Topline
Former President Donald Trump doubled down on his personal attacks against Vice President Kamala Harris, saying in a Thursday press conference he thinks he is “entitled to personal attacks” following calls from Republicans allies for him to quit the insults in favor of a revamped focus on policy ahead of November.
Trump spoke to reporters in a press conference Thursday. (Photo by Michael M. Santiago/Getty … [+]
Key Facts
A reporter asked whether Trump agreed with calls to stop the personal attacks, to which Trump suggested he has levied insults at Harris because he is angry at her “because of what she’s done to the country.”
“I don’t have a lot of respect for her,” Trump said, noting Harris’ recent comments calling him and his running mate, Ohio Sen. JD Vance, “ weird.”
Trump lobbed the same insult at Harris’ policies, calling them weird and propping up his own policies regarding the border and taxes.
Trump’s comments come after figures such as former Trump White House aide Peter Navarro and former Republican candidate Vivek Ramaswamy have called for the former president to focus on policy instead of trading blows with Harris, with Navarro arguing in a podcast appearance this week that personal attacks hurt Trump among swing voters.
Former House Speaker Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif., told Fox News this week he believes Trump has to, “Stop questioning the size of her crowds and start questioning her positions.”
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Key Background
Trump’s personal attacks on Harris have revolved around her intelligence, laugh and race, as the former president suggested earlier this month she cannot be Black because of her acknowledgment of her Indian heritage. Trump received bipartisan scrutiny over his comment, which he defended in a Truth Social post calling Harris a “phony” and “not black” alongside a video of Harris and Indian American actress Mindy Kaling cooking Indian food. Harris is leading Trump in several polls by two to five points, including ones taken by Monmouth University, Economist/YouGov and Reuters/Ipsos, and is ahead of the former president by one point in a national-head-to-head contest, according to RealClearPolitics’ polling average, though Trump led Harris by one point in a recent Fox News poll.
Further Reading
Trump Pushes Back On ‘Weird’ Label From Kamala Harris And Tim Walz At Bozeman, Montana, Rally (Forbes)
Why Harris and Democrats keep calling Trump and Vance ‘weird’ (AP)
