Republican US presidential candidate Donald Trump sought to tie his Democratic rival Kamala Harris to the Biden administration’s economic record on Thursday during a meandering, 80-minute press conference at his New Jersey golf club, his latest effort to blunt her momentum.
Flanked by tables stacked with assorted grocery items, Mr Trump blamed Ms Harris, the US vice-president, for the inflation that has caused the price of everyday goods to rise during president Joe Biden’s term in office.
“Harris has just declared that tackling inflation will be a day one priority for her,” he said. “But day one for Kamala was 3½ years ago. Where has she been?”
The event was aimed at drawing a contrast with Ms Harris, who has rarely answered questions from reporters since replacing Mr Biden at the top of the Democratic ticket in late July.
But the press conference quickly became reminiscent of a Trump rally, with the former president levelling many of the same false claims he typically unleashes on the campaign trail and speaking for 45 minutes before taking his first question.
He insulted Ms Harris repeatedly, saying she was “not smart”. When a reporter noted that some Republicans had urged him to focus on policy rather than personal attacks, he said, “I think I’m entitled to personal attacks.”
“She certainly attacks me personally,” Mr Trump said.
Mr Trump said Ms Harris has called him and his running mate JD Vance “weird”, a criticism made viral by Democratic vice-presidential candidate Tim Walz.
He also dismissed the suggestion that he alter his approach, telling reporters, “I have to do it my way.”
Ms Harris’s entry into the election race has galvanised Democrats, and polls show she has erased the lead Mr Trump had enjoyed over Mr Biden.
The Harris campaign sent out a mock “media advisory” in advance of Mr Trump’s press conference with the headline, “Donald Trump to Ramble Incoherently and Spread Dangerous Lies in Public, but at Different Home,” a reference to his Bedminster estate.
[ Trump reveals €467m from golf clubs and resorts in latest financial disclosureOpens in new window ]
Ms Harris is scheduled to deliver a speech on economic policy on Friday in North Carolina.
The grocery staples Mr Trump used as props included household brands such as Wonder Bread, Oreo cookies, Folgers coffee and Campbell’s soup.
Bread and coffee prices have fallen over the last year, according to the US Bureau of Labor Statistics’ monthly consumer price index. Food price inflation is now comparable with when Mr Trump was president – between zero and 2 per cent a year.
Their substantial price rises in 2022 and 2023, however, have pushed them about 20 per cent to 30 per cent above their levels when MrTrump left office.
Earlier on Thursday, the Trump campaign announced five hires, including Corey Lewandowski, who served as Mr Trump’s first campaign manager during his successful 2016 campaign. Mr Lewandowski voiced his excitement, posting on X: “Let Trump, Be Trump!”
A campaign official, who requested anonymity to discuss internal personnel matters, said the campaign needed more “soldiers” in the race's closing months and that the hires were not indicative of any broader shake-up.
Other than Mr Lewandowski, who will be part of the senior leadership team, the hires will largely work in communications and rapid response, according to another person familiar with campaign operations. The person said the campaign had been severely understaffed in that area.
Mr Lewandowski was forced out of Mr Trump’s 2016 bid in the months before the election, though Mr Trump later said he regretted this. Mr Lewandowski was later forced out of a pro-Trump super Pac – a campaign fundraising vehicle – in 2021 after a donor’s wife accused him of unwanted sexual advances.
At the press conference, Mr Trump said the new hires did not signify a shift in strategy and praised his co-campaign managers, Chris LaCivita and Susie Wiles.
“It’s a sign that we want to close it out,” he said. – Reuters