Trump lays out job and tax proposals – and attacks Harris, immigrants in speech at Georgia rally

WASHINGTON - Former President Donald Trump gave a formal speech Tuesday on plans to prevent the outsourcing of American jobs – and also attacked Vice President Kamala Harris and immigrants across the country.

During an event in Georgia, a key battleground state, Trump said he would try to have foreign companies move jobs into the U.S. by offering lower taxes, fewer regulations, cheaper energy and better access to American markets.

"For years, we watched other countries steal our jobs," Trump said during the speech at a civic center in Savannah, Georgia. "Now we are going to be going after their jobs."

In the meantime, Trump again threatened to put tariffs on products from companies that move U.S. jobs overseas, though he did not provide many specifics about his economic promises.

Throughout the 85-minute speech, Trump veered into personal and political attacks on Harris. That included accusing her of trying to institute communism or Marxism in the U.S., which she has never called for, and criticizing her interviews with Oprah Winfrey and others. He also zeroed in on her performance on the debate stage earlier this month and told the crowd of a few thousand supporters that the vice president is "grossly incompetent."

He also made dark claims that "our country is dying."

The policy-versus-personal-attacks tension is both a feature and a bug of the Trump campaign, particularly since Harris joined the contest. The former president's aides and allies, including several GOP members of Congress, have urged Trump to stick to the issues, but Trump said he needs to stay on the attack.

As Trump attacked President Joe Biden and Harris' handling of the southern border, he also issued several unfounded complaints about the number of migrants in small and medium-sized cities. Attacks against immigrants are nothing new for Trump on the campaign trail, but the former president has faced major backlash in recent weeks for promoting a false conspiracy during his debate against Harris that migrants in Springfield, Ohio, have eaten people's pets.

"They're coming from all over the world. What they're doing to the fabric, to the guts of our country. It's not even believable. And you see what's going on," Trump said.

Georgia is a pivotal swing state in 2024 that could ultimately decide the election. A Real Clear Politics polling average of Georgia surveys finds Trump 2.1 percentage points ahead of Harris. Biden picked up the Peach State in 2020.

Democratic critics on Tuesday described Trump's in-sourcing and out-sourcing proposals as pie-in-in-the-sky. They also said that other economic plans, including tax cuts on tips, overtime and Social Security, as well as caps on credit card interest, will trigger more inflation and explode the budget deficit.

More: Tax cuts, tariffs and deportation: How economists say Donald Trump would increase inflation

"He says things off the top of his head that tend to often be ridiculous, if not insane," said businessman Mark Cuban in a video put out by the Harris campaign.

Robert Reich, the labor secretary for former President Bill Clinton, also condemned Trump's tariff proposals, which tend to target companies in politically important states. He threatened John Deere during a Monday meeting of farmers in Pennsylvania, and has made similar threats about automakers in Michigan.

Referring to the comments about John Deere, Reich said "these tariffs will end up being paid by farmers ... John Deere deserves to be called out for its layoffs, but Trump has helped cultivate corporate greed."

Trump often argues on the campaign trail that his economic plans are designed to encourage businesses to hire Americans and make products in the U.S. – as well as driving a harder bargain against America's competitors around the world. Still, Trump's tariff calls have also drawn opposition from some Republicans, including Senate GOP leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky.

"I'm not a fan of tariffs," McConnell said Tuesday. "They raise the prices for American consumers."

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: At Georgia rally, Trump lays out plans and attacks Harris in speech