--:-- Oliver Conway: Yeah, that's a really important question. And at the moment, it's because the US is also so split ideologically along party lines. So that means that half the country votes Democrat and half the country votes Republican.
--:-- Oliver Conway: There is a great book published a few years ago by a US journalist named Ezra Klein called Why We're Polarized. And he talks about the fact that in the last three, four decades, we've seen this hardening of political identities.
--:-- Oliver Conway: For example, if you drive a Toyota Prius and you order a cafe latte in the mornings, it's not very likely that you're going to vote Republican, meaning there are certain cultural signifiers that make you a Democrat or make you a Republican.
--:-- Oliver Conway: And it has become a cemented part of people's identities in the U.S. That being said, I think it's also really important to say, if you look at specific issues, most people agree in the center.
--:-- Oliver Conway: So if you look at, for example, gun control, most Americans, when polled, do want to see common sense, things like background checks, for example.
--:-- Oliver Conway: Most Americans do want to see some access to abortion. So although voters are split ideologically along political party lines on the issues, there is a big chunk in the middle where they seem to share similar views.
--:-- Oliver Conway: Yeah, I think Sumi makes a good point about the cultural divisions that are apparent in American politics now.
--:-- Oliver Conway: Things like college education is a huge determiner in whether you vote Democratic or Republican. People with college degrees are much more likely to vote Democrat.
--:-- Oliver Conway: If you live in a big city or you live in the rural areas, that's a big division. Even gender now is becoming an indicator about one's politics.
--:-- Oliver Conway: But one of the other things to consider, I think, is that we have two major parties in this country and the parties do adapt and adjust to the political realities on the ground.
--:-- Oliver Conway: We can't get to a point where it's 70-30, even 60-40, because the party that's on that 40 percent side will modulate and adjust in order to win back supporters at loss.
--:-- Oliver Conway: So if you look at an issue like international trade, for instance, or immigration. These were issues that the Republicans in 2016 made a lot of inroads on in winning over Democratic voters.
--:-- Oliver Conway: Well, you've seen the Democratic Party become much more in favor of tariffs and protectionism than they were, say, during Barack Obama's presidency.
--:-- Oliver Conway: You've seen Kamala Harris modulate considerably on immigration because she knows where the votes are.
--:-- Oliver Conway: So there is this driving force that helps keep these two parties in balance.
--:-- Oliver Conway: The talk of division seems a good point to bring in a couple of questions from Judith in Germany.
--:-- Oliver Conway: And first, Anthony Torres in the US. In 2020, we saw Trump and MAGA Republicans spread lies, abuse their power, and even incite violence in an attempt to overthrow the results of an election that they lost.
--:-- Oliver Conway: What are the threats some of these same forces pose to ensuring that the will of the people ultimately prevails?
--:-- Oliver Conway: Hi there, this is Judith. I would like to ask if the security agencies in the United States took any measures to prevent something like the attack on the Capitol on January 6th, because I think if Donald Trump is not going to win the elections, it's very likely that something like that could happen again.
--:-- Oliver Conway: You know, Subi, we were both in Washington, D.C. on January 6th. It was remarkable how much of a surprise that was and how off guard the security apparatuses around the Capitol were that there was such violent unrest.
--:-- Oliver Conway: This time around, they're not going to be caught surprised. There have already been warnings and notices put out by the security apparatuses in Washington, D.C.
--:-- Oliver Conway: And so the idea that a January 6th attack on the Capitol could happen again seems unlikely.
--:-- Oliver Conway: I would be more worried about individual states and state capitals and the process leading up to January 6th, where they're tabulating election results and certifying them because it's a lot harder to secure a bunch of different places all over the country.
--:-- Oliver Conway: And you don't know quite which one is going to become the flashpoint versus one location in Washington, D.C. that quite honestly has the sort of resources if they're applied to prevent unrest.
--:-- Oliver Conway: And one thing that's different this time around than four years ago, of course, is that Donald Trump isn't president anymore. He's a former president. He doesn't have controls of the reins of power.
