Speaking to Spectrum News in her personal capacity on Tuesday, Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo expressed deep concerns about former President Donald Trump’s economic agenda should he win a second term.
“There’s no question in my mind Donald Trump would be a disaster for the economy,” said Raimondo. “He has two main economic proposals: one was to cut taxes on billionaires who don't need a tax cut, and the other is to increase taxes on all imports which American people can't afford. That would assume, if he's president, there'll be a 10% sales tax on everything we buy that comes from another country.”
For his part, Trump has promised if he's elected that inflation would fall and energy bills would be cut in half.
But Raimondo says with less than 50 days until the race, she feels that Vice President Kamala Harris’ economic message is resonating with voters, despite some polls giving Trump the lead on the issue.
“It's so clear to me…as a former governor, as a former business owner, as a mother – working mother with two teenage kids – Kamala Harris came from a middle class family. She's in it for the middle class and will do whatever it takes to make sure every American has opportunity. And Donald Trump is in it for himself, big corporations and wealthy people,” Raimondo said, adding that Harris wants to “turn the page on the divisiveness.”
Following the apparent assassination attempt against the former president over the weekend, the second in a matter of months, Raimondo said there’s “no place whatsoever for violence, political violence,” while criticizing Trump and his running mate, Ohio Sen. JD Vance, for stoking fear and violence against the Springfield, Ohio, community.
“There's no place for hateful rhetoric against immigrants…the kind of baseless attacks on immigrants that you're seeing by Sen. JD Vance against the immigrant community in Springfield, it's just fear mongering…it's trying to fear monger, to divide people, making things up, you know, lies,” said Raimondo. “The reality is, it's eroding our democracy. It's pulling us apart at a time we should be coming together. And again, I think that's exactly why Kamala Harris is saying it's time to turn the page. Americans deserve better, and nobody wants to go back to the chaos that President Trump brought us.”
Raimondo charged that while the Trump-Vance campaign’s tactic appears to be to keep “stoking the flames,” the Harris-Walz ticket is focused on policy. She hailed Harris' economic plans, a mixture of small business tax cuts, housing incentives and family-centric policies branded the “opportunity economy” by the vice president and her campaign.
“They're talking about bringing down prescription drug prices, bringing down the cost of child care, making it easier to buy a home, bringing down the cost of groceries, sticking up for American families. So again, it's just so obvious the contrast before us,” she said. “I'm here in my personal capacity, because there's never been a more important, consequential presidential election in my lifetime, and I think everybody needs to get out and vote.”
While Harris has experienced a great deal of positivity and excitement since the announcement of her campaign in late July, Raimondo cautioned anyone from being comfortable heading into the home stretch of Election Day.
“She's still the underdog, right? Harris, Walz, still the underdog,” she said matter-of-factly.
“I think after the debate, there is momentum, and now just got to keep working, working, working to seize the momentum," Raimondo added.