Kamala Harris and Donald Trump: A Glimpse into Their Backgrounds

During an election period, American voters are constantly exposed to images of the two contenders – delivering speeches from platforms, engaging with supporters at rallies, and disembarking from planes. This offers an alternative visual insight into their identities and origins. Well before their awareness of the White House, Kamala Harris and Donald Trump are shown in photographs both at the age of three. Though born decades apart, Democratic presidential nominee Harris passed her formative years in Oakland, California, while Republican nominee Trump grew up in the Queens borough of New York. Harris (positioned on the left in the accompanying left-hand image) and her sister Maya (in the center) were predominantly raised by their Indian mother, Shyamala Gopalan Harris, who was a cancer researcher and social activist. Trump’s father, Fred Trump, was the offspring of German immigrants, and his mother, Mary Anne MacLeod Trump, originated from Scotland. They enrolled him in the New York Military Academy when he was 13 years old. Harris attended high school for five years in Montreal, Canada, as her mother accepted a teaching position at McGill University. Subsequently, she matriculated at Howard University, a historically black college located in Washington DC. Trump has stated that his five-year tenure at the academy, commencing in 1959, provided him with military instruction and contributed to the development of his leadership capabilities. He subsequently avoided service in the Vietnam War through deferments – four granted for academic grounds and one attributed to bone spurs. From a young age, Harris’s mother instilled in her the significance of the civil rights movement, and she participated in the yearly Martin Luther King Jr Freedom March in Washington in 2004. Following the completion of a degree from the University of Pennsylvania’s Wharton School, Trump was positioned as the likely successor to his father in leading the family enterprise. Harris went back to California, rapidly ascending within the state’s criminal justice framework, securing the role of its attorney general. She leveraged this progress to launch a successful campaign for the US Senate in 2016. Concurrently with her entry into Congress, Trump was entering the White House for the initial time, having surprised observers globally by defeating Hillary Clinton. Three years subsequent, Harris conducted an uninspired presidential campaign, yet was chosen by the winner of the Democratic primary, Joe Biden, as his vice-presidential candidate. They emerged as the victorious ticket, overcoming Trump and Mike Pence. The conclusion of the Trump presidency and the commencement of the Biden-Harris administration were characterized by Covid-19 lockdowns, requirements for mask-wearing, and civil unrest subsequent to the police killing of George Floyd in Minneapolis. Harris occasionally faced challenges in establishing her influence as vice-president, but she articulated her stance in 2022 when the US Supreme Court abolished the constitutional right to abortion. President Biden endorsed her role as the White House advocate for the pro-choice movement. Trump was responsible for shifting the Supreme Court to a more conservative alignment, thereby facilitating the abortion decision. While serving in the Oval Office, he additionally withdrew the US from the Paris climate accord and implemented measures aimed at decreasing immigration. Harris’s initial international trip as vice-president occurred in 2021 to Guatemala, forming part of her assigned duty to diminish the influx of Latin American migrants arriving at America’s southern border with Mexico. Key foreign policy matters that have defined her tenure include the conflicts in Ukraine and Gaza, alongside the disorganized US military withdrawal from Afghanistan. Trump’s inaugural overseas visit as president took place in 2017 to Saudi Arabia. Trump supports isolationist approaches that entail separating his nation from international disputes and fostering American industry. Harris is wedded to Doug Emhoff (depicted below), who frequently participates in campaigns for her. She serves as stepmother – or “Momala”, as she says – to Emhoff’s offspring from his initial marriage, Cole (on the left) and Ella (on the right). Several individuals from Donald Trump’s family have participated in his political journey, although his wife, former First Lady Melania Trump, has made restricted appearances in the 2024 campaign. Trump had three children with his first wife, Ivana: Donald Jr (second from the left in the bottom image), Ivanka (second from the right), and Eric (on the right). He fathered a daughter, Tiffany (on the left), with his second wife, Marla Maples. He wed his third wife, Melania (third from the left), in 2005, and they have one son, Barron. Harris joined the 2024 presidential contest somewhat late in the proceedings, taking the place of Joe Biden after his withdrawal. She achieved a historic milestone as the inaugural black and Asian-American woman to head a major party’s presidential ticket, subsequently delivering an address at the Democratic National Convention in Chicago, Illinois. During the identical election, Donald Trump attained the uncommon achievement of securing a third presidential nomination from his party. He addressed the Republican National Convention in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, appearing with a bandaged ear after enduring an assassination attempt during the campaign. Image editing performed by Phil Coomes. Anthony Zurcher, North America correspondent, provides analysis of the White House race in his bi-weekly US Election Unspun newsletter. Subscribers in the UK may register here. Individuals outside the UK can register here. Copyright 2024 BBC. All rights reserved. The BBC bears no responsibility for the material on external websites. Information regarding our policy on external linking is available here.