Former President Trump is scheduled to answer questions from reporters on Thursday at his golf club in Bedminster, New Jersey, marking the former president’s second consecutive week of high-profile press conferences.
The move is also aimed at slowing the momentum of Vice President Kamala Harris ahead of next week’s Democratic National Convention, who has been riding a wave of energy and enthusiasm since replacing President Biden as the leading 2024 Democratic candidate 3 1/2 weeks ago.
But it also appears to be a new move to pressure Harris for not holding any press conferences or major interviews since Biden withdrew and endorsed his vice president.
“Twenty-four days have passed and Kamala Harris remains in hiding from the media, with no interviews or press conferences since announcing her candidacy,” Trump campaign spokesman Steven Chang stressed on Wednesday.
Vance says Trump’s ‘off-the-cuff’ comments are ‘part of his charm’
Former President Trump spoke to reporters at a press conference at his Mar-a-Lago resort in Palm Beach, Florida on August 8. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)
During a press conference at his Mar-a-Lago club in Palm Beach, Florida last week, Trump continued to insult Harris’ intelligence, claiming that “she hasn’t been interviewed and she can’t be interviewed.”
Republican Senator J.D. Vance of Ohio, who will be the former president’s running mate in the 2024 presidential election, has also criticized the Democratic Party’s standard-bearer for not engaging with the media.
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“She has no ability to speak unscripted,” Vance said, answering reporters’ questions after a campaign event in southwest Michigan. “She’s not doing interviews. She’s not going to stand before the American people and answer questions.”
He then argued, “It’s scandalous that Kamala Harris is running from the media, but more importantly, she’s running from the American people. This is shameful.”
Sen. J.D. Vance, R-Ohio, answered reporters’ questions after headlining a Trump campaign event in Byron Center, Michigan, on Wednesday. (Fox News – Paul Steinhauser)
Harris has so far briefly answered some questions from traveling reporters but has said she will give larger interviews by the end of the month.
“We’re going to be committed to engaging directly with the voters who will actually decide this election – through rallies, in-person interviews, press conferences and all the digital assets available to us,” Michael Tyler, communications director for the Harris campaign, told CNN on Wednesday.
President Trump answered questions for more than an hour during a press conference last week, but used some of his shaky answers to push back on his long-repeated claims that the 2020 presidential election was stolen from him and unproven claims on a number of topics, including the turnout at the Jan. 6, 2021 rally that preceded the storming of the U.S. Capitol.
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Hours before Thursday’s press conference, Harris’ campaign issued a mock email advisory titled, “Donald Trump speaks incoherently and spreads dangerous lies in public, but not at home.”
“Vice President Harris and Governor Walz are speaking to voters, laying out their vision for the middle class and letting the American people know they will fight for freedom,” Harris campaign spokesman James Singer told Fox News.
“Donald Trump can talk to anyone, but he can’t explain his harmful Project 2025 policies, speak a coherent thought, or offer anything but insults and price increases for the middle class,” he argued.
Vice President Kamala Harris speaks at a campaign rally at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas on Saturday. (Rhonda Churchill/AFP via Getty Images)
President Trump has continued to blast and insult Harris in speeches, press conferences and social media posts over the past few weeks, while criticizing her on key issues such as border security, crime and inflation.
A Trump political source told Fox News that the former president’s top advisers are trying privately to persuade Trump to refrain from insulting Harris or questioning the vice president’s racial identity, and instead to position her as an ultra-liberal and highlight her stances on the border, crime and inflation.
Trump claims Harris is more liberal than Bernie Sanders – Vermont senator tells Fox News
Trump’s allies have also publicly lobbied to refocus the former president’s attention.
“This race shouldn’t be decided by character,” former House Speaker Kevin McCarthy said Monday in an interview on Fox News’ “America’s Newsroom.” “Stop questioning the size of her support and start questioning her positions.”
McCarthy stressed that Trump has a “short time to act, so don’t just sit back. Get out there and start making your case.”
During an interview with Bret Baier on Fox News’ “Special Report” on Tuesday, former U.N. ambassador and former South Carolina governor Nikki Haley — who was Trump’s main rival in the Republican presidential primary earlier this year — also offered some unsolicited advice to her former boss.
Haley reiterated her hope for Trump to win the presidential election, saying, “You don’t win a campaign by talking about the size of the crowd. You don’t win a campaign by talking about what race Kamala Harris is. You don’t win a campaign by talking about whether she’s stupid. That’s not true. You can’t win by talking about that. The American people are smart. Treat them like smart people.”
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Speaking to Fox News Digital ahead of a campaign event in Michigan, Vance responded to the blunt advice he received from Republican lawmakers.
“I think one of the reasons people really like Donald Trump in politics is that he’s not afraid to improvise. He says what he really thinks. He doesn’t always have a filter, and I think that’s a good thing and part of his charm,” the Republican vice presidential nominee said.
But Vance also stressed that “if you look at this campaign, we’re talking about policy. That’s 90 percent of what we’re doing. And I think that’s going to continue.”
Get the latest 2024 campaign updates, exclusive interviews and more on Fox News Digital’s Election Hub.