--:-- Oliver Conway: There was a lot of talk leaning up to January 6th about Donald Trump using the military to confiscate voting machines or declare some sort of state of emergency where they would force a retabulation or force the results to be thrown out and delegate to local state legislatures to determine who really won.
--:-- Oliver Conway: That is a big difference. It's going to be Democrats who are in the White House leading up to the election and after the election. Donald Trump is, at least for now, a private citizen.
--:-- Oliver Conway: Now, if it is a close result, could well be a legal battle. And Anthony, you were saying on AmeriCast the other day, the Trump campaign is already spending big on preparations for a possible challenge.
--:-- Oliver Conway: But that brings us to the subject of campaign finance.
--:-- Oliver Conway: Hello, my name is Chris Ashby. I'm a Canadian living in Oslo, Norway. How much money have each of the campaigns put into the election so far? And how much money do you think they each have for the remaining days of the election?
--:-- Oliver Conway: It's interesting to see there's a massive amount of money being put in. And I'd like to hear where that is right now. Huge amount of money.
--:-- Oliver Conway: Where are we? Kamala Harris has only been in this presidential race since the end of July, but she did inherit the fundraising that Joe Biden and her accumulated.
--:-- Oliver Conway: And she has by now raised over a billion dollars, that's with a B, to fund her presidential campaign.
--:-- Oliver Conway: And actually, we have the latest records. By the end of August, she had about $235 million cash on hand.
--:-- Oliver Conway: Now, of course, she is, I'm sure, burned through that at no point saving any money up for the years ahead. But that's a considerable amount of money for television advertising, for on the ground campaigning, for grassroots organizing and the like.
--:-- Oliver Conway: Now, Donald Trump hasn't been quite as prolific in his fundraising. He's brought in maybe about $700 million, which seems still like an incredible amount between him and his associated campaigns, which he has been spending over the course of this year.
--:-- Oliver Conway: And as of August 31st, he had about $134 million left in cash on hand.
--:-- Oliver Conway: So these are vast amounts. But you also have to remember that the United States is a massive country with 360 million people, I think was the last number.
--:-- Oliver Conway: It costs a lot of money to run a presidential campaign. And both campaigns have raised an enormous amount of money. They are mind-boggling sums, aren't they?
--:-- Oliver Conway: And it is certainly something to note that the fundraising isn't over. We are seeing continued fundraising efforts by both candidates as they been holding a number of events because this final stretch is going to be one of the most expensive stretches for them as they continue to put out ads and to hit the road and of course engage as many volunteers and members of the campaign as well as they can to go out and knock on doors and convince voters who might be undecided in those key battleground states, those seven swing states, to convince voters to cast their ballots for them.
--:-- Oliver Conway: So that money that is left will certainly be spent in the coming weeks and it's going to be right down to the finish.
--:-- Oliver Conway: So that's the campaign. We also had a question about America's finances going forward.
--:-- Oliver Conway: Hi, I'm Maurizio from London. My question is, which will be the difference between Trump's economics and Kamala economics?
--:-- Oliver Conway: That's a really interesting question because there are actually a few points where we've heard Donald Trump and Kamala Harris express similar ideas about economic policy if they were to be the White House.
--:-- Oliver Conway: And one of those, Donald Trump introduced this first, was no taxes on tips. That is actually something that's a direct appeal to voters.
--:-- Oliver Conway: For example, in a state like Nevada, you have a huge, huge hospitality industry there. Think about Las Vegas and hotel workers and casino workers on the Strip. These are people for whom tips are an essential part of their income.
--:-- Oliver Conway: Nevada is a battleground state. So this idea of no taxes on tips is something that we then heard Kamala Harris echo, and of course, the Trump campaign accuser of simply lifting that from his economic plan.
--:-- Oliver Conway: But beyond that, you know, what we've heard from Kamala Harris's side is she said that she would try to reduce the costs for working families.
--:-- Oliver Conway: She's promised to help, for example, first time homebuyers with a down payment assistance of up to $25,000.
--:-- Oliver Conway: Remember that one of the big issues that people have complained about in terms of affordability in the US right now is just the cost of housing, whether it's renting or being able to buy, which in the US is are part of the American dream.
