Politics
Economic growth remained strong over the summer, boosting Harris
At Donald Trump’s pseudo press conference at Mar-a-Lago, at which he answered no questions, the former president took some time to argue that the economy shouldn’t be seen as the nation’s top issue in the 2024 presidential election.
“So I know we talk about inflation and the economy, but as to me, there’s nothing, nothing, more important than the fabric of our country being destroyed,” the Republican said, referring to his perceptions of illegal immigration. “I think what’s happening on the border is the single biggest issue, and I’m seeing it more and more when I speak.”
And why, pray tell, would the GOP nominee downplay the importance of the economy? Because there’s been a lot of news lately about the United States’ economy, and it’s all been pretty great. The New York Times reported:
Consumers are spending. Inflation is cooling. And the U.S. economy looks as strong as ever. Gross domestic product, adjusted for inflation, expanded at a 2.8 percent annual rate in the third quarter, the Commerce Department said on Wednesday. That came close to the 3 percent growth rate in the second quarter and was the latest indication that the surprisingly resilient recovery from the pandemic recession remained on solid footing.
The article quoted Joe Brusuelas, chief economist at the accounting and consulting firm RSM, who said the American economy right now “is firing on nearly all cylinders.”
That’s not an uncommon assessment. The combination of healthy growth, low unemployment, shrinking inflation, record highs on Wall Street, and low gas prices has led quite a few observers to marvel at the health and resilience of the American economy.
In fact, it was earlier this month when The New York Times reported that the U.S. job market “is as healthy as it has ever been” — as in, in the history of the United States — and described recent economic growth as “robust.”
A few days later, The Washington Post’s Heather Long explained in a column that by “just about every measure, the U.S. economy is in good shape. Growth is strong. Unemployment is low. Inflation is back down. More important, many Americans are getting sizable pay raises, and middle-class wealth has surged to record levels. We are living through one of the best economic years of many people’s lifetimes.”
The same day, Politico described the status quo as “a dream economy.”
The International Monetary Fund, meanwhile, marveled last week at the degree to which the U.S. economy is “pulling ahead of the world’s advanced economies.” The Economist, a leading British publication, also recently described the U.S. economy as “the envy of the world,” adding that the American economy “has left other rich countries in the dust.”
Around this time four years ago, Trump told supporters that Democratic policies would “unleash an economic disaster of epic proportions” and force the country “into depression.”
Oops. No wonder he’d rather talk about immigration.
Of course, the larger question isn’t just about the status quo, it’s also about the future. The U.S. economy is strong now, but what about what’s to come?
As it turns out, 23 Nobel Prize-winning economists endorsed Vice President Kamala Harris over Trump in a joint letter released last week, explaining that the Republican’s agenda would “lead to higher prices, larger deficits, and greater inequality.”
“Simply put, Harris’s policies will result in a stronger economic performance, with economic growth that is more robust, more sustainable, and more equitable,” the letter added.
The Nobel laureates aren’t alone. The Wall Street Journal also recently asked economists a related question and found that most economists think “inflation, interest rates and deficits would be higher” under Trump’s agenda than Harris’ agenda.
“Look, you may not like Donald Trump personally, but you’ll like his policies a lot better than Kamala Harris’,” Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp recently said. The Republican added that voters are simply “making a business decision.”
Given everything we now know, those focused on the economy and business decisions should be rallying behind Harris as quickly as possible, hoping desperately that Trump loses. Indeed, The Washington Post’s Catherine Rampell explained in her latest column that the Republican is “the wrong choice” for Americans principally concerned about their pocketbook.
This post updates our related earlier coverage.
Steve Benen is a producer for “The Rachel Maddow Show,” the editor of MaddowBlog and an BLN political contributor. He’s also the bestselling author of “Ministry of Truth: Democracy, Reality, and the Republicans’ War on the Recent Past.”
Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear took a swipe Thursday at a fellow leading Democrat, California Gov. Gavin Newsom, for hosting one of the most prominent figures in the MAGA movement on his new podcast.
Beshear, whose popularity in a heavily Republican state has turned him into a potential presidential candidate, told reporters that Newsom shouldn’t have opened his platform to Steve Bannon, an outspoken advocate of the “America first” agenda of President Donald Trump.
“I think that Governor Newsom bringing on different voices is great, we shouldn’t be afraid to talk and to debate just about anyone,” Beshear said at a Democratic policy retreat in Virginia. “But Steve Bannon espouses hatred and anger, and even at some points violence, and I don’t think we should give him oxygen on any platform, ever, anywhere.”
