Democratic strategist James Carville on Thursday suggested that Vice President Kamala Harris stop attempting to persuade voters that the economy is doing well.
Former President Donald Trump holds a 13-point lead over Harris on who voters believe would manage the economy more effectively, according to a New York Times/Siena College poll published on Sept. 19.
Carville, on his âPolitics War Roomâ podcast, advised Harris to shift her focus to highlighting the potential dangers of Trumpâs economic policies, like tariffs, instead of running on her and President Joe Bidenâs economic track record.
âThereâs a way to do this and the way not to — and usually, you have perception economy, and most of the people that we know, and I think with some validity, say, âLook, this economy is a lot better than people think it is.â All right, thatâs frankly not going to work very well, because it takes a while for economic perceptions to change,â Carville said.
âTrump has given the Harris campaign a great gift. He has, on multiple occasions, said that you have nothing to lose. That is, whether you have nothing to lose or something to lose is a very, very different conversation as to whether you think the economy is good or bad.â
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Carville asserted that the vast majority of economists would agree Trumpâs tariffs and mass deportation policy âwould destroy the American economy.â
âSo, what Trump is saying, that ⦠youâre living in Thanksgiving of 1929 and everything that you have is up in smoke, that is decidedly not true. And they should run a fear campaign on what he would do,â he added.
âAnd I want to go to these tariffs, because itâs a very important reason ⦠Harris is only down four in Iowa. I think I know the reason: tariffs. Agrarian people do not like tariffs. They have had a horrible experience with them.â
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The Biden-Harris administration in May chose to maintain Trumpâs tariffs on Chinese imports, according to NPR. The administration also announced in May that it would impose significant increases on tariffs targeting imports of electric vehicles and other green energy technology from China.
Harris has repeatedly criticized Trumpâs tariff policy, but Harris campaign spokesman Charles Lutvak told The New York Times she would âemploy targeted and strategic tariffs to support American workers, strengthen our economy, and hold our adversaries accountable.â
The Democratic strategist suggested Harris visit Iowa economic venues and tell Americans, ââYou have a lot to lose, and the tariffs will make you and the whole country poorer, and itâll do it quickly and efficientlyâ ⦠You have got to make him pay, and youâve got to say, âYou do have something to lose, and you will lose it so fast under his economic plan, you wonât see it.’â
âWe no longer have to convince people that the economy is good. We only have to convince people that they have something to lose, which is a much easier job,â Carville said.
âAnd you donât have a lot of time, and you got to get right to it ⦠I think this is a very good opportunity. I hope they take advantage of it.â
Over 50 percent of voters perceive Trumpâs presidential term was âa successâ while just 37 percent view Bidenâs tenure as successful, according to a Tuesday CNN poll conducted by SSRS.
CNN political commentator Scott Jennings said Wednesday it is a âmajor problemâ for Harris to be part of the Biden administration when most voters view the presidentâs term as âa failureâ thus far.
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