--:-- Oliver Conway: So making that more accessible to people. She's also talked about a child tax credit of up to $6,000.
--:-- Oliver Conway: She believes that that is something that will take a burden off of working families. And she also talked about raising taxes on corporations and the highest earners.
--:-- Oliver Conway: But she did, for example, if you compare her to President Biden, she broke with him on raising the capital gains tax rate, but she reduced that a bit. So that's a bit of an adjustment compared to the current administration.
--:-- Oliver Conway: And Donald Trump, well, he's promised to end inflation. He has promised to deliver lower interest rates.
--:-- Oliver Conway: We should say that the president doesn't actually control the Federal Reserve. So that's not something that he necessarily can control.
--:-- Oliver Conway: But he has said, for example, that he will also slap tariffs on all goods coming from other countries and that that will raise money to pay for other things, like he has also said he would introduce a child tax credit.
--:-- Oliver Conway: And he's talked about how deporting undocumented immigrants would relieve some of the housing costs. That has not necessarily proven to be true, that the influx of immigrants into the country has been the chief driver of housing costs going up.
--:-- Oliver Conway: But still, he has said that through his plan that that would be a way to reduce housing costs.
--:-- Oliver Conway: So you talked about Donald Trump's tax policies and the no tax on tips is a big one. He's actually been throwing out a variety of different tax breaks.
--:-- Oliver Conway: It seems like every week he's got a new proposal, no tax on Social Security. That's elderly retirement benefits, no tax on overtime pay, reducing taxes on Americans who are paying foreign taxes while living abroad, and then also having people be able to deduct interest they pay on car loans.
--:-- Oliver Conway: All of these seem pretty narrowly targeted, as you mentioned, to key constituencies, whether it's waitresses in Nevada or auto workers in Michigan or suburbanites in Pennsylvania.
--:-- Oliver Conway: I think big picture, Donald Trump wants to lower taxes and then use tariffs and immigration as tools for improving the economy and also increasing energy development.
--:-- Oliver Conway: That's another thing he says about reducing inflation by making the cost of energy lower in this country. While Kamala Harris, all of her proposals seem more geared towards broadening the social safety net and providing more government services and government support for Americans.
--:-- Oliver Conway: That's kind of the big ideological, at least on the economy, divide between these two candidates.
--:-- Oliver Conway: Now, it's often been said this is the most gender divided election ever.
--:-- Oliver Conway: And Brandon Santuli in New York City has this question. I'm just really confused by the stark opposition of some to a woman's president when throughout the world there have been many countries that have elected women to their highest office.
--:-- Oliver Conway: I would just love to get your perspective on why you think that is. I mean, how much opposition is there really to having a woman as president and why is it an issue?
--:-- Oliver Conway: Now, I don't know if you've noticed it, Sui, but it seems like Kamala Harris this time around really hasn't been emphasizing her gender much on the campaign trail or during the Democratic convention in Chicago, particularly compared to what Hillary Clinton was doing when she ran as the first major party woman nominee in 2016, where she was talking about breaking the glass ceiling.
--:-- Oliver Conway: It is a change of strategy, although we are still seeing, as I had mentioned earlier in these polls, that there's a big gap between gender on who they're supporting with women in the 50 something percent backing Kamala Harris, while 50 something percent of men are backing Donald Trump.
--:-- Oliver Conway: I mean, is that something you've noticed, Sumi?
--:-- Oliver Conway: Oh, 100 percent. And if you think about Hillary Clinton's campaign, as you rightly said in 2016, she lead into being a woman. And in fact, the slogan of her campaign was, I'm with her. And this time around, Kamala Harris barely, if at all, leans into the fact that she is a woman.
--:-- Oliver Conway: I think there are multiple reasons for that. You know, I lived in Germany through almost the entirety of Angela Merkel's term as chancellor. And for many people in Germany at the time when she came into office, it was unthinkable for a woman to be chancellor.
--:-- Oliver Conway: But, you know, she obviously, through her time there, proved to be one of the most popular chancellors they had. now. Of course, very different political system, and that's important to say.
