Presidential candidates present economic plans; opinions follow
Nevada surrogates for the Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump campaigns weighed in Monday on the economic and jobs growth policies of the two presidential candidates.
Trump’s proposal, outlined in a speech at the Detroit Economic Club, would reduce the number of personal income tax brackets from seven to three, lower income tax rates and limit the tax on business income to 15 percent.
Trump’s proposal would put the three personal income tax brackets at 12 percent, 25 percent and 33 percent of income. In September 2015, Trump proposed four brackets that would pay zero, 10 percent, 20 percent and 25 percent. Trump is also calling to end the estate tax.
Irma Aguirre, who operates El Sombrero, a Mexican restaurant at 807 S. Main St. in Las Vegas, said she values Trump’s background as a businessman. She’s planning to buy the restaurant and has owned two other restaurants in Las Vegas.
“I just believe that we need somebody who is bold and innovative and when he talks about thinking big and dreaming big, this is so important to me because as an entrepreneur, that’s what we do, we’re dreamers,” she said. “We dream things and we make things happen.”
She said restaurateurs like her see dips in the economy right away when people rein in discretionary spending in tight times.
“When he talks about bringing jobs back to America and creating more jobs here putting Americans back to work, obviously, that would stimulate the overall economy,” she said.
Clinton’s campaign had a press call on Monday for reporters.
Neera Tanden, president and CEO of the progressive public policy advocacy group Center for American Progress Action Fund, said the differences in the presidential candidates’ economic policy plans “could not be starker.”
Tanden leaned heavily on the recent study by Mark Zandi, chief economist at Moody’s. Zandi analyzed the economic plans by both presidential candidates and said Trump’s policy would cause a loss of 3.5 million jobs over the course of his presidency, while a Clinton’s would create 10.4 million.
“That has real meaning in Nevada,” Tanden said.
Tanden said that by distributing those numbers across all 50 states by population, Nevada would gain 94,000 jobs under Clinton and lose 31,000 under Trump.
Many of those created under Clinton’s plan, Tanden said, would likely come in the solar and renewable energy fields, which she said are “key components” of Clinton’s economic plan.
On that call, Henderson City Councilwoman Gerri Schroder said it’s becoming “clear every day that Donald Trump does not have the qualifications to be president.”
“We need a ‘You are hired’ president, not a ‘You are fired’ president,” Schroder said, noting Trump’s signature phrase from his show “The Apprentice.”
The Associated Press contributed to this report. Contact Ben Botkin at bbotkin@reviewjournal.com. Follow @BenBotkin1 on Twitter. Contact Colton Lochhead at clochhead@reviewjournal.com. Follow @ColtonLochhead on Twitter.