The criticism of Newsom, who is widely expected to run for president, amounted to what could be an early skirmish in the next Democratic primary. It also reflects divisions within a party trying to find its footing after Trump’s resounding victory.
The California governor recently launched the podcast, which appears to some degree to be an effort to find common ground with an ascendant conservative movement.
In his debut episode, speaking to Charlie Kirk of Turning Point USA, Newsom drew widespread attention — and criticism — for suggesting that Democrats were wrong to allow transgender athletes to participate in female youth sports. He was also critical of progressives who have called for defunding the police or who use the gender neutral term “Latinx.”
Newsom defended his approach and the Bannon interview in an email statement on Wednesday, saying it is “critically important” to understand Trump’s movement and how it successfully operated in the last campaign.
In the hour-long episode, Bannon repeated the debunked claims that the 2020 election was stolen amid a discussion that also covered tariffs and taxes.
“I think we all agreed after the last election that it’s important for Democrats to explore new and unique ways of talking to people,” Newsom said.
A spokesperson for Newsom, who plans to have Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz on his next episode, did not immediately respond to a request for comment about Beshear’s remarks.
The Kentucky governor, who was a featured speaker at the retreat along with Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro and Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer, was not alone in criticizing the Bannon interview.
Former Republican Rep. Adam Kinzinger, who was one of the few Republicans in Congress to challenge Trump, called it an “insane” decision to host Bannon.
“I am in shock at the stupidity of [Newsom] inviting Steve Bannon on his podcast,” Kinzinger said Wednesday. “Many of us on the right sacrificed careers to fight Bannon, and Newsom is trying to make a career and a presidential run by building him up.”
Ambitious Illinois Democrats are dreaming about Sen. Dick Durbin’s exit in 2026. The latest contender: the state’s lieutenant governor.
Juliana Stratton, who first took office in 2019, is quietly positioning herself for a Senate bid if Durbin bows out, calling key Democratic figures to ask for support, according to three people with knowledge of her plans, one of whom spoke with her directly and the other two who spoke with members of her team.
And she and her staff have said that she’s already secured the support of Gov. JB Pritzker, the three people said. They were granted anonymity to discuss private conversations and avoid political retribution. She and her team have made clear she expects Pritzker to be heavily involved financially, those people said.
“Juliana continues to keep an open mind about future opportunities, and if she does decide to pursue higher office, she’d be proud to earn the governor’s support while working to build a broad grassroots coalition,” said a spokesperson for the lieutenant governor, granted anonymity to discuss private conversations.
Pritzker, a high-profile governor and potential 2028 hopeful, is already a prolific Democratic donor and party operator, and his vast personal wealth would be a significant boost to any candidate. His money and endorsement could transform the brewing shadow primary that includes several members of the state’s congressional delegation.
His team declined to discuss an endorsement or financial backing in any potential primary. “We’re not going to engage with hypotheticals for a seat that’s not even open,” said a person close to the governor’s political operation granted anonymity to speak candidly.
The governor hand-picked Stratton, then a state representative, to be his running mate in 2017 and he was a guest of honor last month at a fundraising event for her newly formed federal PAC.
Pritzker, a billionaire heir to the Hyatt hotel empire, could support that PAC as well as donate millions to any other super PACs supporting her campaign. That kind of financial support could make Stratton the front-runner in a primary that would essentially guarantee a spot in the Senate in the heavily blue state.
And if a Pritzker-backed candidate wins the race, it could help position him even more firmly as a major Democratic powerbroker, one whose influence could extend beyond Illinois political circles as 2028 approaches.
Durbin has served in the Senate since 1997 and while many Democrats expect the 80-year-old will retire, those close to him say he hasn’t yet decided.
In a brief interview Wednesday, Durbin acknowledged the lieutenant governor was among the Democrats who are preparing for his possible retirement: “She said if I run she’s not going to.”
Democratic Rep. Raja Krishnamoorthi has been padding his campaign account for years for a possible Senate run. He had amassed $17.1 million by the end of 2024. His fellow Democratic Reps. Lauren Underwood, who flipped a GOP-held district in 2018, and Robin Kelly, the former chair of the Illinois Democratic Party, are also eyeing the seat.
And Illinois Democrats have made a parlor game of wondering what’s next for Rahm Emanuel, the former Chicago mayor who just returned from an ambassador stint in Japan. For now, he’s a commentator on BLN.
Republicans will discuss the accounting maneuver with President Donald Trump on Thursday…
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