As Presidential Election Approaches, Students Seem to Favor Harris Economic Platform

Despite positive economic trends which have been consistent throughout 2024, such as the consistent lowering of inflation rates, U.S. citizens are still largely pessimistic about the economy. In fact, CBS reported that “6 in 10 now describe the U.S. economy as either ‘fairly bad’ or ‘very bad’”. Despite this national attitude, Walls students are more enthusiastic and optimistic about the state of the economy. 

Though tepid, many students relayed a positive outlook concerning how well President Joe Biden has handled economic issues. “He really tried, but we still have record unemployment and poverty," said a 9th grader who requested to remain anonymous when reflecting on his economic record. 

Many students seemed to give the president grace for the persistence of issues like poverty and unemployment because of the economic situation he inherited when taking office amidst the COVID-19 pandemic. Erin Casey (‘25) commented that Biden was “dealt a tough hand.” 

Furthermore, students seem to be in tune with positive national economic trends. “Inflation is going down, gas prices are down..there's a lot of panic,” said Camille Crawford-Galvani (‘26), “but the Biden administration...has done relatively well.”

Other students continue to voice frustration with Biden’s handling of the economy, especially when it comes to inflated prices. “Groceries are still expensive, so yeah. I think [Biden] did a pretty bad job,” said a tenth grader who asked to remain anonymous. 

For many students, economic concerns at the moment don’t regard the status quo but rather how, should they take office, presidential candidates Kamala Harris and Donald Trump could impact the economy. Overwhelmingly, students favored Harris’ economic policy. 

Casey, for example, criticized former president Trump for publicly endorsing blanket high tariffs on a wide range of imported products, and who has even threatened to raise tariffs on certain imports above 100%. The tariffs will “hurt consumers, not the companies,” Casey said.

Other students are skeptical of Trump’s claims that his economic agenda would help continue to cool inflation, citing high inflation during the previous Trump administration. Landen Gay (‘26) argued that,  “Republicans lie about the economy because of corporate greed, ” and further remarked that “Trump makes inflation worse.”

Others still had attitudes of apathy regarding both candidates' economic platforms. One sophomore argued that “no politician has ever done a good job with the economy so I’d choose not to [vote].”

For many students, the economy remains a secondary concern. Crawford-Galvani, for example, explained that she would opt to vote for left-leaning candidates, regardless of economics. Casey, on the other hand, said that for her, the economy is “a top concern.”