Former President Donald Trump is scheduled to address the economy in North Carolina on Wednesday as his campaign strives to reposition itself against Vice President Kamala Harris.

"The election is approaching, and the people want to hear about the economy," Trump stated during a conversation with Elon Musk on X Monday, directly attributing Americans' pessimistic economic outlook, as revealed in polls, to the Biden-Harris administration.

The economy has been a cornerstone of the Trump campaign's election strategy this cycle. The former president frequently dedicates significant time to discussions about inflation, gas prices, and the state of the job market.

"I simply ask: Are you better off today, or were you in a better position when I was in the White House?" Trump posed on Monday night as he concluded his conversation with Musk.

Last week, Trump placed blame on the Biden-Harris administration for the recent stock market downturn, labeling it a "Kamala crash." He made baseless claims that the decline occurred because people have "lost confidence" in Harris, while experts attributed the downturn to concerns about the U.S. economy's health and the Federal Reserve's prolonged delay in cutting interest rates.

Although the stock market has since rebounded, Trump has seized on economic anxieties, asserting without proof or elaboration that if Harris prevails in November, a "Great Depression" comparable to that of 1929 could ensue. This uncorroborated attack is a tactic he previously used against President Joe Biden.

On the campaign trail, despite his criticism of the economy under the Biden administration, Trump has offered scant specifics about concrete economic policy proposals for a potential second term, frequently relying on his signature "Trump tax cuts," "Trump tariffs," and "drill, baby, drill" - a push for the oil and gas industry - as solutions to most economic challenges.

However, in recent weeks, he has promoted two new policy initiatives: a proposal to abolish taxes on tip wages and Social Security benefits for senior citizens.

During a June campaign stop in Las Vegas, Trump directly addressed Nevada's hospitality workers, promising tax cuts as his top priority upon taking office.

Harris has also recently championed this same policy, attracting criticism from Trump and his supporters who have dubbed her "Copy Cat Kamala."

"Copy Cat Kamala Harris has demonstrated a lack of original ideas or solutions to address the economic hardships she inflicted upon the American people during her last four years in office," the campaign stated.

The former president has argued that extending the tax cuts enacted during his first term would revitalize the American economy; however, experts caution that many of his first term economic policies disproportionately benefitted the wealthy and warn that extending these cuts could worsen the country's budget deficit.

Harris is expected to unveil her first major policy proposal this week, delivering an economic policy speech.

Harris' speech will outline her plan to "reduce costs for middle-class families and combat corporate price gouging," a campaign official said.

Both presidential campaigns are emphasizing the economy as a central issue in the race for the White House, and the two candidates' policy speeches reflect this focus.

Trump's speech on Wednesday might present a more defined strategy to differentiate his vision from Harris's, as his supporters have advised him to avoid personal attacks against her.

A recent CNBC poll from August revealed that both candidates have room for improvement when it comes to voters' confidence in their economic policies. The poll found that 40% of respondents believe they would be financially better off if Trump wins, while 21% said the same about Harris. 35% of respondents said their financial situation wouldn't change significantly regardless of who wins.

Several of Trump's supporters cite rising grocery and gas prices as reasons for their support of the former president. Meanwhile, younger voters are expressing concern about home affordability, even though the president doesn't have direct control over mortgage rates.

"At the end of the day, we have got a lot of work to do to turn this country around. We need to secure the borders. We need to fix inflation. We need to make house prices affordable again," Dante Bernard, a Trump supporter attending Trump's Atlanta rally this month, told
. "Less insulting and talking about people's race or identity and more policies 100%. Let's focus on politics. Let's stop the name-calling."

"It's all about freedom, limited government, and lower taxes. Does everyone remember when gas was $2? Remember $2 Trump?" said Dan Bawler, from Carson City, Nevada, praising Trump administration policies.

Democratic voters who spoke with
also say they're concerned about the economy.

"A strong economy for my children, my grandchildren -- I want to see them thrive and succeed in a healthy economic environment," said James Allen, a Democratic voter from Roanoke, Virginia.