Best foot forward: Harris walks over to speak to the media at Andrews Air Force Base in Maryland. The Democratic presidential nominee says she will explain how she intends to do more to invest in the aspirations and ambitions of the American people. — Reuters
NEW YORK: The battle between Kamala Harris and Donald Trump over the economy is set to intensify, with the rival presidential candidates planning duelling addresses this week on one of the campaign’s defining issues.
Harris told reporters on Sunday she will deliver a speech “to outline my vision for the economy”.
Trump, meanwhile, is set to offer remarks today in swing-state Georgia on a plan to lower taxes for US business owners.
The events show how the economy has become an election focal point, with Harris and Trump offering a slew of competing proposals to push tax breaks, credits and other programmes to address voter anxiety over high prices, jobs and wages.
With the candidates embarking on a six-week sprint to Election Day, each is angling for any advantage they can find.
Americans’ angst over the economy has been a political liability for Harris – and President Joe Biden – that’s souring voter perceptions of their administration’s record.
And it’s been a boost for Trump and his unprecedented campaign as the first former US president a convicted criminal.
The Republican presidential nominee has promised to slash regulations and renew expiring tax cuts – policies that have helped him rebuild support among Wall Street executives and corporate leaders who shunned him after the 2020 election.
In recent days, Harris and Trump have both also sought momentum from the Federal Reserve’s decision to lower its benchmark interest rate by a half percentage point.
Harris hailed it as a sign of progress in the fight against inflation and a vindication of the Biden administration’s policies, while saying more needs to be done.
Trump lambasted the cut as a “political” decision to protect Harris and said the move suggests the US economy is in poor shape.
Harris has also sought to bolster her standing with business, saying she would help grow emerging sectors.
At a Manhattan fundraiser on Sunday, she told donors she would support investments in digital assets and artificial intelligence.
Trump, a onetime sceptic of cryptocurrencies, has courted the industry strongly this cycle.
A Bloomberg News/Morning Consult poll from August showed voters are less likely to hold Harris responsible for the economic anxiety that undercut Biden, even as they said they were better off under Trump.
A poll Sunday, though, showed Harris narrowing Trump’s advantage on whom voters trust more on the economy.
The September CBS/Ipsos poll found Harris narrowed her deficit among voters who care most about the issue, with Trump leading 53% to 47% among that subset compared with 56% to 43% in August.
Harris said on Sunday that her speech will explain how she intends to “do more to invest in the aspirations and ambitions of the American people while addressing the challenges they face, whether it be the high price of groceries or being able to acquire home-ownership”.
Plans for Harris’ address this week aren’t finalised yet, a person familiar with the Democratic presidential nominee’s plans said on Sunday.
The address will be more sweeping than focused on any proposal or set of policy items, according to the person who cast it as an opportunity to communicate with voters who say they still don’t know enough about Harris or her policies.
Reuters reported earlier that Harris plans to present economic policy proposals this week, including ways to promote wealth creation for Americans. — Bloomberg