--:-- Oliver Conway: But that being said, there are structural disadvantages. There are certain scrutiny that I think women face that have to do with the way that the media maybe covers female candidates.
--:-- Oliver Conway: And if you also look at kind of the bench from both parties and the Democrats and the Republicans, that in itself can sometimes be very hard for women to rise up within their parties to reach that highest level, to be the nominee.
--:-- Oliver Conway: And even though we can say very openly that we've seen sexist coverage and sexist statements throughout this campaign, you would think that if there is a time that the U.S. would be ready for a female candidate, it would be now.
--:-- Oliver Conway: But I'm not sure that that has anything to do really with the fact that Kamala Harris is a woman. It's maybe more that people, as we've talked about already, are very polarized and they want to vote for the Democrat.
--:-- Oliver Conway: American Social Casino. Welcome to Moto Casino, where the excitement never ends.
--:-- Oliver Conway: With thousands of the hottest free-to-play social casino games, fastest payouts, and the best promotions in the industry. No tricks or gimmicks. Owned and operated in the USA. Moto Casino is a free-to-play social casino. No purchase necessary. 21 plus to play. Void. We're prohibited.
--:-- Oliver Conway: Sign up today for a generous welcome bonus. Moto Casino. American Social Casino. Download the Moto Casino app today.
--:-- Oliver Conway: Go on. Get a little out there into the big heart of Nevada, where you can go off-road and off the map on two lakes or on horseback.
--:-- Oliver Conway: Dip into hot springs and dive into deserts. Climb a mountain or make your best effort. See thousands of stars in some of the darkest skies. Stake out haunted hotels.
--:-- Oliver Conway: Can you make it to sunrise? There's always something new to see because we've got plenty of space to just be. Plan your trip at TravelNevada.com.
--:-- Oliver Conway: Hi, I'm Cindy Crawford. And I'm the founder of Meaningful Beauty. Well, I don't know about you, but like I never liked being told, oh, wow, you look so good for your age.
--:-- Oliver Conway: Like why even bother saying that? Why don't you just say you look great at any age, every age? That's what Meaningful Beauty is all about.
--:-- Oliver Conway: We create products that make you feel confident in your skin at the age you are now. Meaningful Beauty. Beautiful skin at every age. Learn more at MeaningfulBeauty.com.
--:-- Oliver Conway: This message comes from Greenlight. Ready to start talking to your kids about financial literacy? Meet Greenlight, the debit card and money app that teaches kids and teens how to earn, save, spend wisely, and invest with your guardrails in place.
--:-- Oliver Conway: With Greenlight, you can send money to kids quickly, set up chores, automate allowance, and keep an eye on what your kids are spending with real-time notifications.
--:-- Oliver Conway: Join millions of parents and kids building healthy financial habits together on Greenlight. Get started risk-free at greenlight.com slash iHeart.
--:-- Oliver Conway: You're listening to a special edition of the Global News Podcast, the Global Story Podcast and AmeriCast.
--:-- Oliver Conway: We had an email from Rose Mursky from Zerlingen in Germany, and it's something she's been wondering about for quite a while now.
--:-- Oliver Conway: And she says, I know the American president can serve for no more than two consecutive terms. But can Trump, if he wins election this year, serve for yet another third term since the first term wasn't followed by a consecutive one?
--:-- Oliver Conway: The answer is no. The 22nd Amendment prohibits that. So Donald Trump can only serve two full terms.
--:-- Oliver Conway: Who's to say that that wouldn't change down the road? But at this point, no, Donald Trump can only serve those two terms.
--:-- Oliver Conway: Well, we've got a slightly trickier question from Michelle Hack or Hatch about what might happen if Donald Trump wins and becomes president again.
--:-- Oliver Conway: Let's say Trump gets a simple majority and wants to deliver his 12 pledges. In America, the president does not sit in Congress and three quarters of Republican candidates are part of Project 2025.
--:-- Oliver Conway: So will Trump actually be able to pass legislation due to his current stance on Project 2025? Or will neither his 12 pledges or Project 2025 be passed through Congress?
