• Home
  • Latest
  • Fortune 500
  • Finance
  • Tech
  • Leadership
  • Lifestyle
  • Rankings
  • Multimedia

Trendingnow

1

As Big Tech showers employees with perks to win the talent war, Nvidia built a nearly $5 trillion company by making people pay for their own lunch

2

MacKenzie Scott alone accounted for one-third of America's $19.2 billion in megagifts last year

3

Current price of oil as of July 1, 2026

1

As Big Tech showers employees with perks to win the talent war, Nvidia built a nearly $5 trillion company by making people pay for their own lunch

2

MacKenzie Scott alone accounted for one-third of America's $19.2 billion in megagifts last year

3

Current price of oil as of July 1, 2026
Leadership

At Sunday’s Debate, What Clinton and Trump Need to Prove On the Economy

By
Ian Salisbury
Ian Salisbury
and
TIME
TIME
Down Arrow Button Icon
By
Ian Salisbury
Ian Salisbury
and
TIME
TIME
Down Arrow Button Icon
October 8, 2016, 2:27 PM ET
161007_EM_TrumpClintonNeedtoProve
Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton faces off against Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump on Sunday, October 9, 2016.AP
Add Fortune on Google for similar content.

With many Americans still struggling to make ends meet, the economy is likely to take center stage yet again, when presidential candidates Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump meet for their second debate this Sunday.

While Clinton was largely regarded as the winner at last month’s contest in suburban New York, to many observers the opening exchanges — a segment on the debate program entitled “Achieving Prosperity”—were her weakest and Trump’s best.

Coming into the second round, a town hall style face-off at Washington University in St. Louis, both will have a lot to prove when it comes to American jobs.

Here is what each candidate should be aiming to tell voters if they hope win the White House on Nov. 8:

Clinton:

Last time, Democrat Clinton, the former first lady, senator, and secretary of state, was more in command of policy detail. But her opponent, who has never held political office, proved skillful in turning her experience against her. Some of Trump’s most effective attacks came when he called on Clinton to explain why she hadn’t done more to help workers during her decades-long tenure in Washington. “You’ve been doing this for 30 years,” he exclaimed.

For more on Clinton, watch:

To be sure, the attack isn’t entirely fair. It’s unclear how much control a president has over the economy, much less a first lady or senator. Still Clinton has struggled to clearly articulate if or how she would break from her husband’s free-trade and Wall Street friendly economic policies.

Another exchange during the last debate demonstrated her difficulty on this score, when Trump lambasted Clinton for her 2012 statement that the controversial Trans-Pacific Partnership was “the “gold standard” of trade agreements. For the current presidential race, Clinton reversed her position on the TPP. And at the debate, she contended her comment four years ago was that she “hoped it would be a good deal.” That was flagged by fact checkers as a half-truth at best.

While the U.S. enjoyed an historic economic boom the last time a President Clinton sat in the Oval Office, since then the country has endured a crippling financial crisis and years of stagnating middle-class incomes. During the second debate, candidate Hillary Clinton needs to explain more convincingly how her own economic plans would address the now discernible flaws in her husband’s approach.

Trump:

True, Republican Trump scored points by attacking Clinton’s long Washington tenure, and her husband’s trade policies. Where he came up short was in explaining how he himself would do better. Trump argued that Bill Clinton’s signature North American Free Trade Agreement was “defective.” As proof, he offered a somewhat rambling explanation of why he believes Mexico’s value-added tax system puts the U.S. at a disadvantage. But experts like the Tax Policy Center have suggested that, in fact, the VAT is a red herring.

Trump’s Latest Comments About Women. So Disturbing They Can’t Be Printed

The case was similar with America’s energy policy, which Trump called a “disaster.” On the campaign trail, Trump has regularly castigated Clinton for failing to do enough to help struggling coal workers. The problem, as with his attack on trade, is that it’s not clear how his preferred solution will fix the problem. During the debate Trump singled out onerous regulations, which also called a “disaster,” as the culprit. But the energy industry, and particularly the coal sector, are struggling primarily because of technological advances that have created a glut of natural gas, driving down prices for all forms of energy, something Trump did not address.

Trump has proved effective at highlighting the economic struggles of millions of Americans whose plight may have been overlooked by Washington’s policymaking establishment, a group that arguably includes his Democratic opponent. His goal for Sunday night’s debate should be to articulate what — other than rely on his hotly debated business acumen — he would do to repair it.

This article was originally published on TIME.com

About the Authors
By Ian Salisbury
See full bioRight Arrow Button Icon
By TIME
See full bioRight Arrow Button Icon
Add Fortune on Google for similar content.

