Trump touts economic plan in battleground state rally

Former President Donald Trump held a battleground state rally to tout his economic plan and recalibrate his campaign amid a tightening race for the White House.

In a 90-minute speech in Asheville, North Carolina, Trump pledged to bring down consumer prices and increase wages through permanent tax cuts, energy policy reforms and eliminating environmental protections.

The stop on Wednesday was the second rally for Trump in two weeks, marking a slower pace for the former president's campaign.

He often veered off topic, leaning into attacks on political rival Vice-President Kamala Harris and once stating he was "not sure the economy is the most important topic" of the election.

Trump's speech did not unveil any new proposals.

He vowed to "rapidly drive prices down and make America affordable again" in his second term.

He argued that Biden-Harris administration has "broken" the US economy, asking the crowd: "Does anyone here feel richer under Kamala Harris and Crooked Joe?"

Inflation in the US rose at the slowest pace in more than three years last month, marking relief for consumers - and a possible boon for the Harris campaign.

Trump also promised to lower energy costs by opening up more land for drilling, and pledged to reverse renewable energy and infrastructure projects approved by President Joe Biden.

Towards the end of his remarks he said he would leave in place the Affordable Care Act, also known as Obamacare. He had previously tried to eliminate it while in office.

Trump frequently went off message, criticising Ms Harris over immigration, crime and other issues, as well as targeting her as “not smart” and having “the laugh of a crazy person”.

The Harris campaign responded with a statement saying Trump chose to ignore "inconvenient facts" about the economy in his speech.

"He lied. He rambled. He yelled. He said the economy is not an important issue," it said.

Trump has been on the defensive in recent days, after the Democratic ticket got a boost of energy when Ms Harris replaced Mr Biden as the nominee.

Reports suggest the Trump campaign is trying to get their candidate back on message after several events in which the former real estate mogul has been less focused on policy.

A new survey from the Cook Political Report suggests Ms Harris is erasing Trump's polling leads in multiple swing states.

According to the publication, she polls ahead of the former president in Arizona, Michigan, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin. The pair are tied in Georgia.

The race remains very competitive ahead of the November election, however, and surveys also suggest that voters trust Trump on economic matters more than Ms Harris.

Ms Harris is due to travel to North Carolina on Friday to deliver a speech laying out her own economic proposals.

Outside the Asheville venue where Trump spoke, supporters described to BBC News why they back the former president.

"I love the fact that he stands for his beliefs and he stands for his country," said Lisa Ramsey, an Asheville resident.

Zach Young, from nearby Hendersonville, said the Biden administration has overseen "three and a half years of suffering".

"We need to get back on the right page. The country needs to be run like a business," he said.

The economic speech comes after the United Autoworkers Union (UAW) filed Unfair Labor Practice charges with the National Labor Relations Board over comments made by Trump and Elon Musk.

In a conversation on X/Twitter on Monday, Trump praised Mr Musk for firing workers who went on strike.

Trump said that if workers strike, "you say ‘that’s OK, you're all gone. You're all gone.' So everyone is gone".

But federal law says companies cannot fire striking employees.

On Wednesday, the union said it planned to mobilise its one million active and retired workers to vote for Ms Harris.

The move gives her campaign momentum in swing states such as Michigan, where UAW members accounted for 9.2% of the state's votes for Mr Biden in 2020, the union said.

"When we say Donald Trump is a scab, this is what we mean. When we say Trump stands against everything our union stands for, this is what we mean," UAW President Shawn Fain said in a statement.

President of the International Brotherhood of Teamsters Sean O'Brien echoed those sentiments.

Mr O'Brien spoke at last month's Republican National Convention, calling Trump "one tough SOB".

Before his comments with Mr Musk, the Republican candidate had expressed some labour-friendly remarks.

Earlier on Wednesday, Trump cast his ballot in Florida's primary election. His vote was submitted during the early voting window.

He has previously been a critic of early voting, claiming without evidence that it makes elections vulnerable to fraud.