As the election enters its final phase, a key question emerges: will Vice President Kamala Harris’s proposals come together into a compelling economic vision that can surpass the promises of former President Donald J. Trump?
Vice President Kamala Harris has rolled out an 82-page economic plan, outlining her proposals on housing, taxes, and healthcare, which her campaign distributed to supporters at an event in Pittsburgh this week. In contrast, former President Donald J. Trump has offered no such detailed agenda. His campaign website lacks depth on issues, and his economic promises are encapsulated in short slogans like tax cuts—some of which even his own advisers struggle to fully explain. Trump has floated the idea of a 20 percent tariff on all imported goods, pledged to deport millions of immigrants to ease housing demand, and claimed he can cut energy prices by half within a year.
Despite the vague and improvisational nature of his agenda, Trump continues to lead Harris on the economy in polls, although his lead is shrinking in some surveys. Economists warn that if his proposals were enacted, they could slow growth, increase consumer prices, and swell the federal deficit. Still, Trump’s straightforward promises—focused on lower taxes, less regulation, and reduced trade—resonate with many voters. His message helped propel him to the presidency once before, and a significant portion of Americans recall the economy during the first three years of his administration, prior to the pandemic and recent inflation, with a sense of nostalgia.