Donald Trump’s controversial re-election bid hinges on a return to Reagan’s 1980s America.

Trump wasted no time in bringing up Reagan, who is loved by almost all old-school Republicans and others, to make his point on abortion. The most important throwback to “Morning in America” ​​was the former president’s often brief, and less surprising, outline of his economic agenda.

The economy, and more specifically, inflation, was the first topic that CNN hosts Jake Tapper and Dana Bash brought up in an interview. In the opening lines of the matchup, Trump echoed President Joe Biden’s economy and asked viewers to remember the pre-pandemic years of his term and restore him to office.

Inflation and tax cuts

Trump has repeatedly called his first term “the greatest economy in the history of our country” in reference to inflation, but that was before the pandemic. Trump said his administration spent the money needed to prevent the economy from entering another recession, recalling the Great Depression.

Pressed by Biden about his 2017 tax cuts, which saved a lot of money for the super-rich, Trump, after suggesting it was the only thing Biden had said right so far, responded: “I gave you the biggest one, too.” The law is disconnected from history, that’s why we got jobs.”

Biden, on the other hand, insisted that Trump left him the economy “free,” before he consolidated it—which, Trump disputed, saying Biden inherited almost no inflation. (Americans consistently cite inflation as the top issue facing the country. Inflation worries also recently sent business owner confidence to its lowest level in a decade.)

Trump’s second-term agenda mirrors his first: More tax cuts, broader deregulation, and increased energy production. During his first term, Trump’s formula, while adding more than 8 billion dollars to the US debt, ended up leading to unemployment and decent wage growth, as well as the same inflation that the US had enjoyed since the 1990s. Trump returned to emptying the wallets of the American people during the close of the debate, painting Biden as a tax-raising official.

“He wants to increase the tax four times. He wants to raise taxes for everybody four times,” Trump said, adding, “When we cut taxes…

Ronald Reagan: The original MAGA

In contrast to Bidenomics, which relies on multi-level “building the economy from the bottom up,” Trump’s tone may benefit from its greater flexibility. The appeal of the tax cuts taps into Americans’ general distaste for taxes and bureaucracy, all aspects that Reagan, the original celebrity president, masterfully tapped into during his two terms. By considering the name of Reagan, the man who coined “Make America Great Again” as a slogan, Trump not only softens the slogan of MAGA but associates himself with one of the most famous American presidents in history.

Reagan, who came to office after crippling inflation, fully exposed the economic agenda that dominated the GOP for the next three decades, dismantling the New Deal framework that made up much of the 20th century. Regan passed the largest tax cuts in US history, simultaneously boosting economic growth, accelerating rising inequality, and starting the country on a path toward an ever-growing peacetime deficit.

In their closing statement, Biden emphasized the need for a fair tax system and said he would continue to fight inflation. Trump returned to the wars, suggesting they would never have happened if he had been president, while reimposing taxes and regulations — but if he’s re-elected, he’ll make it all right again, Trump said, ending the debate.