During a press conference, Trump was asked whether his campaign needs more discipline now that he is facing a Democratic nominee who is re-energized after Harris replaced President Joe Biden as the party's presidential candidate.
“As far as the personal attacks, I'm very angry at her for what she's done to the country. I'm very angry at her that she would use the legal system against me and other people, very angry at her. I think I have a right to personal attacks,” Trump said at his New Jersey golf club, where he invited reporters in his bid to saddle Harris with Biden's unpopular economic record.
“I don't have much respect for her intelligence and I think she'll be a terrible president,” he added.
There is no evidence that Biden or Harris used the criminal justice system to target Trump. Trump has vowed to launch criminal investigations into Biden and his family members in response if he wins.
Trump also took issue with Democrats labeling him and his running mate, Sen. J.D. Vance of Ohio, as “odd.” Harris is “odd in her policies,” he said.
Trump stuck to his written economic message for more than half an hour, reading from a binder in front of him. Later, he lapsed into familiar stories he likes to tell at his rallies. A day earlier, he had struggled to make a cohesive case for his economic policies during a meandering speech that his campaign had billed as a major policy address.
“Kamala Harris is a radical liberal from California who has destroyed the economy, the border and the world, quite frankly,” Trump told reporters.
Trump was flanked by popular grocery store items including coffee, cereal and pastries spread out on tables as he highlighted the cost of everything from food to car insurance to housing. Posters showed the price increases on basic products.
At one point, while Trump was talking about the 2020 election he lost, he saw a box of cereal.
“I haven't seen Cheerios in a long time,” Trump said. “I'm going to take them to my cottage.”
As he turned to walk back inside, Trump did not respond to the shouted questions about when he had last gone grocery shopping.
The incident came a day after the Labor Department announced in July that annual inflation had hit its lowest level in more than three years, the latest sign that the worst price rise in four decades is slowing.
But consumers are still feeling the impact of higher prices, something Trump's campaign is counting on to motivate voters this fall.
A new poll from The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research shows that Americans trust Trump more than Harris on the economy and immigration, issues he has made central to his case for a return to the White House.
Harris plans to deliver her own economic policy speech in North Carolina on Friday, promising to push for a federal ban on grocery overpricing.
Trump predicted he would beat Harris by a larger margin than Biden, “once she is exposed.”
“People don't know who she is,” Trump said.
A small group of Trump supporters watched his press conference from the sidelines, occasionally cheering him on. But without a crowd of thousands to please with red-meat attacks on his enemies, Trump stuck more to his prepared remarks.
Trump continued to insult Harris and Biden at an evening rally for Jewish voters, where he was introduced by Republican megadonor Miriam Adelson to an audience that included a Holocaust survivor.
Hours before the press conference, Trump’s campaign officials announced they were expanding his staff, formally adding a number of former aides and outside advisers to the group. Corey Lewandowski, Taylor Budowich, Alex Pfeiffer, Alex Bruesewitz and Tim Murtaugh will advise the campaign’s senior leaders.
Lewandowski was Trump’s first campaign manager during his 2016 campaign. Budowitz and Pfeiffer come over from MAGA Inc., a pro-Trump super PAC. Bruesewitz produces pro-Trump content for a large social media following. And Murtaugh was Trump’s 2020 campaign’s communications director.
The summer was a time of upheaval for Trump’s previous two campaigns. This year’s change comes weeks after the campaign itself was transformed by Biden’s decision to end his reelection campaign and endorse Harris.
Trump on Thursday gave his top advisers a vote of confidence, writing on his social media platform that his management team led by Chris LaCivita and Susie Wiles is “THE BEST.”
Trump spoke to the press and has stepped up his criticism of Harris for not holding a press conference or giving interviews since Biden took her place.
“I think I'm running a very quiet campaign,” Trump said after being asked about criticism from Republicans who want him to focus less on personal attacks.
“Some of you will say, 'He was ranting and raving,'” Trump told reporters. “I'm a very calm person, believe it or not.”