Kamala Harris: Election is about the ‘good work we can do together’

Editor’s note: The Deseret News invited both major-party candidates to submit op-eds speaking directly to Latter-day Saint voters. Following is an op-ed submitted by Vice President Kamala Harris. Former President Donald Trump’s campaign did not submit an op-ed. In the interest of balance and informing our audience, we are providing here Trump’s remarks at a “virtual fireside” hosted by Latter-day Saints for Trump on Oct. 13, 2024.
In this election, you have the chance to make a decision that directly impacts your life, your family, and the future of this country we love.
This moment in our nation is about so much more than partisan politics. It is about the good work we can do together, about our fundamental values, and about who we are as Americans and as people of faith.
I believe faith is a verb. We show it in our actions, in our deeds, in our service. And in hard times when we may grow weary in doing good, we must remember the power that works in us.
I am not afraid of tough fights against bad actors and powerful interests. Because for decades, as a prosecutor and as the top law enforcement officer of our biggest state, I won fights: against big banks that ripped off homeowners, against for-profit colleges that scammed veterans and students, against predators who abused women and children, and cartels that trafficked in guns, drugs, and human beings. And as president, I will fight every day to make your lives better.
My presidency will not be an extension of the last four years. The challenges we face today are different. And I will bring my own experiences and ideas.
Donald Trump has told us his top priorities for a second term. While I will come into office with a “to-do” list for the American people, he would come in with an “enemies list.” He is not a candidate for president who is thinking about how to make your life better. He is someone who is unstable, obsessed with revenge, and out for unchecked power. He even called for the “termination” of the Constitution of the United States of America.
My top priority will be lowering costs. I will give a middle class tax cut to more than 100 million Americans. Enact the first-ever federal ban on price gouging to lower the cost of food and groceries. Cap the price of insulin and limit out-of-pocket prescription costs for all Americans.
I will fight to make sure that working Americans can actually afford a place to live. Expand Medicare to cover home health care for seniors. And I will protect the retirement our seniors have earned over their lifetimes.
And my plan will lower the cost of child care, cut taxes for small businesses, and lower health care costs.
Donald Trump’s answer to costs that are too high is another trillion dollars in tax cuts for billionaires and big corporations. Exactly like he did last time. And he will pay for it with a 20% tax on everyday goods like clothes, food, toys, cell phones. His Trump Sales Tax would cost the average family nearly $4,000 per year.
Expert economists warn his plan will send inflation skyrocketing and throw tens of millions of Americans off health insurance by ending the Affordable Care Act.
I also believe in the fundamental freedom of Americans to make decisions about their own bodies and not have their government tell them what to do. Make no mistake, Trump will restrict access to birth control and threaten IVF, and force states to monitor women’s pregnancies. It’s all there in his Project 2025 agenda.
So my pledge to you is this: I will seek common sense solutions for the middle class. As someone who has spent most of my career outside of Washington, I know that good ideas come from everywhere. I’ll listen to experts, those who are impacted by the decisions I make, and people who disagree with me. And I will work with everyone to help Americans who are working hard and still struggling to get ahead.
Above all, I pledge to be a president for all Americans. To always put country above party and above self.
So, I humbly ask for your vote, because if I have the privilege of serving as your president, I know that together we can turn the page on this divisive era of our politics and start writing the next great chapter in the most extraordinary story ever told.