CNN
 — 

Former President Donald Trump on Thursday repeatedly demeaned opponent Vice President Kamala Harris, calling her “barely competent,” and made a string of false and typically complicated claims about her new operating mate, Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz.

“He has positions that it’s not even doable to imagine they exist. He’s going for issues that no one’s even heard of. Heavy into the transgender world, heavy into numerous totally different worlds,” Trump instructed reporters gathered for his first information convention since Harris introduced Walz as her vice presidential choose.

Over about an hour, the previous president fielded a wide range of questions and swerved into acquainted speaking factors, from criticizing Democrats over immigration and the financial system to a rant accusing the get together of conspiring towards President Joe Biden. He insisted that his marketing campaign technique is unchanged now that Harris is his opponent and stated he most well-liked operating towards her, at one level speculating that his efficiency with White male voters would go “by means of the roof.”

“I haven’t recalibrated technique in any respect. It’s the identical insurance policies: open borders, weak on crime. I feel she’s worse than Biden,” Trump stated. “As a result of he acquired compelled into the place. She was there lengthy earlier than.”

Requested about his gentle marketing campaign schedule, Trump dismissed the query as “silly” earlier than saying that he’s been busy taping commercials, speaking on his telephone, the radio and on tv applications. He famous, too, that he was holding a information convention, his first in months, earlier than saying Harris “is just not sensible sufficient” to do one in every of her personal. His final marketing campaign occasion was over the weekend, when he rallied with operating mate Ohio Sen. JD Vance. Vance, for his half, has campaigned in the identical states as Harris and Walz this week.

Trump additionally spent appreciable time on Thursday complaining about media protection of his marketing campaign rallies, claiming at one level that the viewers for his remarks on January 6, 2021 – shortly earlier than the riots on the US Capitol – was his greatest ever and, in an absurd flip, in contrast favorably to the turnout for Martin Luther King Jr.’s “I Have a Dream” speech on the 1963 March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom.

“For those who have a look at what Martin Luther King, when he did his speech, it was an excellent speech. And also you have a look at ours, identical actual property, identical every part. Similar variety of folks, if not, we had extra,” Trump stated. “And also you have a look at it, and also you have a look at the image of his crowd and my crowd. We truly had extra folks. They stated I had 25,000, and he had one million folks and I’m OK with it as a result of I like Dr. Martin Luther King.”

Trump’s rambling monologues reduce a pointy distinction once more the newly minted Democratic ticket, which is youthful and, in its few appearances up to now, extra targeted on its most well-liked concern set. The previous president, in the meantime, appeared inclined to remark – typically with lies or deceptive claims – on each matter beneath the solar, from polling (“actually good”) to the prospects of a brand new world struggle (“very shut”).

His forays into extra mainstream criticisms of Harris and the state of the nation beneath President Joe Biden struck some acquainted, if often head-scratching, traces of assault.

“Now you might have thousands and thousands and thousands and thousands of lifeless folks, and you’ve got folks dying financially as a result of they will’t purchase bacon, they will’t purchase meals, they will’t purchase groceries,” Trump stated of Individuals. “They’ll’t do something. They’re dwelling horribly in our nation.”

Largely, although, Trump’s remarks had been a rehashing of previous grievances and a ramping up of newer, typically insulting expenses.

Jewish Individuals supporting Harris, Trump stated, “ought to have their head examined.”

“She’s been very, very unhealthy to Israel and really unhealthy to Jewish folks,” he added. He didn’t specify how, nor that Harris is married to a Jewish man, second gentleman Doug Emhoff.

He went on to downplay the influence that abortion rights can have on the approaching election, calling it a “very small concern” and “not an enormous issue anymore,” earlier than falsely claiming – once more – that Democrats help abortion “even after beginning.”

The race for the White Home, Trump added later, wouldn’t be aggressive – as long as the election was pretty carried out, once more falsely suggesting that previous votes haven’t been.

“The (MAGA) base is 75% of the nation,” Trump stated, “far past the Republican get together.”

In a minor reversal from previous remarks, when he instructed he won’t debate Harris on the beforehand appointed dates and occasions, Trump on Thursday introduced that he had agreed to satisfy her on three events.

“I feel it’s crucial to have debates, and we’ve agreed with Fox on a date of September 4. We’ve agreed with NBC. Pretty full settlement topic to them on September 10. And we’ve agreed with ABC on September 25,” the previous president stated.

A senior Trump adviser and an ABC supply accustomed to the matter each stated that the proper dates Trump has agreed to with networks are: September 4 with Fox Information, September 10 with ABC and September 25 with NBC.

Trump stated “minor particulars” had been nonetheless being labored out, together with viewers and places.