Trump tears into Biden, Harris' economic record during campaign speech

Donald Trump has torn into the Biden administration's economic record, just days before Kamala Harris unveils her plan for tackling living costs in her first major policy speech as the Democratic Party's presidential nominee.

In a rambling address that was light on specifics, Trump claimed on Wednesday his Democratic rival would spark another Great Depression if elected and pledged that he would instead send wages soaring and "make America affordable again."

"Under Kamala Harris and crooked Joe Biden, the American Dream is dead. You don't hear about the American Dream anymore — it's dead," Trump said in Asheville, a liberal enclave in the crucial swing state of North Carolina.

"Her radical liberal policies have caused horrific inflation, decimated the middle class and gutted the finances of millions and millions of American families."

Consumer inflation is one of the biggest issues of the campaign, but new government figures out on Wednesday showed it easing to 2.9 percent in July — its lowest since March 2021 — cheering those calling for a cut in interest rates.

Trump conceded that inflation was "starting to maybe get under control" but also claimed that Harris "has crackled as the American economy has burned" — possibly meaning "cackled," a word he has used to describe her laugh.

Marginally more Americans trust Harris to handle the economy than Trump, according to one new University of Michigan poll, and she leads or ties the Republican in every battleground state except Nevada, according to the influential Cook Political Report.

'Bigger, better and stronger'

The vice president replaced President Joe Biden on the Democratic ticket last month, and has since been riding a tidal wave of enthusiasm, speaking to packed arenas and eclipsing Trump's polling leads — leaving him scrambling to reset.

Republicans have been begging Trump to stick to the issues and refrain from resorting to personal insults, which, according to polling, turn off the moderate voters he needs to prevail in November.

But he ignored the advice, repeatedly mispronouncing Harris' name as he called her an "incompetent socialist lunatic" who is "not very smart" and has the "laugh of a crazy person."

When he focused on the economy, it was largely to assail Harris for policy positions that she has disavowed, although he did promise some good news of his own.

"Vote Trump and your incomes will soar, your savings will grow, and young people will be able to afford a home," he said. "And we will bring back the American dream, bigger, better and stronger than ever before."

There was no detail on how he was going to achieve this, although he pledged to draft an executive order in his second term directing officials to "use every tool and authority at their disposal" to "defeat inflation."

Trump did make one solid policy commitment — to reduce voters' energy costs by half within 12 months — although this immediately became 18 months before Trump seemed to rescind the pledge.

"And if it doesn't work out, you'll say, 'Oh, well -- I voted for him,'" Trump said.

Harris is due to roll out a much-anticipated plan Friday in Raleigh, North Carolina, to lower costs of health care, housing and groceries for middle-class families and take on corporate price gouging.