WASHINGTON (NewsNation) — With the economy a top issue for many voters, former President Donald Trump and Vice President Kamala Harris are heading to swing state North Carolina this week to discuss their plans to bring down prices.
On Wednesday, Trump is scheduled to host a rally focused on the economy in Asheville. Harris is set to unveil her economic policy agenda at an event Friday in Raleigh.
The dueling rallies come days after the release of a new poll from the Financial Times and the University of Michigan showing voters trust Harris slightly more than Trump to handle the nation’s economy, 42% to 41%, respectively.
Harris performed better than President Joe Biden did in the same poll in July, when just 35% of voters trusted Biden more than Trump to manage the economy.
Ending federal taxes on tips
In recent weeks, both candidates have called for eliminating federal taxes on tips to provide some Americans relief from increased costs. Trump first announced the proposal at a rally June 9 in Las Vegas.
In the same city Saturday, Harris told voters she would do the same.
The Trump campaign has since accused Harris of “stealing” the idea.
“She’s making a speech saying there will be no tax on tips — I said that months ago,” Trump told Elon Musk during an interview Monday on X.
Trump’s economic plan
Trump has said his economic plan would focus on bringing down energy costs. He argued that reducing gasoline and oil costs would cause the prices of many other goods and services to decrease.
An advocate for increased domestic oil and gas production, Trump often tells supporters he wants to “drill, baby, drill” as he campaigns across the country. The United States is already producing record levels of oil.
The former president has also called for reducing regulations on businesses to help bring prices down.
Harris’ economic plan
Ahead of her remarks Friday, a Harris campaign official told NewsNation she’ll discuss “her plan to lower costs for middle-class families and take on corporate price gouging.”
Harris has not revealed many specifics about her economic policy priorities since her campaign launched last month, but she has repeatedly said she will focus on supporting middle-class Americans.
“Strengthening the middle class will be my defining goal as I am President of the United States,” Harris told supporters Aug. 6 in Philadelphia.
Harris has said reducing costs for Americans is a top priority of hers as well.
“Prices for everyday things like groceries are still too high,” she said at an Aug. 7 rally in Eau Claire, Wisconsin.
She touted her experience as California attorney general, where she “went after price-fixing schemes.”
“I will take on big corporations that engage in illegal price gouging,” Harris said. “I will take on corporate landlords that unfairly raise rents on working families. I will take on Big Pharma and cap the cost of prescription drugs for all Americans.”
Differing views on Fed involvement
One disagreement between the candidates is whether the Federal Reserve, which sets interest rates, should remain independent of presidential influence. The Fed raised interest rates in 2022 and 2023 to slow spending and cool inflation.
At his Aug. 8 news conference at Mar-a-Lago, Trump said he believes presidents should have a “say” in the Federal Reserve’s interest rate policy.
“I feel the president should have at least (a) say in there,” Trump said. “I think that in my case, I made a lot of money, I was very successful, and I think I have a better instinct than, in many cases, people that would be on the Federal Reserve or the chairman.”
Two days later, Harris told reporters she disagreed.
“The Fed is an independent entity, and as president, I would never interfere in the decisions that the Fed makes,” she said.
NewsNation’s Jackie Koppell contributed to this report.
