Harris and Trump clash over taxes in economic policy debate

WASHINGTON – Vice President Kamala Harris and former President Donald Trump sparred over their various tax plans in a debate Tuesday night, focusing heavily on social issues like abortion and only marginally on economic issues.

Harris promoted her child tax plan and her proposal for support for first-time home buyersTheir plans include a $25,000 grant for first-time home buyers, a $65,000 child benefit for parents with newborns, and a $50,000 tax deduction for startups and entrepreneurs.

“We know that there is a housing shortage and that housing costs are too high for far too many people,” Harris said. “We know that young families need support to raise their children.”

She also attacked Trump’s plans to expand taxes on wealthy Americans and corporations, as outlined in the tax law he championed during his presidency.

“If you look at his economic plan, it’s all about tax breaks for the wealthy,” Harris said. “I’m offering what I call an economics of opportunity.”

Trump, meanwhile, defended his plan to increase tariffs on foreign goods.

“After 75 years, other countries are finally going to pay us back for everything we’ve done for the world,” Trump said. “And the tariffs are going to be significant.”

Trump also attacked the Biden administration’s economic record, linking it specifically to immigration and the border.

“Millions of people are streaming into our country from prisons and detention centers, from psychiatric institutions and mental institutions,” he said.

“They are destroying our country, they are dangerous,” he said later. “They are at the highest level of criminality and we have to get them out, and fast. I have created one of the greatest economies in the history of our country.”

During the Biden administration, he also repeated his attacks on inflation.

“I built one of the greatest economies in the history of the world and I’m going to rebuild it,” he said. “It’s going to be bigger, better and stronger, but they’re destroying our economy. They have no idea what a good economy is.”

Harris and Trump had very different views on the economic impact of his tariff plan.

Harris said it would “actually” lead to a sales tax increase for the middle class. Trump continued to falsely claim that foreign governments, not U.S. importers, would pay the tariffs, while Harris points out that Several studies which show that tariffs are driving up costs for American consumers.

When asked about Trump’s previous comments on her ethnicity, Harris referred to Trump’s history of sued by the Ministry of Justice for violations of the Fair Housing Act in the 1970s.

“Let’s remember how Donald Trump started… He owned buildings and he was investigated for refusing to rent property to black families,” she said.

Most mentions of housing and economic policy came in response to the moderators’ first question in the debate.

Although Republicans typically have a lead over Democrats on economic issues, Trump did not exploit that advantage. He made few concrete economic proposals and instead focused on the border and immigration debate.

Harris, meanwhile, stressed that there are differences in temperament between her and the former president, as well as differences in foreign policy, a peaceful transition of power and other issues such as abortion.

The debate – which was scheduled months ago before President Biden’s decision to drop out of the race – is likely to be the only one between Trump and Harris before Election Day. Polls show that the Candidates practically on parBoth campaign teams viewed the debate as perhaps the last and best opportunity to change the minds of undecided voters.