Trump suggests tariffs can help solve rising child care costs in a major economic speech

NEW YORK (AP) — Former President Donald Trump suggested to business leaders Thursday that his plans to increase tariffs on foreign imports would solve seemingly unrelated challenges such as the rising cost of child care in the U.S.

The GOP presidential nominee promised to lead what he called a “national economic renaissance” by increasing tariffs, slashing regulations to boost energy production and drastically cutting government spending as well as corporate taxes for companies that produce in the U.S.

Trump was asked at his appearance before the Economic Club of New York about his plans to drive down child care costs to help more women join the workforce.

“Child care is child care, it’s something you have to have in this country. You have to have it," he said. Then, he said his plans to tax imports from foreign nations at higher levels would “take care” of such problems.

“We’re going to be taking in trillions of dollars, and as much as child care is talked about as being expensive, it’s — relatively speaking — not very expensive, compared to the kind of numbers we’ll be taking in,” he said.

Trump has embraced tariffs as he appeals to working-class voters who oppose free-trade deals and the outsourcing of factories and jobs. But in his speech Thursday and his economic plans as a whole, Trump has made a broader — to some, implausible — promise on tariffs: that they can raise trillions of dollars to fund his agenda without those costs being passed along to consumers in the form of higher prices.

His campaign attacks Democratic nominee Kamala Harris ’ proposals to increase corporate tax rates by saying they would ultimately be borne by workers in the form of fewer jobs and lower incomes. Yet taxes on foreign imports would have a similar effect with businesses and consumers having to absorb those costs in the form of higher prices.

The United States had $3.8 trillion worth of imports last year, according to the Bureau of Economic Analysis. Trump in the past has talked about universal tariffs of at least 10%, if not higher, though he has not spelled out details about how these taxes would be implemented.

Kimberly Clausing, an economist at the University of California, Los Angeles, has repeatedly warned in economic analyses about the likely damage to people’s finances from Trump’s tariffs. She noted that Trump wants tariffs to pay for everything, even though they can’t.

“I believe Trump has already spent this revenue, to pay for his tax cuts (which it doesn’t), or to perhaps end the income tax (which it cannot),” she said in an email. “It is unclear how there would be any revenues left over to fund child care.”

Child care is unaffordable for many Americans and financially precarious for many day care operators and their employees. Democrats in Congress have long argued the child care industry is in crisis and requires a drastic increase in federal aid — and some Republicans have joined them. Trump pointed to his tariff ideas as well as efforts he announced to reduce what he described as “waste and fraud.”

“I want to stay with child care, but those numbers are small relative to the kind of economic numbers that I'm talking about, including growth, but growth also headed up by what the plan is that I just told you about,” he said.

Trump’s running mate JD Vance was also asked about proposals to lower day care costs earlier this week, and he suggested making it easier for families to keep the kids at home with a grandparent or another relative.

“Make it so that, maybe like grandma or grandpa wants to help out a little bit more,” he said. “If that happens, you relieve some of the pressure on all the resources that we are spending on day care.”

Vance also suggested training more people to work in day cares, and said some states required what he called “ridiculous certification that has nothing to do with taking care of kids."

In his speech, Trump said he would immediately issue “a national emergency declaration” to achieve a massive increase in the domestic energy supply and eliminate 10 current regulations for every new regulation the government adopts. He said Tesla and SpaceX CEO Elon Musk has agreed to head a commission to perform a financial audit of the federal government that would save trillions of dollars.

“My plan will rapidly defeat inflation, quickly bring down prices and reignite explosive economic growth,” Trump claimed.

Trump has previously floated the idea of chopping the corporate tax rate to 15%, but on Thursday clarified that would be solely for companies that produce in the U.S. The corporate rate had been 35% when he became president in 2017, and he later signed a bill lowering it.

Harris calls for raising the corporate tax rate to 28% from 21%. Her policy proposals this week have been geared toward promoting more entrepreneurship, a bet that making it easier to start new companies will increase middle-class prosperity.

On Thursday, Trump attacked Harris’ proposals on banning price gouging and accused her of embracing Marxism and communism.

