(CN) - After a brutally bad week that saw him plummet in the polls, Donald Trump on Monday sought to regain his footing with a speech in Detroit focused squarely on the economy.
While several polls have shown voters have strong concerns about the GOP presidential candidate's temperament and fitness for office especially after getting into unnecessary and messy public fights with a Gold Star family and even members of his own party he fares much better on the economy.
Even in national polls that now show Democrat Hillary Clinton leading him by as much as 12 points, when it comes to registered voter's beliefs about who will be a better guardian of the economy, he polls at least equal to her and in many cases, better.
Speaking before the Detroit Economic Club on Monday, Trump said he wants to simplify the tax code, creating three brackets based on 12 percent, 25 percent and 33 percent of income.
That's a change from the income tax plan he touted a year ago, when he proposed have four tax brackets that would pay zero, 10 percent, 20 percent and 25 percent.
Trump also proposed allowing parents to fully deduct the average cost of childcare from their taxable income.
The current Child and Dependent Care tax credit is capped at 35 percent of qualifying expenses or up to $3,000 for one cared-for individual or $6,000 for two or more.
He also said Monday that no business should pay more than 15 percent of income in taxes.
Trump called his plan "the biggest tax revolution since the Reagan tax reform."
He also promised it will create jobs and "make America grow again."
To stimulate growth even further, he promised that he'll call for a temporary moratorium on federal regulations.
While Trump's proposals inspired appreciative nods from many in the room, the warmth wasn't universal. His speech was interrupted more than once by what appeared to be coordinated protests.
At one point, about a dozen woman stood up, one by one, and shouted "Mr. Trump" before trying to ask the candidate a question.
The questions were drowned out by boos from members of Detroit's business community.
Trump paused several times as individual protesters were removed from the room, and finally gave up, continuing through the shouts and murmurs.
Unlike past events, however, Trump did not personally engage the protesters.
Outside Cobo Hall,, a crowd of mostly anti-Trump protestors chanted and held signs to denounce what they term as his misogynistic and racist rhetoric.
Tayrn Goodman, 36 and her son Derrick Forcer, 11, made signs that mocked "Don the Con" who had "small hands."
"He's the hater." Goodman said about Trump.
A chant grew from a small group of pro-union women who slowly moved through the crowd.
"Donald Trump, he's an ass, he don't like the middle class!"
Pro-Trump signs were few and far between. One man held a large Trump flag over the heads of anti-Trump protesters as they held their own signs that said "Trump Demeans Women."
A group of three pro-Trump supporters, one of them a child, made their way through the crowd with their campaign signs only to be mocked and confronted by an anti-Trump protester.
One pro-Trump woman was called a "stupid bitch" unprovoked by a protestor as she crossed the street.
The Detroit Free Press reported a man with a confederate flag and wearing a t-shirt that said "TRUMP" was tackled by protestors and a scuffle ensued that was broken up by police.
As the scenes played out, curious downtown workers on lunch break meandered towards the scene.
A man walking around offering free hugs was embraced as well as rebuffed politely.
"Nah, I'm good man" said one person after he was offered one.
Hamtramck resident Jason Schusterbauer, 48, had the day off and decided to check out the scene. He wore a shirt that read "F*ck Trump" and held a sign that read "Bikers Against Trump."
Schusterbauer is not in favor of Trump's "demagoguery" and "racism."
"It's astonishing there's a new thing every few days" he said.
Clinton is also focusing on the economy this week, gearing up to lay out a plan her campaign describes as "the biggest investment in good-paying jobs since World War II."
Clinton has argued that Trump is focused only on the wealthiest Americans. She has questioned his commitment to creating U.S. jobs, given the history of outsourcing at his companies.
Clinton will deliver her own economic speech in Detroit on Thursday.
Photo caption:
Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump delivers an economic policy speech to the Detroit Economic Club, Monday, Aug. 8, 2016, in Detroit. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)
Protest photos by Courthouse News reporter Andy Olesko.
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