On the campaign trail newsletter - it's the economy
By James Oliphant
Sept 26 - With a little over five weeks to go until the Nov. 5 presidential election – and in-person voting now underway in some states – the economic policy visions of both Democrat Kamala Harris and Republican Donald Trump are coming into sharper focus.
B oth delivered remarks on the economy this week, offering differing proposals but with similar goals in mind: boosting U.S. manufacturing and creating jobs.
The messaging is critical to both candidates'White House hopes. A new Reuters/Ipsos poll this week found that Trump’s longstanding advantage on the question of who voters trust on the economy is eroding.
I’m James Oliphant, part of the Reuters team covering this year's presidential, congressional and other races.
Asked in the pollwhich candidate had the better approach on the economy, unemployment and jobs, some 43% of voters picked Trump and 41% selected Harris. Trump held an 11-point lead over Harris on that question in late July shortly after she launched her campaign.
Trump’s ability to weather the storms that have tossed his campaign has largely been reliant on voters believing that their lives were better when he was president. That voters increasingly are viewing Harris as a solid alternative on that front may be the best indicator that the race is going to go down to the wire.
Harris’ aides characterized her speech Wednesday in Pittsburgh as an opportunity for her to persuade voters that she is fighting for the middle class and that Trump favors billionaires. In her remarks , Harris talked about providing incentives for companies to keep their operations in the U.S. and promised new investments in industries like bio-manufacturing, aerospace, artificial intelligence and clean energy.
While Harris favors carrots, Trump, fittingly, prefers the stick. He has threatened to ramp up tariffs on foreign importers of goods – as high as 60% on products from China – and punish U.S. employers who send jobs offshore .
In a speech in Georgia on Tuesday, Trump said he wants to “take” jobs away from other countries, including allies such as Germany and South Korea, by making the U.S. a more attractive place to do business.
Trump, like any good retailpolitician, also knows how to sweeten the pot. Lately, he has been promising a round of tax breaks that experts say could blow out the federal budget deficit even further.
Trump would slice the corporate tax rate for businesses that manufacture goods in the country, end taxes on tips and overtime for hourly workers, restore the so-called SALT (state and local) tax deduction for high-income earners and extend the tax cuts he pushed through in 2017 as president.
The federal debt already has forecasters in a gloomy mood. Ratings agency Moody’s said this week that the country’s fiscal profile is likely to deteriorate next year no matter who wins the election.
Don’t expect Harris and Trump to debate their economic visions on stage anytime soon. Trump has ruled out another debate .
On Tuesday , however, their vice presidential picks, Tim Walz and JD Vance, will tussle before a national TV audience in their only debate . And because it may be the final one of the presidential campaign, it could carry some extra significance.
Cats and dogs watching at home may want to avert their eyes.
FACT CHECK OF THE WEEK:
An edited, slowed-down video of Kamala Harris at a campaign event in Atlanta was shared on social media as “evidence” that she was drunk on stage and unfit for the presidency. Read more.
Politicians being targeted by digitally altered media is not new. In 2020, a slowed-down video of former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi went viral , with similar false accusations that she was intoxicated.
Find more fact-checks from around the world here .
THE VIEW FROM THE UNITED NATIONS:
This week marked the annual gathering of the UN General Assembly. It offered an opportunity for President Joe Biden to bid farewell on the world stage, as he called for a peace accord between Israel and Hamas. If a cease-fire deal is reached and Israeli hostages are freed, it could be a boon for Harris’ presidential hopes although Israeli airstrikes in Lebanon complicate the Mideast situation.
WHAT TO WATCH FOR:
Sept. 27 Harris visits Chandler, Arizona
Sept. 27: Trump campaigns in Michigan
Sept. 28: Harris campaigns in San Francisco
Sept. 28: Trump campaigns in Wisconsin
Sept. 29: Harris campaigns in Los Angeles and Nevada
Oct. 1: Vance, Walz to meet for vice presidential debate in New York
THE WHO, WHAT AND WHEN:
US early voting: A state-by-state guide
Democrats, Republicans battle over election rules in Harris-Trump face off
What's changed in the seven states likely to determine America’s next president
Harris to visit US-Mexico border, discuss security
Editing by Alistair Bell
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