"Focus on Policy," Seemingly Accepting Republican Request
"Will Sign Executive Order to Lower Prices on First Day in Office"
Former President Donald Trump, who was criticized for making excessive personal attacks on Vice President Kamala Harris, the Democratic presidential candidate, and thereby shooting himself in the foot, unusually focused his offensive on economic issues. It appears he somewhat heeded the Republican officials' advice to focus the election message on policy.
On the 14th (local time), at a rally held in Asheville, North Carolina, Trump devoted a significant portion of his speech to criticizing inflation and the economic policies of the Biden-Harris administration.
Inflation and the economy are issues voters consider most important and are seen as the current administration's biggest weaknesses, but until now, Trump had not focused intensively on them. Before starting his main speech, Trump told the audience that this rally would be an "intellectual speech" dealing with the economy differently than usual, saying, "Today, we are all intellectuals."
He said, "They say this is the most important topic," and added, "I'm not sure, but they say this is the most important."
Recently, key Republican figures have urged Trump to refrain from personal attacks that only generate negative controversy and to focus intensively on policies favorable to the Republican Party, such as economic and border issues. This advice came after Trump, who was comfortably ahead when Biden was the presidential candidate, lost direction by making excessive personal attacks targeting Harris's racial identity and obsessing over rally sizes unrelated to the election outcome.
On this day, Trump explained his plans to lower inflation. He announced he would sign an executive order on his first day in office directing all cabinet members and agency heads to use all available authority to reduce inflation. He also promised to develop the United States' oil and gas resources and cut energy costs, including electricity bills, by more than half.
However, he did not completely refrain from personal attacks. Trump mocked the way Vice President Harris laughs, saying, "That's the laugh of a crazy person. She's crazy."
He also claimed that the reason Harris has not given any media interviews since announcing her candidacy is "because she is not smart," frequently disparaging Vice President Harris even while discussing economic issues.
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