ATLANTA – Former President Donald Trump vowed Tuesday to make the United States a “manufacturing powerhouse” if voters return him to the White House.
At a rally in Savannah devoted primarily to the economy, the Republican nominee for president said he would restore manufacturing jobs through substantial tariffs that would stop foreign countries from enticing U.S. companies and their jobs overseas.
“We’re not going to let that happen,” Trump said as the crowd roared its approval. “Under my leadership, we’re going to take other countries’ jobs.”
Trump said he would boost America’s economy by lowering the corporate tax rate to 15% for companies that locate their manufacturing operations in the U.S. Businesses would be further incentivized through reduced regulations and lower energy costs made possible by stepping up drilling for fossil fuels, he said.
“We have more energy under our feet than any other country,” he said. “I call it liquid gold.”
Voters have consistently told pollsters they trust Trump to handle the economy more than Vice President Kamala Harris, his Democratic opponent. He also has polled better than Harris on the issue of illegal immigration and tied the two issues together on Tuesday.
Trump said economic development won’t be possible without reducing the flow of illegal immigrants over the U.S. border with Mexico. He blamed illegal immigrants and the smuggling of illegal drugs including fentanyl into the country for much of the nation’s crime.
“We have to have a safe country or nobody’s going to want to come here,” he said.
Trump doubled down on claims he and U.S. Sen. JD Vance, R-Ohio, have made about an influx of Haitian immigrants into the small town of Springfield, Ohio. Even though other Republicans – including Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine – have said the Haitians came to this country legally, Trump called for them to be deported.
“You have to move the people back to the country from which they came,” he said.
Trump sought to bury the hatchet in a long-running feud with Gov. Brian Kemp, who refused to go along with the then-president’s efforts to overturn the results of the 2020 presidential election in Georgia. While Trump supported former Sen. David Perdue’s unsuccessful primary challenge to Kemp two years ago, the governor is backing Trump’s bid to return to office.
“He really has been fantastic,” Trump said.
Trump also vowed to push to end taxes on tips, overtime, and Social Security.
Harris also has promised to end taxes on tips. On Tuesday, the Harris campaign responded to Trump’s speech in Savannah by asserting the higher tariffs he is advocating would cost middle-class taxpayers $4,000 a year.
Trump didn’t raise the issue of abortion during his nearly 90-minute speech. But that didn’t prevent the Harris campaign from bringing it up.
“Donald Trump is coming to Georgia as reports are uncovering the horrific legacy he left behind: women denied care and losing their lives because of the Trump abortion bans,” said Adelaide Bullock, Georgia communications director for the Harris campaign.
While Harris has said Trump would sign a national abortion ban if he’s elected, Trump has countered that he supports the 2022 U.S. Supreme Court ruling that left the issue to the states.