Former President Donald Trump and Vice President Kamala Harris are focused on polishing their economic pitches as they try to convince voters they have the answer to the high cost of goods and housing.
Reports indicate Harris is expected to call for price controls to bring down the cost of groceries at a campaign rally in North Carolina on Friday.
Trump, her Republican opponent, held his second press conference in a week on Thursday, where he attacked Harris for not working on these economic problems while serving as vice president, and instead promising to make tackling inflation a priority if she were to be elected president.
“Where has she been and why hasn’t she done it?” Trump said, speaking to a crowd at his golf club in Bedminster, New Jersey. Next to his podium, on top of two tables, his campaign laid out grocery items, like Cheerios — which Trump said he’s taking home — instant coffee, Oreos and fruit.
Trump spoke for about 45 minutes before fielding questions for over half an hour. He left the venue after signing an autograph for a 100-year-old woman.
Last Thursday, Trump answered questions for more than an hour after delivering a statement at his Mar-a-Lago residence in Palm Beach, Florida. This latest press conference came as he continues to hammer Harris over how she has dodged interviews and reporters’ questions.
Trump’s remarks came a day after the Labor Department announced that year-over-year inflation is trending lower. Compared to last year, prices rose 2.9%, indicating price hikes are slowing down after rising in the aftermath of the COVID-19 pandemic, as The Associated Press reported. But consumers are still paying much higher costs for goods and services as wages lag.
The Harris campaign told CNN they think Trump’s remarks “will not be artificial intelligence, but they certainly will lack intelligence,” referencing Trump criticizing the Harris campaign over photos of crowds at her rallies. They also criticized Trump for not holding rallies in swing states like Harris and her running mate, Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz, are doing this week.
From boosting the economy to reforming voting laws, here are four things Trump said at the press conference.
Trump lists inflated prices of grocery items
American families are bearing the cost of the Biden-Harris administration’s policies, Trump said. That means $148 more a month on food, $129 more on energy and $241 more on rent, the former president said.
He noted higher mortgage and interest rates under Biden, saying it “really kills the American dream for young people.”
“Grocery prices have skyrocketed. Cereals are up 26%, bread is up 24%, butter is up 37%, baby formula is up 30%, flowers up 38% and eggs are up 46%,” Trump said. “Now Kamala is reportedly proposing communist price controls. She wants price controls,” he said, arguing such policies have the opposite effect.
“We’re going to have a crash like a 1929 crash if she gets in,” Trump said, referencing the stock market crash that led to a prolonged depression.
Trump: ‘I think I’m entitled to personal attacks’
Trump said his campaign takes “all of the abuse” from “fake news media” while all he wants to do is “make the country good.”
His administration rebuilt the military and “did so many great things,” only to be ignored, Trump said. “That’s OK because we’re leading in the polls,” he added. Most national and swing state polling shows Harris and Trump neck-and-neck.
“I’m very angry at her because of what she’s done to the country,” the former president said. “I’m very angry at her that she’d weaponize the justice system against me and other people.”
He continued, “I think I’m entitled to personal attacks. I don’t have a lot of respect for her. I don’t have a lot of respect for her intelligence. And I think she’ll be a terrible president.”
Harris deploys personal attacks toward Trump, he said. “She actually called me weird,” the former president said. He also defended his pick for running mate, Ohio Sen. JD Vance, saying, “He’s not weird,” either.
‘One-day voting’: Trump tells supporters to vote for him early
A reporter asked Trump his about message to Americans on a more affordable country. The former president said they should come out and vote on Nov. 5.
He criticized early voting, while encouraging his supporters to vote early. “We should have voter ID, we should have proof of citizenship,” he said. “It’s one of the things I want to do. But my message to them would be very simple, vote for Trump, and we’re going to fix the problem.”
Trump says dodging bullet was a miracle
Trump spoke about the assassination attempt on his life last month. He called it a miracle to have survived the attack.
“It’s a miracle, and God had something to do,” Trump said, “And maybe it’s, we want to save the world.”
He remarked on the bravery of the Secret Service agents who covered Trump mere seconds after the shots were fired.
“Obviously I shouldn’t have been up there. The roof should have been taken care of. There were mistakes made. There’s no question about it,” the former president added.