The presidential debate between former President Donald Trump and Vice President Kamala Harris earlier this week was filled with controversies and drew mixed conclusions as to who won. However, recent reports from CNN polls indicate that Trump has gained favorability in economic issues. The poll found that the percentage of voters who trust Trump more on the economy increased from +16% to +20%.
As the economy has become one of the most pressing issues throughout the Biden-Harris administration, it will inevitably be a defining issue in the upcoming election. While Harris has had to play defense on the issue, Trump has been able to tout his record from his presidency, where the economy was much stronger according to many metrics.
CNN’s Jake Tapper kicked off the conversation surrounding the poll alongside CNN political director David Chalian, stating, “The first results of our instant poll of debate-watchers have just come in and David Chalian is going to join us now to break it all down. David, tell us more.” Chalian began, “Yeah, Jake, and as you noted, this is a poll of debate watchers.”
The political director then claimed, “This is not a poll that represents the overall population, although in partisan breakdown it is pretty close to what the overall registered population looks like in the country.” Later in the segment, Chalian displayed results from a question to debate watchers as to whom they trusted more on managing the economy between Trump or Harris.
The survey results found that Harris’ support declined from 37% to 35% after the debate, while Trump’s increased from 53% to 55%, bringing his lead over the vice president on economic issues to 20%. Throughout the debate, Trump drew attention to the economy and highlighted the weak points of Harris’ campaign.
Trump said, “We’ve had a terrible economy because inflation has — which is really known as a country buster. It breaks up countries. We have inflation like very few people have ever seen before. Probably the worst in our nation’s history. … everybody knows I’m an open book. Everybody knows what I’m going to do. Cut taxes very substantially. And create a great economy like I did before. We had the greatest economy.”
However, when Harris was asked point-blank by host David Muir if Americans were better off today than they were under former President Donald Trump, she avoided the question entirely and took it as an opportunity to make emotional appeals and discuss her agenda moving forward.
“So I was raised as a middle class kid, and I am actually the only person on this stage who has a plan that is about lifting up the middle class and working people of America. I believe in the ambition, the aspirations, the dreams of the American people, and that is why I imagine and have actually a plan to build what I call an opportunity economy.” She continued, “Because here’s the thing, we know that we have a shortage of homes and housing, and the cost of housing is too expensive for far too many people.”
She further discussed child tax credits, without acknowledging the original question. “We know that young families need support to raise their children, and I intend on extending a tax cut for those families of $6,000 which is the largest child tax credit that we have given in a long time so that those young families can afford to buy a crib, buy a car seat, buy clothes for their children,” Harris said.
Watch Harris below:
"*" indicates required fields