Where Trump and Clinton agree

Opposition to free trade deals

This is arguably one of the most stunning developments of the 2016 presidential race: Both presidential candidates have come out in opposition of free trade. Trump and Clinton have vowed that as president they would block the already fully negotiated Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP), a large trade agreement hammered out between the US and 11 other nations. This is noteworthy for several reasons.

One, because it marks a major policy reversal, as both parties have traditionally supported free trade. The Republican Party has viewed itself for a long time as the champion of free trade. Democrats have generally not been as enthusiastic about trade deals as their Republican counterparts, but have nevertheless pushed through trade deals like the controversial North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) during the presidency of Hillary Clinton's husband, Bill.

Two, because Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton, in her role as secretary of state, helped negotiate the very TPP agreement she now opposes after reversing her stance under pressure from her Democratic opponent Bernie Sanders during the party's primary.

Three, because Republican candidate Donald Trump, who has lashed out repeatedly at US companies outsourcing production to countries like Mexico, has done the very same thing in his own business ventures.

Investing in US infrastructure

Clinton and Trump have both promised to rebuild America's ageing infrastructure like roads, bridges, airports and waterways. Clinton plans to spend $275 billion (247 billion euros) over a five-year period on the modernization of US infrastructure.

Trump has suggested that Clinton's number is far too low and that he would spend at least double that amount, but has not presented a detailed plan. Both Clinton and Trump expect that their infrastructure investments will generate thousands of new domestic jobs.

Government investment in infrastructure also proves very popular with voters of all stripes. A recent poll found that 68 percent of Republicans, 70 percent of independents and 76 percent of Democrats think Washington should improve the country's infrastructure.

Improving health care for veterans

Trump and Clinton both want to overhaul the Veteran's Health Administration to provide better health care for American veterans. This is no small feat: The country's roughly 19 million military veterans and their families represent an important voter segment and the Department for Veteran's Affairs is one of the largest federal government agencies.

The treatment and service veterans receive from the Veteran's Administration has become an increasingly relevant topic since 2014, when a major scandal involving the deaths of veterans waiting for medical care rocked the organization.

Both candidates plan to restructure the health care services provided to veterans. But while Trump wants to allow veterans to get access to private medical care, Clinton opposes private health care options for veterans.