On the day that inflation reached its lowest levels in three years, former President Donald Trump spent the afternoon in Asheville, North Carolina, telling voters he would be better for the American economy than his opponent, Vice President Kamala Harris.
Before about 2,400 people at the Harrah’s Cherokee Center, Trump tied Harris’ candidacy to Biden’s economic record, while accusing her of stealing his ideas.
He walked on stage flanked by two giant signs reading, “No Tax on Social Security,” and “No Tax on Tips,” a subtle jab at Harris, who made the same promise earlier this week.
Credit: AP
Credit: AP
As the afternoon went on, all subtlety was lost. He said Harris “viciously, ruthlessly copied” his idea.
Harris is scheduled to unveil her economic agenda Friday in Raleigh.
“It will probably be a copy of my plan,” Trump quipped.
Trump landed in this western North Carolina city — a liberal island in the middle of a rural, conservative part of the state — at a crucial time. Recent polling suggests that Harris has pulled even with Trump in North Carolina, a state he won in 2016 and 2020 but which both candidates now see as up for grabs.
Trump’s planned economic address came just hours after a new government report showed one of the Biden administration’s best days, as the inflation rate fell to 2.9% on an annual basis, and statistics showed monthly inflation also slowing.
Credit: AP
Credit: AP
In what he said was to be an “intellectual speech” on the economy, Trump said he was committed to “slashing energy and electricity prices by half” by boosting oil and gas production in the United States.
He didn’t provide many details of any of his ideas, aside from saying that if elected, the first thing he would do is sign an executive order demanding that his cabinet secretaries tackle inflation and bring prices down.
He also said that although he pushed to repeal the Affordable Care Act while in the White House, Trump told the crowd that he would keep it, unless he could find a way to improve it.
“It stinks,” he told the crowd. “It’s not good. If we could do something better, we’re going to do something with it.”
But in his 73-minute speech, Trump repeatedly veered from economic issues to offer familiar attacks on immigrants, Harris, President Joe Biden, and Gov. Tim Walz of Minnesota, the Democratic Party’s vice-presidential nominee.
He criticized Biden’s border policy, calling Harris the “border czar,” and he attacked Walz over a Minnesota law that provides access to menstrual products in schools, including in both gender bathrooms for transgender students.
While criticizing American leaders, Trump again praised Russian President Vladimir Putin, North Korean dictator Kim Jong Un, Hungary Prime Minister Viktor Orban and Chinese leader Xi Jinping, suggesting that none of them would respect Harris in office.
“Today, we’re being laughed at,” Trump said.
To link Harris to Biden’s economic policies, he charged that as vice president, Harris failed to address inflation or price increases during her time in the White House.
“Remember, she goes to work every morning in the West Wing,” he said. “Her desk is 10 steps from the Oval Office.”
He repeatedly called Harris “stupid,” mispronounced her name, and mocked her laugh as a cackle to loud cheers from the crowd.
“That’s the laugh of a crazy person,” Trump said.
He also told the crowd Harris snatched the presidency from “Sleepy Joe” Biden and was being elevated to the top of the Democratic ticket because it was “politically correct.”
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