Donald Trump said he is “entitled” to personally attack Vice-President Kamala Harris because he doesn’t “have a lot of respect for her.”
At a press conference at his Bedminster, N.J., golf club on Thursday, Trump was asked whether he believes that repeated personal attacks on his opponent is working for him this time around.
“As far as the personal attacks, I’m very angry at her because of what she’s done to the country,” Trump said. “I think I’m entitled to personal attacks. I don’t have a lot of respect for her. I don’t have a lot of respect for her intelligence, and I think she’ll be a terrible president.”
“And I think it’s very important that we win,” Trump continued. “And whether the personal attacks are good, bad. She certainly attacks me personally. She actually called me weird.”
Trump’s comments come as several Republicans and allies have been urging him to lay off the personal attacks on Harris and focus on policy
Former Trump White House adviser Peter Navarro: “He needs votes, and the current rally formula is simply not sufficiently focused on the very stark policy differences — policy differences — between him and Kamala Harris that will swing voters in key battleground states.”
Former Trump adviser Kellyanne Conway: “The winning formula for President Trump is very plain to see. It’s fewer insults, more insights and that policy contrast.”
Trump’s former GOP Primary rival Nikki Haley: “I want this campaign to win, but the campaign is not gonna win talking about crowd sizes. It’s not going to win talking about what race Kamala Harris is. It’s not going to win talking about whether she’s dumb.”
Trump’s attempts to try and focus on policy at Thursday’s press conference fell flat once again as he spent much of the speech rambling and repeating past complaints about Harris.
The Trump campaign is in desperate need of a reset as nothing they’ve tried so far has blunted Harris’ momentum.
Recent polling shows Harris pulling ahead of Trump nationally and in key battleground states.
A Cook Political Report survey shows Harris leading Trump in North Carolina, Pennsylvania, Wisconsin, Arizona and Michigan. Both candidates are tied in Georgia. Trump has a 3 point lead in Nevada, but that is down by 6 points from earlier this year when President Joe Biden was still in the race.