“She wants four more years to enforce the radical left agenda that poses a fundamental threat to the prosperity of every American family and America itself,” he said.

He also vowed to end what he called Harris’ “anti-energy crusade,” promising that energy prices would be cut in half, although energy prices are often driven by international fluctuations. He said an emergency declaration would help with rapid approvals for new drilling projects, pipelines, refineries, power plants and reactors, where local opposition is generally fierce.

And he also said he would ask Congress to pass legislation to ban the spending of taxpayer money on people who have entered the country illegally. He specifically said he would bar them from obtaining mortgages in California, targeting a bill passed in that state last week. Throughout his campaign, Trump has railed against the economic impact of the influx of migrants that have entered the country in recent years and their strain on some government services.

The Harris campaign issued a memo accusing Trump of wanting to hurt the middle class, arguing his ideas would expand the national debt and shrink economic growth and job creation.

“He wants our economy to serve billionaires and big corporations,” the campaign said in a statement.

Their dueling economic proposals are likely to be central to the upcoming presidential debate on Tuesday. Harris arrived Thursday in downtown Pittsburgh to devote the next several days to preparing for the debate. She intentionally picked a key part of the battleground state of Pennsylvania to hone her ideas ahead of their showdown.

In June, the right-leaning Tax Foundation estimated that Trump’s proposed tariffs would amount to a $524 billion yearly tax hike that would shrink the economy and cost the equivalent of 684,000 jobs. After Trump floated tariffs as high as 20% in August, the Harris campaign seized on an analysis suggesting that figure would raise a typical family’s expenses by almost $4,000 annually.

The money raised by tariffs would not be enough to offset the cost of his various income tax cuts, including a plan to whittle the corporate rate to 15% from 21%. The Penn Wharton Budget Model put the price tag on that at $5.8 trillion over 10 years.

Economists have warned about Trump’s plans to impose tariffs that he says would return manufacturing jobs to the U.S. Some have said such taxes on imports could worsen inflation, though he is vowing to cut down costs. Inflation peaked in 2022 at 9.1% but has since eased to 2.9% as of last month.

“Some might say it’s economic nationalism. I call it common sense. I call it America First,” he said on Thursday.

Gomez Licon reported from Fort Lauderdale, Florida, and Boak reported from Pittsburgh. Associated Press writers Moriah Balingit and Amelia Thomson-DeVeaux in Washington contributed to this report.

Republican presidential nominee former President Donald Trump speaks during a campaign event at the Economic Club of New York, Thursday, Sept. 5, 2024, in New York. (AP Photo/Pamela Smith)

Republican presidential nominee former President Donald Trump answers questions during a campaign event at the Economic Club of New York, Thursday, Sept. 5, 2024, in New York. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)

Republican presidential nominee former President Donald Trump responds to questions during a campaign event at the Economic Club of New York, Thursday, Sept. 5, 2024, in New York. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)

Republican presidential nominee former President Donald Trump answers questions during a campaign event at the Economic Club of New York, Thursday, Sept. 5, 2024, in New York. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)

Democratic presidential nominee Vice President Kamala Harris speaks during a campaign stop at the Throwback Brewery, in North Hampton, N.H., Wednesday, Sept. 4, 2024. (AP Photo/Steven Senne)

Republican presidential nominee former President Donald Trump participates in a town hall with FOX News host Sean Hannity at the New Holland Arena, Wednesday, Sept. 4, 2024, in Harrisburg, Pa. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)

The last Emmys — in January, the 75th edition — went reunion crazy on such a big birthday, with cast reunions of such classic series as “Cheers,” “The Sopranos,” “It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia” and “All in the Family.” The latest Emmys said: “Hold my, applause.”

“Shogun,” “Baby Reindeer” and “The Bear” all picked up trophies throughout the night that was peppered with reunions of shows like “Saturday Night Live” and “Happy Days,” as well as themes, like TV dads and moms.

Here are some of the night’s notable moments:

The father-and-son duo of Eugene and Dan Levy, the winning stars of the 2020 Emmys aboard “Schitt’s Creek,” hosted and they were warm, mocking themselves as they noted the TV telecast was honoring "movie stars on streaming services.”

