Harris To Make Capitalist Pitch While Trump Pushes Into Populism In Dueling Speeches

Both Harris and Trump are trying to counter criticism of them while laying out their best case for a public that still worries about the economy’s health.

PITTSBURGH (AP) — Derided by Donald Trump as a “communist,” Kamala Harris is playing up her street cred as a capitalist.

Attacked by Harris as a rich kid who got $400 million from his father on a “silver platter,” Trump is leaning into his raw populism.

The two presidential candidates had dueling speeches on Wednesday that reflect how they’re honing their economic messages for voters in battleground states. Both are trying to counter criticism of them while laying out their best case for a public that still worries about the economy’s health.

Vice President Harris is set to speak at the Economic Club of Pittsburgh, where she plans to stress a “pragmatic” philosophy while outlining new policies to boost domestic manufacturing, according to a senior campaign official who sought anonymity to describe the upcoming address. The Democratic nominee’s remarks come after she told a swanky audience of donors in New York City on Sunday that she would cut any “red tape” holding back growth.

Former President Trump delivered a speech in Mint Hill, North Carolina in which he claimed the economy was weak, despite inflation easing and the unemployment rate at a healthy 4.2%. The Republican nominee made his reputation as a businessman, but he’s recently expressed a willingness to crack down on businesses and has proposed to cap interest rates on credit cards and slap a whopping 200% tariff on tractor-maker John Deere if it moves any jobs to Mexico.