Trump Claims He’s ‘Entitled’ to Criticize Harris, Points to Inflation Efforts: Highlights from NJ Press Conference

During a press conference in Bedminster, New Jersey, former President Donald Trump reaffirmed his conviction in his entitlement to hurl personal insults at Vice President Kamala Harris. The event, initially intended to address economic issues and living expenses, soon segued into a platform for Trump to condemn both Harris and President Joe Biden’s strategies on managing the American economy. In tandem with this, Trump deployed derogatory remarks towards immigrants in the U.S., and vaguely insinuated Harris’s involvement in his ongoing legal encounters.

‘I’m Very Angry at Her’

Emphasizing his fury towards Harris, Trump criticized her role in the current administration’s approach to various issues, which range from immigration to inflation. Despite lacking concrete evidence, he alleged her participation in his pending legal trials, and his New York hush money case’s conviction. Irrespective of his scheduled sentencing next month related to his case, Trump maintains this narrative against the Democrats, who he insists “want to put me in prison”. His claims that Harris could be a potential president did little to conceal his disdain for her, as he openly mocked her abilities and intelligence.

Numerous Republicans have entreated Trump to place his focus on Harris’s policies, rather than launching personal attacks. There’s speculation that it is these combative strategies that have allowed Harris to progressively gain popularity, surpassing Trump in numerous surveys since Biden stepped aside. The former South Carolina Governor, Nikki Haley, took to Fox News to express her view that Trump needs to halt his complaints and aim to address matters intelligently.

Response from Harris Campaign

The response from Harris’s campaign was nothing short of scathing. A written statement rebuked “whatever that was” as typical Trump – filled with lies and delusions, according to James Singer, a spokesperson for Harris’s campaign.

Economic Battles

Trump did dedicate time during the conference to disapproving of the Biden-Harris economic track record, touching upon inflationary pressures and supply chain matters. He conducted his conference strategically, a day prior to Harris’s schedule for delivering a significant economic address. Trump rejected Harris’s stance on fracking and charged her with implementing price controls, which he believes would result in driving prices up rather than reducing them.

Immigration

Trump proceeded to pontificate about illegal border crossings, albeit with misleading statements and improbable mathematics. Trump accused Harris of facilitating an “invasion” of the country by at least 20 million individuals, offering them citizenship, and permitting them to deplete resources such as Medicare and Social Security – all claims which have been refuted. The Department of Homeland Security approximated 11 million unauthorized immigrants in the U.S. as of January 2022, and there is no recorded instance of Harris advocating for blanket access to federal resources for undocumented immigrants.