Even when the Candians went after a show — like “The Bear,” competing in the best comedy series category, even though it's not a traditional yukfest — it was gentle.

“Now, I love the show, I love the show, and I know some of you will be expecting us to make a joke about whether ‘The Bear’ is really a comedy — but in the true spirit of ‘The Bear,’ we will not be making any jokes,” Eugene Levy said.

In one bit, the two found themselves in the audience but in different rows, mistaking stage left for house left. Awkwardness ensued. When they tried to push through, Eugene Levy wailed: “I can't see the prompter!”

John Oliver thanked a lot of people after his “Last Week Tonight” won for outstanding scripted variety series, but things got weird when he ended up honoring his family’s recently dead dog.

“We have the most fantastic dog, and she was at our wedding and she got us through the pandemic. She was with us for two pregnancies…,” he said, before getting the leave-the-stage music swelled.

Oliver didn’t take the hint: “We had to say goodbye to her. I feel like Sarah McLaughlin right now. She was an amazing dog,” he said. He then shouted an expletive and tried to make it more than about his deceased canine.

“This isn’t just for her. This is for all dogs,” he continued as the auditorium roared. “All dogs, you are all very good girls. You are very good boys. You all deserve a treat. Play me off now! Thanks so much.”

“The West Wing” celebrated its 25th anniversary with castmembers Martin Sheen, Dulé Hill, Richard Schiff, Janel Moloney and Allison Janney gathering to help hand out the best drama trophy.

Created by Aaron Sorkin and first airing on NBC in the fall 1999, “The West Wing” offed an idealistic depiction of what politics can be. The castmembers gathered in a set mimicking the Oval Office. It ended in 2006.

“It's hard to believe that just 25 years ago, Aaron and the writers actually had to use their imaginations to create interesting plot lines for ‘The West Wing,’” Janney said. Added Schiff: “Unlike today, where storylines can be plucked right off the news, storylines that writers would have deemed a bit far-fetched if not utterly ridiculous 25 years ago.”

Jane Lynch, who played vicious cheerleading coach Sue Sylvester on “Glee” and Brendan Hunt, the quiet Coach Willis Beard on “Ted Lasso,” teamed up to help hand out the award for best director of a drama series.

They appeared in a locker room set, with Lynch teasing Hunt that she was a head coach on TV and he was just an assistant coach. But the stage seemed a little too big for just these two TV coaches.

That changed when the stage revealed Paris Olympians Ilona Maher, Caeleb Dressel and Stephen “Pommel Horse Guy” Nedoroscik alongside Paralympian Ezra Frech.

“Saturday Night Live” got a head start to its 50th anniversary next year with a mini-reunion, as Kristen Wiig, Maya Rudolph, Seth Meyers and Bowen Yang presented the award for best writing for a variety special.

Three of the four mocked creator and producer Lorne Michaels in the audience, who they claimed was nominated and lost 85 times at the Emmys. Rudolph said he was “robbed.” Yang said “it gets better” and “keep winning.” Meyers corrected them all to say that, in fact, Michaels has actually won 21 Emmys. Yang then leaned into mispronouncing his boss' first name.

It may have been a taste for 2025, when the trailblazing sketch show will be celebrated, including a three-hour live primetime special in February. It has been the springboard for such stars as Eddie Murphy, Adam Sandler, Tina Fey, Will Ferrell and Mike Myers.

Antony Starr of “The Boys,” Giancarlo Esposito from “Breaking Bad” and Kathy Bates of “Misery” came out to represent an oddly key part of TV — the villains.

“Without villains or antagonists, there wouldn’t be much of a story,” Esposito said. But it takes its toll. “Do you know how hard it was to get a date after ‘Misery,'” Bates joked about her Stephen King role as a crazed kidnapper.

Esposito complained that drug dealers will interrupt his dinner to ask his advice about building their empires and Starr said so many 12-year-old critics have approached him to say his superhero is “bad.” He responds that the show has an R rating. “It’s sloppy, sloppy parenting,” he observed.

