Harris and Trump campaign in swing states with battling visions for the economy

Geoff Bennett:

Turning our focus now to the 2024 race for president, both candidates were out on the campaign trail today laying out their plans to tackle one of the most consequential issues of this election. That's the economy.

Vice President Kamala Harris was in Pennsylvania and Donald Trump campaigned in North Carolina.

And that's where our Lisa Desjardins has been reporting.

Lisa Desjardins:

Today, two battleground states, two battling visions for America's economy.

Kamala Harris, Vice President of the United States (D) and U.S. Presidential Candidate: I intend to chart a new way forward and grow America's middle class. Donald Trump intends to take America backward.

Lisa Desjardins:

Vice President Kamala Harris' came in a speech to the Economic Club of Pittsburgh. She played up what she calls a pragmatic approach and pledged policies to boost domestic manufacturing.

Her proposals largely include tax shifts and incentives, such as a $50,000 tax deduction for new small businesses. Other ideas, she says, will pick up where President Biden's economic agenda leaves off.

Kamala Harris:

A survey of top economists by The Financial Times and the University of Chicago found that by an overwhelming 70 to 3 percent margin, my plan would be better for keeping inflation low.

Lisa Desjardins:

Just hours earlier…

Donald Trump, Former President of the United States (R) and Current U.S. Presidential Candidate: They have done nothing. Why didn't she do everything 3.5 years ago?

Lisa Desjardins:

… former President Donald Trump outlined his economic plan, including tariffs and a push for American businesses to keep jobs here at a factory in Mint Hill, North Carolina.

Donald Trump:

I will give you the lowest taxes, the lowest energy costs, I will cut your energy in half, the lowest regulatory burden and free access to the best and biggest market on the planet Earth, but only if you make your product here in America and hire American workers for the job.

Lisa Desjardins:

It comes at a time when the economy consistently tops the polls as one of the most important issues for voters.

Donald Trump:

Forty-one days from now, we are going to win the state of North Carolina.

Lisa Desjardins:

The location is politically powerful. Near the bottom of the state, Mint Hill has a suburb of Charlotte between two powerhouse counties, Mecklenburg, a population center that voted 67 percent for Biden in 2020, but next door is Union, the largest county that Trump won in 2020. It voted for him 61 percent.

Both counties are fast growing and business centers. Industrial parks keep popping up.

Colin Hughes and his wife opened this coffee shop in Mint Hill over a year ago, a risk, but one that's paid off.

Colin Hughes, Coffee Shop Owner:

We have been in business for a little over a year, year-and-a-half, and we haven't gone down yet in a month. Last year at this time, we had four employees. Now we have 10. So, for us, the only thing I can really speak on is how we're doing here and how our other friends are doing up and down this trip. And, yes, things are going really well for us.

Lisa Desjardins:

But the economy here has not been as bright for everyone.

Nina Harrill is a Trump supporter.

Nina Harrill, Voter:

I lost my job during COVID, and things were getting really good when Trump was in. But right after he went out, it's like everything started going south, and my company that had been in business for 80 years went under.

So, I'd been at my job 25 years and lost my job after all that.

Lisa Desjardins:

She now works at a Chick-fil-A, where she has seen customers cut back, adults buying kids' meals to save money.

She's all in on Trump because she thinks the country is on a downward track. We also asked Nina about the Republican candidate for governor, Mark Robinson, and the bombshell report last week from CNN asserting that he previously posted a litany of offensive comments on a porn site, including that he was a Nazi, that slavery should return, and that he enjoyed watching transgender porn.

As a candidate, Robinson has adamantly opposed transgender rights. He maintains the CNN report is false, that these are not his words. Despite pressure and resignations from top staff, Robinson has stayed in the race.

A candidate Trump has vigorously embraced in the past, now the Trump/Vance campaign avoids talking about Robinson, and he was not at the event today. So far, the Robinson story hasn't impacted either Nina's vote for Trump or him.

Nina Harrill:

I mean, from just a little bit that I know to be able to bring up a past from probably 10 years ago, and it's not like I know if all that stuff's true or not.

Lisa Desjardins:

But at the coffee shop after our interview, she did confront a different doubt about Trump from someone nearby.

Madisyn Belk, Voter:

I don't see Trump sacrificing anything that he has for his country.