--:-- Oliver Conway: So could Congress block Trump's agenda? And what will be the fate of this now infamous Project 2025, this ultra conservative set of proposals from the Heritage Foundation?
--:-- Oliver Conway: Donald Trump has made a lot of promises on the campaign trail, and those promises will be very difficult to enact if he doesn't have a sympathetic Congress coming into power alongside him.
--:-- Oliver Conway: The Republicans currently control the House of Representatives by a narrow margin. They would have to keep control of that chamber and maybe even expand it in order to enact his agenda.
--:-- Oliver Conway: And the U.S. Senate is controlled by Democrats. Now, it looks good for Republicans who want to take control of the Senate, but they would actually have to make large inroads there if they want to overcome a procedural obstacle called the filibuster that requires 60 votes out of 100 in order to enact major policy agendas or they would have to do away with the filibuster entirely.
--:-- Oliver Conway: So there are some very real obstacles. This Project 2025 that Michael referenced, that actually is not something that Donald Trump has campaigned on, it's something that Democrats have pointed at, because it is a very detailed governing agenda that was put together by a conservative group called the Heritage Foundation that is staffed by a lot of former Donald Trump campaign and administration operatives.
--:-- Oliver Conway: But Donald Trump has renounced some of those positions. But it is a detailed conservative plan, sometimes controversial, particularly on things like abortion and social policy, gay rights, that Democrats have pointed to and said this is something Donald Trump secretly wants to do.
--:-- Oliver Conway: Whether that could be enacted, again, would require Republican control of Congress and Donald Trump essentially going back on his denunciations of the plan in order to push it through.
--:-- Oliver Conway: There are, and I think Sumi will agree with me on that, there are some things that presidents can do without Congress, things like changes on immigration and tariffs.
--:-- Oliver Conway: So there is possibilities that he could enact some of his proposals even without a Republican-controlled Congress. But to do big sweeping things, particularly on things like taxes and fundamental changes in government policy, that requires legislation passed through Congress and signed into law by the president.
--:-- Oliver Conway: You mentioned immigration. This is obviously a big issue, not just for Republicans, something Democrats have been grappling with as well.
--:-- Oliver Conway: And we have this question from a self-described legal immigrant to the US from Canada. Hello, my name is Joss. I have family back in Canada who are elderly.
--:-- Oliver Conway: So my question here is, has there been any talks on keeping the border open, not just for trade and business, but for people like me? I'm also deeply concerned about, you know, the illegal immigrants who can't have a voice and who can't speak. Their children, the dreamers, are they going to actually now have protection?
--:-- Oliver Conway: We often hear about the US-Mexico border. I'm not sure there is so much concern about the US-Canada border. But what about immigration going ahead, depending on who wins?
--:-- Oliver Conway: Both Kamala Harris and Donald Trump have promised to tighten border restrictions. We have seen differing answers to this, however.
--:-- Oliver Conway: And if you look at what Kamala Harris has said, she says that she will prioritize a piece of legislation that did not pass through Congress that was a bipartisan border bill.
--:-- Oliver Conway: Now, this was one that Democrats accused Donald Trump of actually killing, as they put it. They say that he called Republican members of Congress to get them to vote against this bipartisan border legislation because it would have given Democrats a win on immigration.
--:-- Oliver Conway: That's something that he denies. But what Kamala Harris has said is that she wants to make sure that that bill passes through Congress and then she would sign it into law as president.
--:-- Oliver Conway: Of course, she can't control whether it would pass through Congress, but what that would do, it would toughen asylum standards. It would involve hiring a lot more border agents, immigration judges, and also asylum officers.
--:-- Oliver Conway: And she has said that she would further crack down on asylum claims. Because remember, this has been one of the weaker points for her in her campaign, where we've seen a lot of criticism from Republicans.
--:-- Oliver Conway: There have been record numbers of immigrants crossing unlawfully into the U.S. across the southern border. And so Kamala Harris has said, well, she would crack down on asylum.
--:-- Oliver Conway: One of Donald Trump's key policies, it's important to say is that he would launch the largest deportation in U.S. history. He said he would use the National Guard, he would use police to do so, and he said that he would also invoke the Alien Enemies Act that would allow a president to deport any non-citizen from a country that the U.S. is considered to be at war with.
