Trump Seeks to Turn Page With Policy Speech

By Caitlin Huey-Burns, Real Clear Politics–

After a week of unforced errors that widened a rift with fellow Republicans, and new polls showing him losing ground with voters, Donald Trump sought to turn a new page Monday by focusing squarely on policy.

In a speech to the Detroit Economic Club that was frequently interrupted by protesters, Trump outlined his economic vision and pledged to work with House Republicans on a new tax plan that would reduce the current income brackets from seven to three, set at taxation rates of 12, 25, and 33 percent — but would increase the top rate from the level he previously called for.

The GOP nominee also proposed making child-care costs fully tax deductible and advocated for placing a temporary moratorium on new agency regulations, after also lambasting and pledging to cancel the executive orders issued by President Obama. Trump reiterated other proposals in his original tax plan, which he unveiled last September, including lowering the corporate tax rate from 35 percent to 15 percent, eliminating the so-called “death tax” on estates (which analysts say has an impact on few Americans), and a 10 percent repatriation fee to encourage companies to bring their businesses back from overseas. Trump also proposed easing energy industry regulations to help create more jobs, a change he asserts will bring $6 trillion in federal, state, and local tax revenue over the next 40 years.

Relying on a teleprompter, Trump said he would release more detailed economic plans over the next few weeks, along with plans to reduce child-care costs — something he is working on with daughter Ivanka, who called for making quality care accessible and affordable during her speech to the party convention in Cleveland last month. Her proposal is part of an effort to appeal to women voters, a majority of whom view the nominee negatively, according to polls.

With promises to later expand on his vision for “Winning the Global Competition,” Trump focused most of his speech Monday on contrasts with Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton, as the RealClearPolitics polling average shows him trailing her by seven percentage points in national surveys taken after both party conventions. Trump centered his message on trade deals, and tax, regulatory, immigration, crime, and foreign policies under Democratic presidents that he argues have damaged the economy. Trump characterized Detroit as “the living, breathing example of my opponent’s failed economic agenda.”

Clinton, he said, “is the candidate of the past. Ours is the campaign of the future.”

Trump’s speech comes amid another round of self-inflicted stumbles, including his feud with the Muslim parents of a U.S. soldier killed in Iraq and his flirtation with endorsing the primary opponent of House Speaker Paul Ryan. Trump eventually backed Ryan on Friday, along with Sens. John McCain and Kelly Ayotte, whose re-elections could be made difficult by their colleague at the top of the ticket.

The controversies further irked party members aiming for unity after the convention, which gave Trump a slight bump in the polls that has since faded. In addition to national polls, surveys in key states like Virginia and Michigan show Trump trailing Clinton.

Clinton will counter Trump’s economic proposals with her own speech in Detroit on Thursday. The Democratic candidate’s campaign argued that their opponent’s plans would weaken the economy, and criticized Trump for skirting issues such as paid family leave and an increase in the federal minimum wage, which Clinton has championed. Analysis by the nonpartisan Tax Policy Tax Center found that Trump’s original tax plan – which featured four brackets ranging from zero to 25 percent — would add $10 trillion to the deficit over a decade. Democrats have also lauded a new jobs report released last week that surpassed expectations.

Ahead of his speech, Trump unveiled a 13-member (and all-male) economic team that includes wealthy bankers and businessmen, and few known economic experts.

The billionaire real estate tycoon has built a loyal following among Americans who feel left behind by the economy. He has placed the blame on the Clintons, centering his economic vision on trade pacts such as NAFTA, signed by President Bill Clinton, and the Trans-Pacific Partnership, which Hillary Clinton once supported but now opposes. Trump’s rhetoric is also intended to appeal to supporters of Clinton’s primary opponent, Bernie Sanders.

“A vote for Hillary Clinton is a vote for TPP – and it’s also a vote for NAFTA,” Trump said in Detroit.

The Republican nominee is hoping the contrasts he is highlighting will help him to again refocus a campaign that has continually gotten off the tracks. The next several days will test Trump’s ability stay on message — a daunting task for a candidate whose stock in trade is the unscripted rant. To help reset the trajectory for the week ahead, Trump characterized the race this way in his Detroit speech:

“Our party has chosen to make new history by selecting a nominee from outside the rigged and corrupt system. The other party has reached backwards into the past to choose a nominee from yesterday – who offers only the rhetoric of yesterday, and the policies of yesterday.”