Harris calls Trump 'one of the biggest losers ever' on manufacturing in crucial Pennsylvania
She contrasted her "middle-class upbringing" to Trump's "gilded path to wealth."
Vice President Kamala Harris on Wednesday contrasted her economic agenda and that of former President Donald Trump, in a high-profile speech in the battleground state of Pennsylvania.
Harris told an audience of about 400 people, including billionaire entrepreneur Mark Cuban, at the Economic Club of Pittsburgh that her economic philosophy is "rooted in her middle-class upbringing" while Trump's comes from a "gilded path to wealth."
“For Donald Trump, our economy works best if it works for those who own the big skyscrapers. Not those who build them. Not those who wire them. Not those who mop the floors,” she said.
She attacked Trump's record on the economy while he was in the White House, pointing out that despite his tough talk on trade with China, the U.S. trade deficit with China is lower during the Biden administration than during Trump's time in office. And she pointed to Trump's record on offshoring manufacturing jobs while he was in office.
"All told, almost 200,000 manufacturing jobs were lost during his presidency, starting before the pandemic hit, making Trump one of the biggest losers ever on manufacturing," she said.
Harris' remarks come as she tries to erode Trump's edge on the economy in voters' eyes. Polls show more voters believe Trump would do a better job with the economy. Trump often argues that Harris is responsible for the current economic climate as part of President Joe Biden's administration. And critics say she has provided few specifics on why should be trusted to steer the economy for the next four years.
An ABC News/Ipsos poll conducted after the ABC News presidential debate earlier this month found that the economy was the top issue for voters, with 91% saying it was an important issue for them. In that poll, voters trusted Trump to do a better job handling the economy than Harris by 7-point margin. A recent NBC News poll out Sunday found showed Trump led Harris in dealing with the economy by a 9-point spread.
The vice president released an 81-page economic policy book tied to her speech. In her remarks, she framed her proposals into three pillars: lowering costs, investing in American innovation ; and leading the world in "industries of tomorrow."
Harris said she will remove barriers to economic opportunity and identify "common sense solutions to help Americans buy a home, start a business and build wealth."
Harris has made the economy and the cost of living a focal point of her campaign in recent weeks. She has rolled out proposals to give first time homebuyers $25,000 in down payment assistance, increasing the small businesses startup tax credit tenfold to $50,000, and a $6,000 child tax credit for the first year of a newborn's life.
The vice president said her plan would invest in strengthening the middle class, engaging in what former President Franklin D. Roosevelt called "bold, persistent experimentation."
To allow the middle class to be the "growth engine of our economy," Harris said she would cut taxes for middle class families and individuals, promising that more than 100 million Americans would get a middle-class tax break.
To drive down the cost of housing, Harris promised to increase the supply by cutting red tape that stops homes from being built, take on corporate landlords that she said were increasing rental prices and to work with builders and developers to construct 3 million new homes and rentals for the middle class.
Trump is scheduled to deliver his own economic speech in Michigan on Friday.