The former president accused his opponent of hiding from the media
Former US President Donald Trump has hammered Vice President Kamala Harris for refusing to give off-the-cuff interviews, accusing her of recycling the “exact same speech over and over again.”
“Since becoming a presidential candidate she has refused to do a single interview. You know why? Because she’s dumb,” Trump told a crowd of supporters in Montana on Friday. “Or hold a single press conference. She won’t do it.”
Harris has not held a single unscripted interview or press conference since announcing her campaign last month. Instead, she has embarked on a speaking tour focusing on a number of key swing states, partnering with popular musicians to draw crowds and reading similar remarks from a teleprompter in every location
“Kamala gives the exact same speech over and over again,” Trump told the Montana crowd. “Over and over. The exact same words. One of the people…put six of them up and every single word is the same. I don’t do that, I gotta give you a little bit of variety, right.”
Conservative pundits have ripped into Harris for recycling her own speeches. A montage compiled by Fox News this week showed the Democrat telling crowds in Pennsylvania, Michigan, and Wisconsin that “the path to the White House runs right through this state” before reading catchphrases like “I know Donald Trump’s type” and “are you ready to make your voices heard?” from a teleprompter in the same tone and cadence.
“We don’t like to read teleprompters, right?” Trump told his supporters. “It’s not as much fun, it’s not as exciting.”
While Trump does use a teleprompter for most of his rallies, he frequently goes off script and is known for his unprepared clashes with the media. Harris, on the other hand, is often mocked by conservatives for delivering rambling answers when put on the spot.
Trump and Harris have both agreed to an ABC News debate on September 10, during which neither candidate will have access to a teleprompter. Trump has also agreed to two additional debates with Fox News and NBC News, but Harris has yet to accept or reject these dates.
According to an average of multiple polls compiled by RealClearPolitics, Harris is currently leading Trump nationwide by 0.5%. A New York Times/Siena poll published on Saturday showed Harris with a four-point lead over Trump in the swing states of Pennsylvania, Michigan, and Wisconsin, although when the poll’s oversampling of Democrats is taken into account, both candidates are locked in a statistical dead heat.
