BEDMINSTER: US Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump sought to link his Democratic rival Kamala Harris to the Biden administration's economic record on Thursday during a meandering 80-minute news conference at his New Jersey golf club, his latest effort to slow her momentum.
Flanked by tables laden with various edible products, Trump blamed Harris, the US vice president, for the inflation that has caused the price of everyday products to rise during President Joe Biden's term.
“Harris just declared that fighting inflation will be a priority for her from day one,” he said. “But Kamala's day one was three and a half years ago. Where has she been?”
The event was meant to mark a contrast with Harris, who has rarely taken questions from reporters since replacing Biden as the head of the Democratic ticket in late July.
But the news conference quickly resembled a Trump rally, with the former president making many of the same false claims he typically makes on the campaign trail and speaking for 45 minutes before taking his first question.
He repeatedly insulted Harris, saying she's “not smart.” When a reporter pointed out that some Republicans have 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,” Trump said.
Trump noted that Harris called him and his running mate JD Vance “weird,” a criticism that was made viral by Democratic vice presidential nominee Tim Walz.
He also dismissed suggestions he change his approach, telling reporters: “I have to do it my way.”
Harris' entry into the race has galvanized Democrats, with polls showing she has erased the lead Trump enjoyed over Biden.
Harris' campaign sent out a mock “media advisory” ahead of Trump's news conference with the headline: “Donald Trump will ramble incoherently and spread dangerous lies in public, but in a different home,” a reference to his Bedminster estate.
Harris is scheduled to deliver a speech on economic policy on Friday in North Carolina.
The staples Trump used as props included well-known brands like Wonder Bread, Oreo cookies, Folgers coffee and Campbell's soup.
In fact, bread and coffee prices have fallen over the past year, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics’ monthly consumer price index. Food costs in general are now experiencing an inflation rate comparable to when Trump was president: between zero and 2% annually.
However, their significant price increases in 2022 and 2023 have taken them 20% to 30% above their levels when Trump left office.
Trump's allies return to the campaign trail
On Thursday morning, the Trump campaign announced five hires, including Corey Lewandowski, who served as Trump's first campaign manager during his successful 2016 campaign. Lewandowski expressed his excitement by 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 final months of the race and that the hires were not indicative of any broader restructuring.
Aside from Lewandowski, who will be part of the management team, the new hires will work primarily in communications and rapid response, according to another person familiar with the campaign’s operations. The person added that the campaign had been severely short-staffed in that area.
Lewandowski was forced to leave Trump's 2016 election campaign in the months leading up to the election, though Trump later said he regretted it. Lewandowski was later forced to leave a pro-Trump super PAC in 2021 after a donor's wife accused him of unwanted sexual advances.
At the news conference, Trump said the new hires did not mark a change in strategy and praised his fellow campaign managers, Chris LaCivita and Susie Wiles.
“It's a sign that we want to close it,” he said.
