Biden’s team asks CEOs how to further boost the economy while Trump says business is on his side

WASHINGTON (AP) — On the campaign trail, President Joe Biden likes to take a hard thwack at corporate America.

The Democrat tells voters that companies should pay more in taxes and he blames many businesses for fueling higher prices by stoking “greedflation” and “shrinkflation.”

But for the past several months, top Biden administration officials have also stepped up their outreach to CEOs and other corporate leaders, asking about what they need. The effort encroaches on business community terrain that former President Donald Trump, the presumptive Republican nominee, considers to be his home turf.

Both candidates want to drive home a message to voters going into November that they can work with employers, even if the fiercely divided electorate has left many companies wary of publicly taking sides politically.

The Biden team’s pitch to business leaders goes something like this: We think the economy is doing well, but we want to hear from you about how we can drive investment.

“They know that they’ll always get a hearing,” said Lael Brainard, director of the White House National Economic Council. “We’re pragmatists. We solve problems for them.”

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