Former President Donald Trump held a battleground state rally to lay out his economic plan and reframe his campaign amid a fierce race for the White House.
In a 90-minute speech in Asheville, North Carolina, Trump pledged to lower consumer prices and raise wages by enacting permanent tax cuts, energy policy reforms and the elimination of environmental protections.
Wednesday’s stop was Trump’s second rally in two weeks, marking a slower pace for the former president’s campaign.
He often sidestepped the topic, leaning into attacks on political rival Vice President Kamala Harris and once saying he was “not sure the economy is the most important topic” of the election.
Trump’s speech did not reveal any new plans.
He vowed to “quickly lower prices and make America affordable again” in his second term.
He argued that the Biden-Harris administration had “broken” the US economy, asking the crowd: “Does anyone here feel richer under Kamala Harris and Crooked Joe?”
U.S. inflation rose last month at its slowest pace in more than three years, signaling relief for consumers — and a potential boon for the Harris campaign.
Trump has promised to lower energy costs by opening up more land for drilling, and has pledged to overhaul renewable energy and infrastructure projects approved by President Joe Biden.
At the end of his remarks, he said he would scrap the Affordable Care Act, also known as Obamacare. He tried to get rid of it during his previous tenure.
Trump has frequently sent messages criticizing Ms. Harris on immigration, crime and other issues, targeting her as “not smart” and “the laughing stock of a madman.”
The Harris campaign responded with a statement saying Trump chose to ignore “inconvenient truths” about the economy in his speech.
“He lied, he rambled, he shouted, he said the economy was not a major issue,” it said.
Trump has been on the defensive in recent days after the Democratic ticket gained momentum when Ms. Harris nominated Mr. Biden as the nominee.
Reports suggest that the Trump campaign is trying to get their candidate back in the news after several incidents where the former real estate mogul paid little attention to policy.
A new poll by the Cook Political Report suggests Ms. Harris is chipping away at Trump’s polling lead in several swing states.
According to the publication, he is polling ahead of the former president in Arizona, Michigan, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin. The couple joins in Georgia.
The race is highly competitive ahead of the November election, and polls suggest voters trust Trump more than Ms. Harris on economic matters.
Ms Harris is due to travel to North Carolina on Friday to give a speech outlining her own economic plans.
Outside the Asheville stadium where Trump spoke, supporters told BBC News why they support the former president.
“I love that he’s standing up for his beliefs and he’s standing up for his country,” said Lisa Ramsey, an Asheville resident.
Zach Young, of nearby Hendersonville, said the Biden administration had overseen “three and a half years of misery.”
“We need to turn to the right side. We need to run the country like a business,” he said.
The economic speech comes after the United Autoworkers union (UAW) filed unfair labor practice charges with the National Labor Relations Board over comments made by Trump and Elon Musk.
In a conversation on X/Twitter on Monday, Trump praised Mr Musk for firing the striking workers.
If workers strike, Trump said, “That’s right, you’re all gone. You’re all gone.” So everyone’s gone.”
But federal law says companies can’t fire workers who go on strike.
On Wednesday, the union said it planned to get its one million active and retired workers to vote for Ms. Harris.
The move gives his campaign momentum in swing states such as Michigan, where UAW members won 9.2% of the state’s vote for Mr Biden in 2020, according to the union.
“When we say Donald Trump is a scar, this is what we mean. When we say Trump stands against everything our union stands for, this is what we mean,” UAW President Shawn Fine said in a statement.
Sean O’Brien, president of the International Brotherhood of Teamsters, echoed those sentiments.
Mr O’Brien called Mr Trump “a tough SOB” at last month’s Republican National Convention.
Ahead of his comments with Mr Musk, the Republican nominee expressed some worker-friendly comments.
Earlier Wednesday, Trump cast his vote in Florida’s primary. His vote was submitted during the early voting window.
He has previously criticized early voting, saying without evidence that it makes elections vulnerable to fraud.
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