Trump seeks spotlight at Bedminster Golf Club as Harris surges

For the second time in as many weeks, Donald Trump is summoning the political press corps to his property for a media event, an attempt to grasp at the attention Vice President Kamala Harris has amassed since entering the race less than a month ago.

Trump will take questions Thursday afternoon at his golf club in Bedminster, New Jersey. The last-minute media appearance comes as the former president is seeking to regain his footing against his new rival, who has encroached on his polling lead since she replaced President Joe Biden on the Democratic ticket.

The event also reflects a larger effort by Trump to rally his base and recapture the media spotlight with unscripted appearances while goading Harris into speaking without a teleprompter. The former president and his running mate JD Vance have criticized the vice president, who has yet to do an interview with a major news outlet or hold a formal press conference, from hiding from the press.

Trump has leaned more heavily into media appearances with friendly and non-traditional outlets. In recent days he’s called into Fox News’ morning show, sat for an interview at Mar-a-Lago with controversial video gamer Adin Ross and partook in a two-hour discussion on social media platform X with billionaire Elon Musk.

The Trump campaign did not respond to a request for comment.

Polls have shown a tighter race since Harris became the nominee. A Bloomberg News/Morning Consult poll conducted in late July found Harris leading Trump 48% to 47% among voters across seven swing states — a statistical dead heat. A recent NPR/PBS News/Marist poll found Harris up 51% to 48% against Trump among registered voters nationally.

At a press conference last week at his Mar-a-Lago club, Trump seized on the opportunity to publicly challenge Harris to three debates — one of which, on Sept. 10 with ABC News, Harris had already agreed to do.

The invitation amounted to a reversal for Trump, who had previously said he would not participate in the ABC News forum, emphasizing his interest in events that could change the dynamics of a race that has turned against him.

Trump’s unscripted appearances have at times inflicted harm on his run, doubling down on remarks that many view as racist and sexist. Trump has repeatedly insulted Harris’ intelligence and questioned her racial identity, which threatens to set back Trump’s months-long push to court Black voters.

Trump is back on the campaign trail this week with rallies on Wednesday in North Carolina and Saturday in Pennsylvania. Harris is scheduled to hold her own rally in North Carolina on Friday, focusing on her economic vision, as the two candidates battle to win over independent voters dissatisfied with high prices for everyday expenses.

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(With assistance from Nancy Cook.)

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