In his final economic pitch to voters, former President Trump on Thursday called for no tax on overtime pay while speaking to supporters at a campaign stop in Tucson.
The Republican candidate has already called for an end to taxes on tips and Social Security benefits, though he has not addressed how the federal government would address the resulting deficit. Still, the announcement about overtime pay drew applause from the Arizona crowd Thursday afternoon.
“That gives people more incentive to work,” Trump said of his new proposal. “People who work overtime are among the hardest-working citizens of our country, and for too long, no one in Washington has been looking out for them.”
Harris' campaign responded by criticizing Trump's record as president when his administration decided not to continue defending an Obama-era rule that would have extended overtime benefits to more than 4 million workers.
“No matter how much he lies now, Donald Trump’s record and agenda are clear: as president, he stole millions of dollars in wages from the working people he claims to represent,” Harris-Walz campaign spokesman Joseph Costello said in a statement. “He is desperate and fighting and saying whatever it takes to try to trick people into voting for him. If he takes power again, he will only look out for himself and his billionaire friends and their big corporations. There is only one candidate in this race who will truly fight for working people: Vice President Kamala Harris.”
Trump’s appearance in Tucson marked his first rally since Tuesday’s debate against Vice President Kamala Harris. Trump said in a social media post early Thursday that he would not debate her again. In Arizona, he compared Harris, who had called for another debate, to “a boxer who lost the fight,” though post-debate polls have consistently shown that voters by wide margins believe she won Tuesday night’s matchup.
Trump also called Tuesday’s debate “a monumental moment,” telling the Arizona audience that he won. His debate performance was widely criticized, including among Republican allies, who praised Harris for hurling several key insults and goading Trump into several angry, discursive speeches.
“People said they were angry about the debate,” Trump said. “And yes, I am angry, because he,” referring to President Biden, “allowed 21 million illegal immigrants to invade our communities.”
Trump harshly criticized the debate moderators and falsely claimed Harris wanted to kill babies after birth and confiscate people's guns. Trump also attacked immigration, a favorite issue of his campaign and an important one in this border state.
For most of his roughly 80-minute speech, Trump fell back on his standard speech and campaign grievances, calling Biden the worst president ever and criticizing Harris and her running mate, Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz. He also defended the size of his crowds, referencing a comment Harris made during Tuesday’s debate encouraging people to attend Trump rallies and watch people “leave early out of tiredness and boredom.”
“It doesn’t have crowds. It doesn’t have crowds. They bus people in,” he told the Tucson crowd, without evidence. “They pay for buses to get people in. Nobody here came by bus, I guarantee you that. Unless you own it.”
The event, held at the Linda Ronstadt Music Hall, drew the ire of its namesake. The singer said in a statement before the rally: “I am saddened to see the former president bring his spectacle of hate to Tucson, a city with deep Mexican-American roots and a joyful, tolerant spirit.”
