2024 shocker: Rare agreement over populist promises
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A populist bidding war has erupted on the 2024 campaign trail, producing an unusual convergence of policy proposals between Vice President Kamala Harris and former President Trump.
Why it matters: In an election both sides are treating as existential, ruthless politics are the name of the game. In some cases, that means skimping on details or abandoning sound economics.
Zoom in: In her first major policy address, Harris unveiled an economic agenda that includes a $6,000 child tax credit for families during the first year of a newborn's life.
- Within hours, a Trump campaign official told Semafor that Trump would "consider a significant expansion of the child tax credit," citing Sen. JD Vance's (R-Ohio) recent advocacy for a $5,000 credit.
- Restoring the pandemic era's enhanced child tax credit has long been a priority for Democrats. But Vance's proposal suddenly has some Trump allies claiming policy theft.
The big picture: Harris, whose 28-day-old campaign is playing catch-up on the economy, has been accused of flip-flopping on past positions, distancing herself from President Biden and — in some cases — outright pandering.
- But some elements of her agenda simply reflect the realignment of partisan politics — and an American electorate that has found common ground on some big issues:
1. Inflation: Harris is making a concerted effort to shake off Biden's economic baggage, beginning with a blunt acknowledgement Friday that costs have surged for food, gas and housing.
- "We couldn't have said it better ourselves," Trump campaign tweeted alongside a super-cut of Harris rattling off the various ways high prices are affecting American families.
2. Border security: Keenly aware of Trump's polling advantage on immigration, Harris released an ad last week vowing to "hire thousands more border agents and crack down on fentanyl and human trafficking."
- It's still a far cry from Trump's pledge to carry out mass deportations, but Democrats' positioning on the border has shifted radically over the last four years.
3. No tax on tips: The same day she was endorsed by Nevada's powerful Culinary Union, Harris promised to eliminate taxes on tips — enraging Trump, who had made a similar pledge two months earlier.
4. No fracking ban: Harris has maintained "strategic ambiguity" on hot-button energy issues, but no longer favors a ban on fracking on federal lands — a prerequisite to winning Pennsylvania, the most important swing state.
5. Deficits don't matter: Left unsaid in both Harris and Trump's economic plans is how they will pay for them — a signature characteristic of populism that reflects how both parties treat the deficit while in power.
Reality check: On style and substance, there are massive differences between the two candidates that can't be bridged with a few overlapping campaign promises. And the rhetoric remains white-hot.
- "If Kamala is elected and implements her Communist Price Caps, there will be famine, starvation, and poverty, the likes of which we have never seen," Trump raged on Truth Social Friday, the latest chapter in his dystopian warnings about Democratic rule.
- "If you want to know who a politician cares about, look at who they fight for," Harris tweeted Friday. "Donald Trump fights for billionaires and large corporations. I will fight to give money back to working and middle-class Americans."