George Lopez, Damon Wayans, Jesse Tyler Ferguson, who have all played memorable TV dads, gathered to recognize the lead actor in a comedy series. They walked into a mancave set and Lopez and Wayans said they wanted to thank their TV wives, but Ferguson balked, having starred with a TV husband instead on “Modern Family.” “I’m so sorry, did you watch my show, or...?” he asked them. “Yes, all 90 seasons,” Wayans responded.

Later, it was the moms’ turn. Meredith Baxter, who played the “Family Ties” matriarch, Connie Britton of “Friday Night Lights” and Susan Kelechi Watson of “This Is Us” presented the award for best writing for a comedy series. “We have come a long way,” said Baxter. “TV moms are no longer one-dimensional,” said Watson. “It’s OK to ask for as much as a TV dad.”

Director-producer Ron Howard and actor-author Henry Winkler reunited to celebrate the 50th anniversary of “Happy Days,” a romanticized take on teenage life in the 1950s that pivoted on adolescent humor about cars and dating.

Winkler, who played cool guy Fonzie with his signature “Aaaayy!” with both thumbs up, and Howard, who played the goody-goody Richie Cunningham, became household names thanks to the sitcom, which ran from 1974–1980. Winkler went on to win an Emmy on HBO’s dark comedy “Barry” and spread awareness about dyslexia as a best-selling author; Howard went on direct such Oscar-winners as “Apollo 13” and “A Beautiful Mind.”

The two men met onstage in a set dressed like the diner the show was mostly set in. Winkler congratulated Howard for his Emmy-winning documentary on Jim Henson. But despite some prodding by Howard, Winkler wouldn’t sing the theme song. “I'm out of practice,” he said. “And it takes schooling.” So Winkler nudged the jukebox with his elbow instead and the theme played.

The TV criminal justice system was represented Sunday by two separate but equal parts. There were the cops – Jimmy Smits of “NYPD Blue,” Niecy Nash-Betts of “Reno 911!” and Don Johnson of “Miami Vice.” They appeared on a set with a New York City police car onstage. Smits noted that he died in episode one of “Miami Vice” and later as a cast member of “NYPD Blue.” Nash-Betts said she never died: “I’m Black and I survived ‘Dahmer,’” she joked.

And then there were the TV lawyers who took cases to court: Viola Davis of “How to Get Away with Murder,” Gina Torres from “Suits” and Christine Baranski from “The Good Wife” and “The Good Fight.” (Though, to be honest, Smits was also a good lawyer in “L.A. Law.”)

“Lawyers have seen every combination of the human condition,” Davis said. Added Torres: “In so many ways, they try to better that human condition and uplift us.”

For more coverage of the 2024 Emmys, visit https://apnews.com/hub/emmy-awards

Gina Torres, from left, Viola Davis, and Christine Baranski present the award for outstanding lead actress in a drama series during the 76th Primetime Emmy Awards on Sunday, Sept. 15, 2024, at the Peacock Theater in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Chris Pizzello)

Brendan Hunt, left, and Jane Lynch present the award for outstanding directing for a drama seriesduring the 76th Primetime Emmy Awards on Sunday, Sept. 15, 2024, at the Peacock Theater in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Chris Pizzello)

Ron Howard, left, and Henry Winkler present the award for outstanding directing for a comedy series during the 76th Primetime Emmy Awards on Sunday, Sept. 15, 2024, at the Peacock Theater in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Chris Pizzello)

Hosts Eugene Levy and Dan Levy speak during the 76th Primetime Emmy Awards on Sunday, Sept. 15, 2024, at the Peacock Theater in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Chris Pizzello)

Maya Rudolph, from left, Seth Meyers, Kristen Wiig, and Bowen Yang present the award for outstanding writing for a variety special during the 76th Primetime Emmy Awards on Sunday, Sept. 15, 2024, at the Peacock Theater in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Chris Pizzello)

Antony Starr, from left, Kathy Bates, and Giancarlo Esposito present the award for outstanding supporting actress in a limited or anthology series or movie during the 76th Primetime Emmy Awards on Sunday, Sept. 15, 2024, at the Peacock Theater in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Chris Pizzello)