The billionaire businessman shared his policies on several issues that are critical to small business this fall.
More than 81 million viewers tuned into the first presidential debate between Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton on Sept. 26—making it the most watched presidential debate ever. The consensus: Both candidates had their share of good and bad moments.
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The debate was divided into six, 15-minute segments covering three topics areas: achieving prosperity, America’s direction, and securing America.
Not every topic was covered in those 90 minutes; minimum wage and paid sick leave were noticeably absent from the conversation, for example. But Trump did hit on some major issues for owners. More of what he said is below—and be sure to check back tomorrow for a round up of what Clinton said on key small business issues.
Taxes
Trump’s plan: “I’ll be reducing taxes tremendously, from 35 percent to 15 percent for companies, small and big businesses. That’s going to be a job creator like we haven’t seen since Ronald Reagan. It’s going to be a beautiful thing to watch.”
Small Business
Trump said “our jobs are fleeing the country,” citing Mexico and China as the countries “stealing” the most jobs. He also mentioned companies like Ford and Carrier packing up and moving out of the country. “All you have to do is take a look at Carrier air conditioning in Indianapolis. They left—fired 1,400 people. They’re going to Mexico. So many hundreds and hundreds of companies are doing this.”
Regulations
Both candidates went head to head over clean energy and regulations, with Trump making a veiled reference to Solyndra, the solar developer that lost more than $500 million for a federal loan guarantee program. “I’m a great believer in all forms of energy, but we’re putting a lot of people out of work,” he said. “Our energy policies are a disaster. Our country is losing so much in terms of energy, in terms of paying off our debt. You can’t do what you’re looking to do with $20 trillion in debt.”
Healthcare
Other than his reference to obese hackers, neither Trump nor Clinton touched much on healthcare issues. However, Trump did say, “as far as childcare is concerned, I think Hillary and I agree on that.” In the past, Trump has stated he would repeal Obamacare and replace it with giving people the ability to purchase insurance across state lines and providing tax breaks for purchasing insurance, as well as roll back the ACA’s Medicaid expansion and replace the federally funded program with block grants, according to NBC News.
*Note: This news coverage does not equate to an endorsement of any candidate by NFIB.
Photo credit: Gage Skidmore
Related:
What Is Donald Trump’s Plan for Small Business?
How Would a Democratic President Affect Small Business?