--:-- Oliver Conway: So how all of that would be implemented, we don't really know, because we're talking about a massive effort that he says would involve millions of people deported.
--:-- Oliver Conway: But Anthony, the details of that still are pretty unclear. Yeah, the idea of deporting tens of millions of people, I mean, that is impractical, kind of in the way that Donald Trump's promise of building a wall along the entirety of the US-Mexico border back in 2016 was impractical and never even realistically made any kind of progress towards achieving this.
--:-- Oliver Conway: More of one of those promises that he makes in order to convince his supporters and others that he is very serious about addressing undocumented migration.
--:-- Oliver Conway: Now, to answer Joss's question, I think as a Canadian with legal status here in the country, I assume she has a green card or some sort of permanent normalized status.
--:-- Oliver Conway: She shouldn't have to worry. She should be able to go back to Canada and visit her parents. Her parents could probably come to the U.S. whenever they want and visit her.
--:-- Oliver Conway: Although one of the things that Republicans have talked about, maybe not Donald Trump specifically, but a lot of Republicans and people in Trump's orbit is curtailing not just undocumented migration, but even legal migration.
--:-- Oliver Conway: They want to see the American population be more stable as far as people who have been here for a long time.
--:-- Oliver Conway: If you listen to J.D. Vance and some of his speeches and his Republican convention speech, he said, America is more than an idea. It is a people with connection to the land.
--:-- Oliver Conway: And he talked about all his ancestors who lived in Kentucky. So, you know, there's a different kind of an emphasis among Republicans on a natural, long-time American residents and a suspicion of immigration and the changes that they say immigration legal or otherwise are bringing to this country.
--:-- Oliver Conway: We're going to look at wider international issues now. And Timothy from Switzerland sent us three questions. We'll start with one and see if we can get to the others later.
--:-- Oliver Conway: Timothy says, how come US citizens do not see the broader world's view on Trump's abilities when it comes to foreign affairs. It seems discussions in the US are focused only on what the election means for the US itself and not the rest of the world.
--:-- Oliver Conway: While Grace Ndwimana asks, in what ways do you foresee international events like the situation in the Middle East or climate change influencing voter priorities and the overall electoral landscape?
--:-- Oliver Conway: Well, I suppose the wider world has mixed views on Donald Trump, but do global events figure when Americans get to the bowling booth?
--:-- Oliver Conway: Yeah, Americans kind of focus on the things that are right in front of their noses and concern them. And part of that is we're a continental power. We have oceans between us and Europe and Asia.
--:-- Oliver Conway: That has kind of been America's thing going back throughout the history of America. We came over here and settled America to get away from over there.
--:-- Oliver Conway: So I think when you talk to Americans, you talk about foreign policy, sometimes they're interested in it. They're paying attention sometimes to what's happening in Ukraine or the Middle East.
--:-- Oliver Conway: But that does not affect their vote in a way that the economy or domestic trade concerns or crime or abortion or cultural issues do.
--:-- Oliver Conway: When push comes to shove, if you see the polls showing what people rank as their most important issues, all of those foreign policy issues are way down below and they stay there unless the United States is actually engaged in a war and Americans are dying overseas, which is not the case at this point.
--:-- Oliver Conway: There is a big caveat to that this election cycle, of course, which is the ongoing conflict in the Middle East.
--:-- Oliver Conway: And there is a sizable Arab American and Muslim American population in the battleground state of Michigan. And they have expressed deep, deep frustration and anger with the Biden administration over its continued support for Israel and its military operation in Gaza and now in Lebanon.
--:-- Oliver Conway: And by the way, there's a big Lebanese population in Michigan as well. And you have seen voters there say that this will 100 percent impact how they cast their ballot.
--:-- Oliver Conway: We're not talking about massive groups of people that could swing the vote one way or the other, but enough of a vote if you just think about the uncommitted movement.
