(Bedminster) Former President Donald Trump said Thursday that Americans are struggling with massive price hikes that he blames on Vice President Kamala Harris, seeking to pin President Joe Biden’s unpopular economic record on his new Democratic rival.
Mr. Trump stuck to his scripted economic message, reading notes in front of him at a news conference at his New Jersey golf club. The day before, he struggled to make a sustained case for his economic policies in a meandering speech that his campaign had billed as a major policy address.
“Kamala Harris is a radical liberal from California who, frankly, destroyed the economy, broke the border and destroyed the world,” Trump told reporters.
The Republican candidate was flanked by popular grocery items, including instant coffee, sugary breakfast cereals and baked goods, laid out on tables as he highlighted rising costs for Americans, from food to car insurance to housing.
PHOTO JEENAH MOON, REUTERS
The Republican candidate was flanked by popular grocery items
At one point during the news conference, as he talked about the 2020 election he lost, Trump noticed a box of cereal on the table. “I haven’t seen Cheerios in a long time,” he said. “I’m going to take them home.”
The event came a day after the Labor Department reported that year-over-year inflation hit its lowest level in more than three years in July — the latest sign that the worst price surge in four decades is fading.
But consumers are still feeling the impact of higher prices — something the Trump campaign is counting on to motivate voters this fall.
Mme Harris is preparing her own economic policy speech Friday in North Carolina, promising to push for a federal ban on food price gouging.
A small crowd of Mr. Trump’s supporters watched his news conference from a distance, occasionally cheering him on. But without a crowd of thousands to please with scathing attacks on his enemies, Mr. Trump stuck to his prepared remarks.
PHOTO JEENAH MOON, REUTERS
A small crowd of Mr Trump supporters watched his news conference from a distance.
Hours before the press conference, Trump campaign officials announced they were expanding his team, officially bringing on board a number of former aides and outside advisers. Corey Lewandowski, Taylor Budowich, Alex Pfeiffer, Alex Bruesewitz and Tim Murtaugh will advise the campaign’s top leadership.
Mr. Lewandowski was Mr. Trump’s first campaign manager in 2016. Taylor Budowich and Alex Pfeiffer are leaving MAGA Inc., a pro-Trump “super PAC.” Alex Bruesewitz produces pro-Trump content for a broad audience on social media. And Tim Murtaugh was the Trump campaign’s communications director in 2020.
Summer has traditionally been a time for shakeups in Mr. Trump’s two previous campaigns. This year’s shift comes just weeks after the campaign itself was dramatically transformed by President Joe Biden’s decision not to seek reelection and to endorse Vice President Kamala Harris.
Mr Trump spoke to reporters as he stepped up his criticism of Mme Harris for not holding a news conference or giving one-on-one interviews since Mr. Biden stepped down.
Vice President Harris and President Biden, for their part, made a joint appearance on Thursday to announce price cuts for popular Medicare drugs.
Also read: “Biden and Harris campaign together for the first time”
Federal officials have reached agreements with drug companies to lower the prices of 10 of Medicare’s most popular and expensive drugs, including blood thinners and diabetes medications.
Medicare spent $50 billion to cover these drugs last year, a historic deal for the federal program, which provides health coverage to more than 67 million older and disabled Americans.
For their part, vice presidential candidates JD Vance and Tim Walz have agreed to debate each other on May 1.er October on television, on CBS.