Beyond 2020: Post-Election Policies

October 5, 2020

AI Summary

5 min read

In the final months of the 2020 presidential campaign, Goldman Sachs Research assembled policy advisors from both the Trump and Biden camps, along with geopolitical analyst Ian Bremmer, to map out what each candidate’s victory would mean for the economy, trade, regulation, and America’s role in the world. The resulting conversation revealed that while the two candidates differ sharply on domestic policy—with a Biden win potentially representing the largest shift in U.S. domestic policy in decades—their foreign policy stances, particularly toward China, are far more aligned than the public debate suggests.

The Two Economic Agendas: Tax Cuts vs. “Build Back Better”

Kevin Hassett, former chairman of the Council of Economic Advisers under President Trump, outlined a second-term agenda focused on extending the 2017 tax cuts, pursuing a major infrastructure plan, and maintaining the administration’s deregulatory push. He noted that under Obama, nearly 500 “economically significant” regulations were added over eight years, while under Trump the number was on track to finish at just 16. For Hassett, this restraint is a powerful engine for small and medium businesses.

Continue reading the full summary in the app — free to try.

Read Full Summary →

Free • No credit card required

Listen to Audio Summary Open in App

Never miss an episode of Top of Mind at Goldman Sachs

Get every new episode summarized in your inbox — free, ~5 minutes to read.

No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.

What you'll learn

1 (00:02) **Episode Introduction** - Host Alison Nathan sets up the episode's focus on the policy implications of the 2020 US presidential election.
2 (01:04) **Hassett on a Second Trump Term: Taxes and Infrastructure** - Kevin Hassett outlines President Trump's likely economic priorities if reelected.
3 (02:11) **Bernstein on Biden's Economic Priorities: Virus Control First** - Jared Bernstein lays out the three-phase economic agenda of a Biden administration.
4 (05:30) **Paying for Biden's Agenda: Tax Increases and Their Impact** - Bernstein defends Biden's proposed tax increases against concerns they would hurt a weak economy.
5 (08:27) **Trade Policy: Trump's Tariff Strategy vs. Biden's Coalition Approach** - The two experts contrast the candidates' starkly different visions for trade.
6 (11:21) **Regulation: Deregulation vs. Targeted Rollbacks** - The experts discuss the candidates' regulatory philosophies, a key area of contrast.
7 (13:54) **Assessing the Future: Growth Outlooks** - Hassett and Bernstein give their closing arguments on which candidate's policies would lead to better economic growth.

+ Full timestamped outline available in the app

Show Notes

The US presidential election is shaping up to be one of the most contentious and consequential in modern history, making its potential policy, growth and market implications Top of Mind.

In this episode, host Allison Nathan discusses the candidates’ economic policy priorities with Kevin Hassett, former Chairman of the Council of Economic Advisers under President Trump, and Jared Bernstein, economic adviser to former Vice President Biden. For perspectives on US foreign policy, she speaks with Eurasia Group’s Ian Bremmer, who sees significant alignment between the candidates on many key foreign policy issues—including trade.