The economy played a starring role in last night's presidential debate.

From Marketplace in Los Angeles, I'm Novosafowing for David Brancaccio.

Former President Donald Trump and Vice President Kamala Harris

spared in a contentious debate last night and among the most contentious issues

their economic records and plans for the next four years.

The two spared over topics such as tariffs and inflation.

Marketplace's Nancy Marshall Genser is here to help us sort this out.

Good morning, Nancy.

Good morning.

So Vice President Harris was asked a key question, if Americans are better off now than they were four years ago.

How did she respond?

Well, she said she has a plan to lift up the middle class.

Then she pivoted to Trump's proposed tariffs, which she called the tax. then she

called the tax.

My opponent has a plan that I call the sales tax,

which would be a 20% tax on everyday goods that you rely on to get through the month.

And Trump said it was incorrect to call the tariffs a sales tax.

He once again claimed falsely that foreign governments would pay the tariffs.

They are paid by US importers who then typically

passed that cost on to consumers.

Later, when he was asked about climate change,

Trump said he would use tariffs to discourage China from

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