Washington: Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump has said he is "entitled" to personally attack his Democratic rival Kamala Harris because he doesn't "have a lot of respect for her", as he dismissed calls from allies to refocus his campaign on policy issues in his bid to reclaim the White House.
Trump, 78, said he is "angry" at Vice President Harris, 59, over the Biden administration's handling of issues ranging from inflation to immigration.
"I don't have a lot of respect for her. I don't have a lot of respect for her intelligence. I think she'll be a terrible president. I think it's very important that we win. And whether the personal attacks are good or bad … she certainly attacks me personally," the former president told reporters at his golf club in Bedminster, New Jersey on Thursday.
Trump was responding to questions from his party members urging him not to make personal attacks on Harris, who is the first woman of colour running for the presidency.
"As far as the personal attacks (against Harris), I'm very angry at her because of what she's done to the country. I'm very angry at her that she weaponised the justice system against me and other people. (I am) very angry at her. I think I'm entitled to personal attacks," he said.
"She (Harris) actually called me weird. He's weird, it was just a sound bite, and she called J D (Vance, his running mate) and I weird. He's not weird. He was a great student at Yale, he went to Ohio State, graduated in two years at the top of his class and all of these different things. We have this guy that's running failed, really a very failed state who had a terrible career. I mean, you have him saying they're weird. No, he's a weird guy," Trump said.
Asked specifically about comments from former rival Nikki Haley that Trump’s campaign needs to shift its strategy, Trump said he appreciates her advice but that he would run his campaign “my way.”
Trump has struggled to deliver a consistent message targeting Harris, even as Republicans argue they have a strong case against her on the economy and immigration. While the former president has at times focused on the issues, has mocked Harris' laugh and her intelligence. Trump also faced sweeping backlash after questioning her racial identity during an appearance last month.
He said Harris is "weird in her policy", adding that “people don't know who she is yet". "
She is weird in her policy. Who wouldn't want to have strongholds, who doesn't want to have lower taxes? You know, all my life I've watched as politicians campaigned and I've always been on for the most part, on the other side. This is the only campaign I've ever heard of. When they're saying we're going to increase your taxes and then people say they're going to vote for," Trump said.
This was Trump's second press conference in as many weeks as he seeks to stop Harris’s momentum since she replaced President Biden as the Democratic nominee in late July.
Early this week, several of his party colleagues and aides, including former Trump White House aide Peter Navarro and former Republican candidate Vivek Ramaswamy, also urged him to focus on policy instead of attacking Harris ahead of the November 5 presidential polls.
While people "tell me I should be nice," Trump said Harris, Biden and other Democrats "want to put me in prison."
Trump is scheduled to face sentencing in his hush-money case next month. The former president also faces criminal cases in Washington, DC, and Atlanta over alleged efforts to steal the 2020 election from Biden.