Lisa Desjardins:

Madisyn Belk sees Trump's relationship with the economy differently, that he's a billionaire who wants to continue tax cuts for the wealthy.

Madisyn Belk:

He was born rich and he's for the rich.

Geoff Bennett:

And Lisa joins us now from Charlotte, North Carolina.

Lisa, it's great to see you.

So, based on your reporting, how is Donald Trump's economic plan being received so far?

Lisa Desjardins:

Republicans like a lot that's in this plan, in particular, lower taxes. Most people like the lower taxes. There are some, as you heard in the piece, especially Democrats, who say that he gives away too much to the wealthy.

But something has happened in the last day about a key part of Donald Trump's plan. That's tariffs. More and more conservative groups are saying they have concerns, and they're saying this publicly. Notably, yesterday, the top Republican in the U.S. Senate, Mitch McConnell, came out and said he's not a fan of tariffs and he went even farther and said tariffs add cost to American consumers.

That's the opposite of what Donald Trump has been saying about his tariff plan. Now, Mitch McConnell, of course, is someone that Trump supporters really don't pay a lot of attention to, but they may be paying attention to something else that happened this morning.

The Wall Street Journal editorial board came out with a strong statement also about Trump's tariff policy. They wrote: "Hard to believe, but Donald Trump is giving U.S. companies a reason to think that Kamala Harris might be better for their business."

The Wall Street Journal there talking about the idea that Trump would penalize businesses moving overseas with tariffs somehow. As someone told me this morning, to paraphrase them, if Donald Trump has a problem with The Wall Street Journal on the economy, then he has a very big problem indeed.

Geoff Bennett:

Well, let's talk about North Carolina, a battleground state.

How much does the scandal involving the GOP candidate for governor, Mark Robinson, how much does that hurt Donald Trump's chances of winning?

Lisa Desjardins:

It is the hot topic of conversation down here, but people are having it in quiet ways in their home.

When you talk to Republican officials here, they tell you on or off the record that they're trying not to be concerned, but you can really feel their trepidation. One Republican official told me, though, that they think ultimately no one can hurt Donald Trump, including Donald Trump, that his fan base is so loyal, they're not worried about Mark Robinson taking him down.

On the other hand, there are some who are concerned, and part of it has to do with voters. I talked to one of the voters at this Trump event today, someone who says they're still voting for Mark Robinson. Here's what she said.

Katie Brideson, Republican Voter:

I think Mark Robinson is going through a lot right now, and I think that these are just allegations, and I believe that there's a lot that people can do with A.I. these days, and we just need to be careful what we listen to and what we believe.

We 100 percent believe and trust in Jesus Christ, and we pray for our politicians, and we hope that Donald Trump and Mark Robinson are on that path with us.

Lisa Desjardins:

I heard that from a number of people, thinking that this couldn't really be something that happened Mark Robinson. They don't trust the CNN reporting. They think maybe it's A.I.

There's no reason to think this was A.I. But there are some Republican officials who say that is also a problem, that there is a base that is supporting Mark Robinson, when they want him to drop out. They think, as long as he's on the ballot, there may be some Republican voters who don't show up at all and they think that could ultimately hurt Donald Trump.

Geoff Bennett:

Well, as you have been speaking with voters there across North Carolina, what's your sense of where folks might be leaning?

Lisa Desjardins:

I really got a strong sense of place in that community, Mint Hill, where Donald Trump spoke today.

First of all, the factory he was at has grown in the last year. This is a place where the economy is good. Feelings are generally good. Prices are the problem for Kamala Harris here. But this is a community that, honestly, they're dealing with their divide together in a more gentle and, shall I say, like, civil way than I have seen in other places.

There are a lot of people here who say they don't really like either candidate, what we heard earlier this year. They're not comfortable yet with Kamala Harris. But when I asked them more, Geoff, I heard a lot of people tell me they're less comfortable with Donald Trump. There are more people who say: I can't vote for him. I'm not sure about her, but I can't vote for him.

And that is why Democrats have so much hope in this state. The ground game is going to matter here. Turnout will matter, but it is very much anyone's ball game here in North Carolina.

Geoff Bennett:

Lisa Desjardins reporting tonight from Charlotte, North Carolina.

Lisa, thanks so much.

Lisa Desjardins:

You're welcome.