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Donald Trump stands next to a table piled with various groceries as he blames U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris for inflation that has caused prices of everyday goods to rise during President Joe Biden’s term
BEDMINSTER, United States – Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump held a lengthy 80-minute press conference at his New Jersey golf club on Thursday, August 15, trying to tie his Democratic rival Kamala Harris to the Biden administration’s economic record, his latest move to undermine Harris’ momentum.
Standing next to a table piled high with various groceries, Trump blamed Vice President Harris for rising prices of everyday goods due to inflation during Biden’s presidency.
“Harris just announced that addressing inflation will be her first priority on her first day in office,” he said. “But Kamala’s first day in office was three and a half years ago. Where has she been?”
The event was intended to draw a contrast with Harris, who has rarely answered questions from reporters since replacing Biden as the Democratic presidential nominee in late July.
But the news conference quickly became reminiscent of a Trump rallies, with the former president repeating many of the false claims he typically made during the campaign and speaking for 45 minutes before answering the first question.
He repeatedly insulted Harris, calling her “not smart.” When a reporter pointed out that some Republicans were urging him to focus on policy rather than personal attacks, he said, “I think I have the right to make personal attacks.”
“She was certainly attacking me personally,” Trump said.
Trump noted that Harris called him and his running mate, JD Vance, “weird,” a move that Democratic vice presidential candidate Tim Waltz also criticized.
He also rejected suggestions he would change his approach, telling reporters, “I have to do things my way.”
Harris’ entry into the race has galvanized Democrats, with polls showing her erasing Trump’s lead over Biden.
Ahead of Trump’s press conference, the Harris campaign sent out a mock “media advisory” titled “Donald Trump will be incoherent and spread dangerous lies in public, but in a different home,” referring to his Bedminster estate.
Harris is scheduled to give a speech on economic policy in North Carolina on Friday.
Grocery items Trump used as props included household names like Wonder Bread, Oreo cookies, Folgers Coffee and Campbell’s Soup.
The cost of bread and coffee has actually fallen over the past year, according to the Consumer Price Index, which is released monthly by the Bureau of Labor Statistics. Food price inflation is now running at about the same rate as it did when Trump was president — between 0 and 2% per year.
However, prices in 2022 and 2023 have risen sharply, bringing their prices to about 20% to 30% above where they were when Trump left office.
Trump allies return to campaign trail
Earlier Thursday, the Trump campaign announced the hiring of five staffers, including Corey Lewandowski, who served as Trump’s first campaign manager during his successful 2016 campaign. Lewandowski expressed 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 final months of the campaign and that the hires did not represent a broader shakeup.
In addition to Lewandowski joining the senior leadership team, the new hires will focus on communications and rapid response, according to another person familiar with the campaign’s operations, who added that the campaign is severely understaffed in that area.
Lewandowski was forced to withdraw from Trump’s 2016 campaign months before the election, though Trump later said he regretted it. Lewandowski was later forced to withdraw from a pro-Trump super PAC in 2021 after a donor’s wife accused him of unwanted sexual advances.
Trump said at a news conference that the new appointments did not mean a shift in strategy and praised his co-campaign managers Chris LaCivita and Susie Wiles.
“This shows that we want to end this dispute,” he said. – Rappler.com
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