Former President Donald Trump said he will hold a “general news conference” from his Mar-a-Lago estate Thursday as he accused Vice President Kamala Harris of hiding from the press and being too fearful to debate.
Mr. Trump, the Republican nominee, abruptly announced the 2 p.m. press conference on his Truth Social account.
He is trying to blunt Ms. Harris’ momentum as she surges in polls and gets a news-cycle bounce from her selection of Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz as her running mate.
Ms. Harris is crisscrossing the country for rallies in swing states but hasn’t taken many questions since President Biden dropped out of the race, clearing the way for her to become the Democratic nominee.
Some pundits say she doesn’t want to get in the way of her positive streak, but Mr. Trump has another theory.
“Kamala refuses to do interviews because her team realizes she is unable to answer questions, much like Biden was not able to answer questions, but for different reasons. He is just plain ‘shot,’ and she is just plain ‘Incompetent,’” Mr. Trump posted.
The former president is recalibrating his attacks after spending months attacking Mr. Biden, 81, as unable to perform the president’s duties.
Now, Mr. Trump is attacking Ms. Harris as a “radical” who will defund the police and ban fracking.
Mr. Trump and Ms. Harris haven’t agreed on a debate.
Mr. Trump wants to debate on Fox News in early September. Ms. Harris refused, saying Mr. Trump agreed to a Sept. 10 debate on ABC, but Mr. Trump said that was supposed to be against Mr. Biden and is void.
“I will expose Kamala during the Debate the same way I exposed Crooked Joe, Hillary, and everyone else during Debates — Only I think Kamala will be easier!” Mr. Trump posted on Truth Social.
• Tom Howell Jr. can be reached at thowell@washingtontimes.com.
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