Latest in Leadership

Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025

Most Popular

Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Fortune Secondary Logo
Rankings
  • 100 Best Companies
  • Fortune 500
  • Global 500
  • Fortune 500 Europe
  • Most Powerful Women
  • World's Most Admired Companies
  • See All Rankings
  • Lists Calendar
Sections
  • Finance
  • Fortune Crypto
  • Features
  • Leadership
  • Health
  • Commentary
  • Success
  • Retail
  • Mpw
  • Tech
  • Lifestyle
  • CEO Initiative
  • Asia
  • Politics
  • Conferences
  • Europe
  • Newsletters
  • Personal Finance
  • Environment
  • Magazine
  • Education
Customer Support
  • Frequently Asked Questions
  • Customer Service Portal
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms Of Use
  • Single Issues For Purchase
  • International Print
Commercial Services
  • Advertising
  • Fortune Brand Studio
  • Fortune Analytics
  • Fortune Conferences
  • Business Development
  • Group Subscriptions
About Us
  • About Us
  • Press Center
  • Work At Fortune
  • Terms And Conditions
  • Site Map
  • About Us
  • Press Center
  • Work At Fortune
  • Terms And Conditions
  • Site Map
  • Facebook icon
  • Twitter icon
  • LinkedIn icon
  • Instagram icon
  • Pinterest icon

Latest in Leadership

U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent
EconomyDebt
AI’s $2.2 trillion deficit fix is already half fake, economists say
By Tristan BoveJuly 2, 2026
1 hour ago
Mark Zuckerberg, wearing a white shirt, smiles. He is standing in front of a crowd.
SuccessMark Zuckerberg
Mark Zuckerberg feeds his cows macadamia nuts and beer to create the ‘highest-quality beef in the world’ on his $300 million estate in Hawaii
By Sasha RogelbergJuly 2, 2026
3 hours ago
Chris Hulatt co-founder of Octopus Group
SuccessHow I made my first million
A 2-year taste of the office was enough to make 3 grads quit. Now they run a $13.2 billion investment firm: ‘We didn’t want a traditional job again’
By Orianna Rosa RoyleJuly 2, 2026
4 hours ago
Woman taking photo in scenic landscape
Successlifestyle
Americans are escaping the U.S. for New Zealand where house prices have hit a new low—but only wealthy Americans with $3 million spare can invest
By Emma BurleighJuly 2, 2026
5 hours ago
Jason Lemkin
Successwork-life balance
This investor won’t back startups unless staff are in the office 6 days a week: ‘Not because I don’t have empathy, because they’re going to fail’
By Preston ForeJuly 2, 2026
5 hours ago
The true cost of Donald Trump’s $2.2 billion year
NewslettersCEO Daily
The true cost of Donald Trump’s $2.2 billion year
By Diane BradyJuly 2, 2026
10 hours ago

Most Popular

As Big Tech showers employees with perks to win the talent war, Nvidia built a nearly $5 trillion company by making people pay for their own lunch
Big Tech
As Big Tech showers employees with perks to win the talent war, Nvidia built a nearly $5 trillion company by making people pay for their own lunch
By Marco Quiroz-GutierrezJuly 1, 2026
2 days ago
MacKenzie Scott alone accounted for one-third of America's $19.2 billion in megagifts last year
Success
MacKenzie Scott alone accounted for one-third of America's $19.2 billion in megagifts last year
By Sydney LakeJune 25, 2026
8 days ago
Current price of oil as of July 1, 2026
Personal Finance
Current price of oil as of July 1, 2026
By Joseph HostetlerJuly 1, 2026
1 day ago
Trump got a $78K pension from the Screen Actors Guild in 2025 because he appeared in Home Alone 2 in 1992
Politics
Trump got a $78K pension from the Screen Actors Guild in 2025 because he appeared in Home Alone 2 in 1992
By Sasha RogelbergJuly 1, 2026
1 day ago
CEO of $248 billion cybersecurity company says workers are about to face a ‘Darwinian moment’ thanks to AI: Evolve or get cut
Success
CEO of $248 billion cybersecurity company says workers are about to face a ‘Darwinian moment’ thanks to AI: Evolve or get cut
By Emma BurleighJuly 1, 2026
1 day ago
Philanthropy leader at Warren Buffett and Bill Gates’ Giving Pledge says children of billionaires are pushing them to give their wealth away faster
Success
Philanthropy leader at Warren Buffett and Bill Gates’ Giving Pledge says children of billionaires are pushing them to give their wealth away faster
By Preston ForeJune 27, 2026
5 days ago

© 2026 Fortune Media IP Limited. All Rights Reserved. Use of this site constitutes acceptance of our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy | CA Notice at Collection and Privacy Notice | Do Not Sell/Share My Personal Information
FORTUNE is a trademark of Fortune Media IP Limited, registered in the U.S. and other countries. FORTUNE may receive compensation for some links to products and services on this website. Offers may be subject to change without notice.