Donald Trump played nice with the teleprompter yesterday, reading off a bland economic speech meant to “reset” his campaign. You can read the speech here. It did nothing of the sort, reminding voters instead that not only do they still despise Donald Trump, but also the putrid pile of failed tricked-down policies the Republican Party has frolicked in for decades. Needless to say, the speech got scathing reviews. First up, The New York Times:
Donald Trumpsaid on Monday that he wanted to usher in “economic renewal,” but most of his proposals would hurt the economy, rack up huge deficits, accelerate climate change and leave the country isolated from the world. [...]
In a speech billed as a blueprint for stimulating growth and creating jobs, Mr. Trump offered a grab bag of ideas that borrow from discredited supply-side economics, the fossil fuel industry’s wish list and “America First” isolationism. He also criticized Hillary Clinton and President Obama for what he called their “job-killing, tax-raising, poverty-inducing” agenda. It was vintage Trump, full of promises of greatness and victories backed by fantastical proposals.
Mr. Trump considers himself a businessman, uniquely capable of improving the economy. But this list of misguided and risky proposals would reduce economic growth while showering the rich with tax breaks.