Donald Trump. Photo:Charly Triballeau/AP
During a press conference at his golf club on Thursday, Donald Trump ramped up his attacks on Vice President Kamala Harris, his rival in the upcoming elections. In a 90-minute speech, Trump devoted more than half of his time to directly targeting Harris, once again labeling her a “communist” and accusing her of manipulating the justice system against him, reported Politico.
Despite repeated warnings from his allies about the risks of personal attacks, which could alienate voters, Trump remains undeterred. “I believe I have the right to make personal attacks. I don’t have much respect for her,” Trump declared. He also expressed anger at Harris for what he perceives as her role in legal actions against him, stating, “They want me to be nice. But they’re not being nice to me. They want to put me in jail.”
While Trump did not announce any new initiatives, he claimed that he could slash energy prices by at least 50% within his first 12 months in office. This comes despite his recent admission that achieving this goal may be more challenging than anticipated.
Trump’s comments on the economy coincided with Harris promoting her economic platform, which aims to reduce the cost of food and everyday expenses. Trump criticized her proposals, likening them to “communist-style price controls,” and argued that such measures would have the opposite effect of what is intended.
Despite Harris currently leading Trump in the polls, the former president believes she may be easier to defeat than Joe Biden. In his speech, he labeled Harris and her running mate, Tim Walz, as “radicals.”
“Walz wants sanitary products in boys’ bathrooms,” Trump remarked, referencing an initiative to provide hygiene products for transgender students. “It’s terrible. But that’s the person she chose.”
Outside Trump’s golf club, several signs were displayed, highlighting the rise in prices since Harris took office, including the percentage increase in the cost of staple goods like flour and oil.
Following the press conference, Trump hosted an event at his club focused on combating antisemitism. During his remarks, he portrayed Harris, whose husband is Jewish, as “a radical enabler of antisemitism in the Democratic Party” and warned that if she were elected president, Israel would be “destroyed.”
“The toxic poison of antisemitism is now flowing through the Radical Democrat Party. These are radical, radical people. I never thought I’d see anything like this. Instead of rooting out this hatred, Kamala Harris encourages it,” Trump asserted.
Trump’s strategy of discrediting his opponent while bolstering his own electoral appeal signals that the campaign is heating up and becoming increasingly confrontational.