--:-- Oliver Conway: So this is a movement that has said, for example, in the primary in Michigan earlier this year, when Joe Biden was still on the ticket, 100,000 people there did not cast their ballot for Joe Biden in that primary to send a message to his administration over the policy in supporting Israel.
--:-- Oliver Conway: And many of them, and we've been speaking to them in Michigan and also some of the national figures who represent this community who say they still feel like Kamala Harris is not listening to their concerns and demands.
--:-- Oliver Conway: So this is perhaps for this population in particular, one issue that could affect how they vote and could affect the outcome of the election in a state like Michigan.
--:-- Oliver Conway: And talking about the Middle East, some like our next listener thinks U.S. policy there will remain the same no matter who wins the election.
--:-- Oliver Conway: I'm Sachin Rana from India. Why does the American administration always support Israel, which is committing modern-day genocide by killing thousands of innocent civilians, destroying their homes on the pretext of eliminating militants?
--:-- Oliver Conway: Second question is, why can't the American administration control Israel? Of course, Israel denies it is committing modern-day genocide, but there's no doubt its actions are unpopular in many parts of the world.
--:-- Oliver Conway: So why such strong support from, seems almost all, politicians in the US?
--:-- Oliver Conway: Yeah, it is pretty remarkable how Kamala Harris, despite the pressures that Sumi noted in places like Michigan among Muslim voters and Arab American voters who are traditionally democratic, that she is essentially stuck hip to hip with Joe Biden in supporting Israel.
--:-- Oliver Conway: She has repeatedly said that the United States supports Israel's right to self-defense. She has talked about the things that the United States are doing to support Israel.
--:-- Oliver Conway: And part of that, I think, is because there is also a very large constituency within the Democratic Party and among the American public in general, supportive of Israel and views Israel as a close ally of the United States.
--:-- Oliver Conway: So a break there, while it might help Kamala Harris in certain places, might come with political prices elsewhere.
--:-- Oliver Conway: Donald Trump, when he was president for the four years, he was very supportive of Israel as well. He has had a close relationship with Israeli Prime Minister Bibi Netanyahu.
--:-- Oliver Conway: And in fact, he called Netanyahu after Israel launched their incursions into Lebanon and attacked Hezbollah. And according to the Israelis, he congratulated them on their new offensive.
--:-- Oliver Conway: So it's part of American foreign policy over decades. And US support for Israel seems to be something that neither leadership, at least for the moment, wants to stray from.
--:-- Oliver Conway: Well, staying with foreign policy, we had an email from Miguel Angel Fernandez from Venezuela saying there's much fear in Ukraine and Europe that Donald Trump seems to be too comfortably in sync with Putin interests But it unclear what he Trump stands to gain from directly or indirectly benefiting the Russian tyranny
--:-- Oliver Conway: And Miguel Angel says surely Donald Trump would only act in his own political interests So how would a Putin victory in Ukraine or a weakening of NATO help him?
--:-- Oliver Conway: And is there any evidence of ties to Putin's regime?
--:-- Oliver Conway: The question of ties is an interesting one because this has come up recently, where it was revealed through a journalist here in the US who's releasing a book that Donald Trump has had conversations, it is alleged in this book, with Vladimir Putin since he left office.
--:-- Oliver Conway: And he was asked about this during an event on stage the other day. And he said, if I had, it would have been smart in so many words.
--:-- Oliver Conway: So the question of his actual ties to Vladimir Putin, well, of course, you know, Donald Trump was president and in his capacity as president did meet with Vladimir Putin.
--:-- Oliver Conway: And he has said on the war in Ukraine that he would end the war within 24 hours. Now, how exactly he would do that is not entirely clear.
--:-- Oliver Conway: In September, Vladimir Zelensky, the Ukrainian president, came to the U.S. as part of this diplomatic blitz, and he was meeting world leaders at the U.N. in New York, and he also met with Donald Trump.
--:-- Oliver Conway: And there was this press conference moment where the two of them stood together, and Donald Trump talked about having a good relationship both with President Zelensky and with President Putin.
--:-- Oliver Conway: And there was this bit of an awkward moment where President Zelensky interjected and said, I hope our ties are better in so many words. And Donald Trump kind of brushed that aside.
