Over 700 economists sign open letter calling on voters to reject Trump

More than 700 economists, including a number of Nobel Prize winners have urged people against voting for Donald Trump in the upcoming presidential election.

In an open letter the experts claim that Mr Trump has “carried out a sustained assault on democratic institutions” provided a flawed response to the pandemic and fostered “a culture of corruption.”

“In just one term in office, Donald Trump has rendered the United States unrecognizable, and has faced no consequences for doing so,” they wrote.

The letter first attacks the president's influence on the economy, saying that the president has damaged “relations with trade partners”and “credibility and effectiveness of the public sector” before attacking his growth record.

“He claimed to have the unique ability to generate growth (in real GDP) of between 4 per cent and 6 per cent, but never surpassed 2.9 per cent in his first three years in office,” it reads.

The economists also argue that Mr Trump’s Democratic rival Joe Biden's economic plans would be more effective than the president and would “actually generate faster growth in both employment and real GDP”.

In response to the letter, Samantha Zager, the Trump campaign's deputy national press secretary, noted to CNN Business that the letter only briefly offers direct support for Mr Biden.

"It speaks volumes that in their baseless admonition of President Trump, these left-wing academics couldn't name a single reason why they believe Joe Biden would do anything positive for the American economy," she said.

"Joe Biden led the slowest economic recovery since the Great Depression and promises to tax Americans into oblivion and shut our nation back down as we rebuild our economy," Ms Zager added.

The Great Recession of 2007 began before President Barack Obama was elected president.

The document then goes on to condemn the president's response to the novel coronavirus pandemic accusing him of “consistently undermined the independence and credibility of our major health agencies.”

“His personal behavior during the Covid-19 outbreak endangered public health, the economic recovery, and the safe re-opening of schools,” the letter says.  

Over 8.46 million people across the country have been infected with the novel coronavirus since the outbreak began in March, leading to the deaths of more than 223,000.

Among other accusations, the economists claim that Mr Trump “has fostered a culture of unabashed corruption by pressuring foreign countries to undermine his political opponents” and created “an atmosphere of perpetual chaos and uncertainty.”

“For these reasons, we strongly recommend that the electorate do what no one else can: reclaim your democracy by voting to remove Donald Trump from office,” the letter concludes.

CNN reported the document was signed by prominent economists from major institutions, including Nobel laureates Paul Milgrom (2020) and Oliver Hart (2016) and Alvin Roth (2012).