Hillary Clinton: What does she stand for? All her main policies, explained

And how does Donald Trump compare?

Jewel Samad/Getty (Getty)

Much of the coverage of the US election so far has focussed on a battle of personalities: Hillary Clinton versus Donald Trump.

More headlines have been made by the candidates’ respective scandals - Mr Trump’s historic comments about women and Ms Clinton’s use of a private email server - than anything else.

But what do the Democrat and Republican candidates actually believe in? What would they do to change America if they were voted in to the White House?

Here’s a breakdown of policy prescriptions, showing just what it is Ms Clinton actually stands for - and how Mr Trump compares.

Policy on drugs

Clinton's plan is focused on boosting access to treatment and recovery programs, for instance by subsidising child care for people in treatment.

She has set out a $10bn proposal that would boost evidence-based prevention programs in schools, giving more money to states to fund first responders, and promoting greater use of medically-assisted treatment.

Clinton says she will ask her attorney general to issue guidance telling states to prioritise treatment over incarceration for low-level offenders. She supports the drug court programs that many states have created, and says she'll also push states to consider such alternatives to incarceration.

Trump has not set out a specific spending program, or any specific policy on low-level or non-violent drug offenders. He is pledging, however, to "aggressively prosecute traffickers of illegal drugs”. His statements have focussed on stopping the flow of drugs into the US, which he has partly blamed on China, and says the wall he plans to build on the country's southern border will halt the flow from Mexico.

Policy on economy

Clinton has said she would raise money by increasing taxes on the wealthy in several ways, while maintaining the current 35 per cent corporate tax rate.

Her measures would increase taxes in 2017 for the richest 1 percent by $117,760, and the richest 0.1 percent by $800,000, while having little impact on the bottom 95 percent of taxpayers.

Her economic plan focuses on boosting middle-class incomes, by giving tax breaks to SMEs, raising the minimum wage to $15 an hour, and encouraging long-term investments.

She has also promised to invest in clean energy infrastructure, and to limit child care expenses to 10 percent of a family's income, making it easier for parents to “balance work and family”.

Trump would cut taxes for the top 1 percent by, on average, $214,690 in 2017, according to the Tax Policy Center. He would reduce the top tax bracket and give middle-income earners an average tax break of $1,010. He would also cut inheritance taxes on the largest estates.

Policy on immigration

Clinton supports establishing a route to citizenship for immigrants who have been living in the US illegally, in line with proposals supported by both sides of the Senate in 2013 but blocked by the House.

She says improved technology and investments in border patrol agencies are the best ways to secure the US’s borders, and would scale back the use of immigration raids.

She would nonetheless continue Obama's policy of deporting violent criminals and others who break the law after entering the United States, and says those who are in the country illegally should never be allowed to receive state subsidies.

Trump has proposed building a huge wall across the vast majority of the 2,100-mile border with Mexico, and making Mexico pay for it. He opposes any pathway to legal status for immigrants in the US illegally, and would “immediately terminate” executive orders issued by Barack Obama to stop potentially millions of deportations, all involving people who came to the US as children.

Policy on Isis

Clinton has vowed to carry out more air strikes against Isis if she becomes president, as well as increasing support “for local Arab and Kurdish forces on the ground” in Syria and Iraq.

She says she will work towards a diplomatic strategy aimed at ending the conflicts in these two countries, which have fuelled the rise of Isis.

In terms of Isis’s reach beyond its heartlands, she has said she will work with European intelligence services to tackle people smugglers, and work with tech companies “to fight jihadist propaganda online”.

Trump has been less specific about his goals, at some points suggesting he wants the US to take a less interventionist role in the world, at others saying he will carry out an “extreme” and “vicious” campaign against Isis. He has at times attributed his vagueness on the issue to not “wanting [other countries and groups] to know what my real thinking is”.

Policy on gun control

Clinton has been very clear that she believes in tighter restrictions on licensing for guns. In practice, this means making sure people on federal no-fly lists are also not allowed to buy firearms. She has said: “As President, I'll take on the gun lobby and fight for common-sense reforms to keep guns away from terrorists, domestic abusers, and other violent criminals—including comprehensive background checks and closing loopholes that allow guns to fall into the wrong hands.”

Trump has said he gives his “unwavering support” to the Second Amendment and accuses the Democrats of “wanting to confiscate all guns”. He has actually proposed extending gun ownership rights so concealed-carry licences can apply across all 50 states, and the elimination of bans on certain types of guns and ammunition.

Policy on abortion

Clinton says politicians “have no business interfering with women’s personal health decisions”, and describes herself as a full supporter of the Planned Parenthood programme giving women “access to critical health services, including safe, legal abortion”.

She has been criticised in the past for her stance on late-term abortions, with Senator Mark Rubio once accusing her of supporting abortion on "the baby's due date”. Clinton has said she accepts “restrictions in the very end of the third trimester”, but that every abortion decision should “take into account the life and health of the mother”.

Trump has promised to appoint anti-abortion justices to the Supreme Court, saying he is “opposed to abortion except for rape, incest and life of the mother”.