US Election 2024: Ms. Harris struggles to reduce Mr. Trump's advantage on the economy

Democrats say Vice President Harris needs to convince voters she can better address their top issues, while some strategists say she must do more to counter Mr. Trump’s polling advantage on economic management.

US Vice President Kamala Harris speaks at a campaign rally in North Carolina on September 12, 2024. Photo: AA/TTXVN

According to the Wall Street Journal on October 17, Democrats said Vice President Kamala Harris has not yet been able to convince voters that she can better manage the economy, a task they consider crucial to building a lead in battleground states in the race for the White House. They said Vice President Harris is facing many challenges in convincing voters that she can handle the economy better than former President Donald Trump, who leads in economic management. Although Ms. Harris has launched initiatives such as reducing drug costs and supporting parents, she has not yet made a strong connection with voters. Democratic strategists note that Ms. Harris needs a more aggressive approach to erode Mr. Trump's advantage, especially when voters still doubt the economic achievements of the Biden-Harris administration. While Vice President Harris has improved her standing in recent polls, she has yet to make a strong connection with voters on the economy. This is especially important as Trump retains an advantage over his predecessor in promoting a strong economy before the COVID-19 pandemic. Evan Roth Smith, a pollster with the Democratic Blueprint initiative, said Harris faces her biggest challenge in delivering her economic message, with the Biden-Harris administration seen as failing to convince voters how to address economic issues. In the recent debate, Vice President Harris missed an opportunity to demonstrate that she has a viable plan to address voters’ top concerns, such as inflation and the cost of living. A large portion of voters remain concerned about rising prices and feel Trump would be a better choice to manage them, according to a Wall Street Journal poll. Among voters concerned about inflation, Trump has 71% support, while Harris has struggled to win over this group. Some analysts say Harris needs a more aggressive approach to counter Trump's reputation for economic success. "She needs to be more clear about her economic plan and she needs to start doing that now," said veteran Republican strategist Mike Murphy. Murphy said Harris did not use the debate to make a significant difference with Trump on this issue. Democrats are hoping that recent positive economic news, such as falling inflation and household incomes returning to pre-COVID-19 levels, could help Harris improve her standing. But the key question Harris needs to answer is whether Americans feel they are better off than they were four years ago. Voters seem unconvinced that Trump would be a better steward of the economy than Harris.

James Carville, a veteran Democratic strategist, said the Federal Reserve's decision to cut interest rates could help, although Vice President Harris still needs to clarify how she will help voters achieve economic benefits independent of Trump's policies. "Harris can convince voters that they will lose out if Trump returns to power," Carville said. However, former President Trump has argued that Harris' economic agenda is nothing new but merely a continuation of President Biden's policies, which voters do not trust. A video ad from the Trump campaign emphasized that Harris does not have her own plan but is simply copying "Bidenomics" - a term used to describe the Biden administration's economic policies. Therefore, many analysts remain skeptical about Harris's ability to change voters' views of Trump's economic record. Republican pollster Micah Roberts points out that Americans have been consistently pessimistic about the economy since 2008, except for 2018 and 2019, when Trump was president. That pessimism will not subside in 2021-2024, which is bad news for Harris. Harris has recently put forward proposals and initiatives to reduce drug costs, support parents and combat food price gouging. While these initiatives have gained support in polls, they have not been presented in a specific and credible way to voters. Analyst Ruy Teixeira says these ideas are vague and unlikely to connect with the working class in swing states, the people Harris needs to appeal to the most. Meanwhile, Mr. Trump has announced that he will not participate in the second debate, which could create additional challenges for Ms. Harris in presenting her views to the public. Mike Murphy commented: "If Ms. Harris can connect with voters on the economic issue, she will be in a strong position. If not, Mr. Trump can win."

Vu Thanh/Tin Tuc Newspaper (According to wsj.com)

Source: https://baotintuc.vn/phan-tichnhan-dinh/bau-cu-my-2024-ba-harris-vat-lon-de-lam-giam-loi-the-cua-ong-trump-ve-kinh-te-20241018222705133.htm