Harris and Trump focus on economy in final three weeks of campaigning

WASHINGTON (TNND) — In these final few weeks before Election Day, Vice President Kamala Harris and former President Donald Trump are working to convince undecided voters they’re the candidate best equipped to make the economy stronger.

A recent Wall Street Journal survey of economists found inflation and deficits would be higher under Trump’s policies than Harris’. The non-partisan Committee for a Responsible Budget has also projected higher deficits under a second Trump presidency.

A policy of Trump’s that’s arguably the least popular with economists is his plan to impose across-the-board tariffs. He defended the idea Tuesday during an interview at the Economic Club of Chicago with Bloomberg News editor-in-chief John Micklethwait, who told him his plan would push up prices for everyday Americans buying imported products.

“The higher the tariff is, the more likely it is that the company will come into the United States and build a factory in the United States so it doesn’t have to pay the tariff,” Trump said.

Harris, meanwhile, continues to tout confirmation from Nobel Laureates and firms like Goldman Sachs that say her economic plans would be better for the economy than Trump’s. But polls show everyday voters don’t feel the same.

A new Harvard CAPS/Harris poll found 48% think Trump would do a better job improving the economy and creating jobs, compared to the 45% who think Harris would do a better job. The poll also found just about one in three voters believe the economy is on the right track.

The vice president has the tricky job of distinguishing her platform from President Joe Biden’s without slighting the administration in which she serves.

Last week, during an appearance on “The View,” when asked if she would have done something differently than the president over the past four years, Harris said, “There is not a thing that comes to mind.”

Later in the interview, Harris added, “I plan on having a Republican in my cabinet. You asked me what’s the difference between Joe Biden and me. Well, that will be one of the differences.”