At North Carolina rally, Trump says he's 'not sure' economy is most important issue facing voters

Former President Donald Trump’s speech Wednesday speech in Asheville, North Carolina, was billed as being about the economy, but this year’s Republican nominee spent much of his address on other topics.

Trump repeated familiar attacks on his opponents, immigration talking points and, when sticking to the script, pledged to generate an “economic boom” if reelected. He spoke during a campaign appearance at the Thomas Wolfe Auditorium inside the Harrah’s Cherokee Center, where there was a line to get in hours ahead of Trump’s speech.

“They say it’s the most important subject,” Trump said of the economy. “I’m not sure it is, but they say it’s the most important ... Inflation is the most important, but that’s part of economy.”

Trump laid the blame for high inflation on the Biden-Harris administration.

Inflation reached its highest level in four decades in 2022, but year-over-year inflation reached its lowest level in more than three years in July, according to a Wednesday report from the Labor Department. Consumer prices rose 0.2% from June to July after dropping slightly the previous month for the first time in four years, The Associated Press reported.

Even with numbers improving, Trump told Thursday’s crowd Americans have already paid the price for more expensive gas, groceries and other expenses.

“Kamala has declared that tackling inflation will be a day one priority for her, but day one for Kamala was 3 1/2 years ago. Why hasn’t she done it?” he said.

Trump also accused Vice President Kamala Harris of throwing President Joe Biden “overboard” when she took over the Democratic ticket and called her “crazy” and a socialist.

“Our country has become a third world country ... We’re a banana republic,” he said of the Biden-Harris administration.

Trump pledges more oil drilling, less government regulation

If reelected, Trump said his economic agenda would center on improving affordability and addressing supply chain issues.

He pledged to cut energy costs by 50% or more within 12 to 18 months in office by rolling back clean energy initiatives instituted by the Biden-Harris administration and increasing domestic oil production.

“We’re all environmentalists. We all want clean air, clean water, but we don’t want to destroy our country ... Drill, baby, drill,” he told the crowd, prompting attendees to chant the same phrase.

Trump also repeated his campaign promise to eliminate taxes on Social Security benefits and tips, though some economists say his Social Security proposal could imperil the long-term health of the program.

North Carolina Republican Party Chairman Jason Simmons told The Charlotte Observer shortly before Trump’s address he thought the candidate’s economic message would connect with voters.

“We’ve seen Biden and Harris just destroy our economy with inflation, and as we’re going to hear today, President Trump is going to talk about how his economic policies will once again restore our economy, lower inflation and put more money back into taxpayer pockets,” he said.

Trump continues attacks on new Democratic ticket

Amid some talk about the economy, Trump spent much of his address making familiar claims on non-economic issues.

He reiterated his belief that Biden is angry with Harris for taking over as Democratic nominee despite the president endorsing his vice president.

“They took it away from him,” Trump said.

Trump claimed neither Harris nor her running mate, Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz, has ever held a job in the private sector and called both socialists. Harris worked as a prosecutor for years before running for office. Walz served in the National Guard and was a teacher.

On foreign policy, Trump said he can prevent another world war because leaders such as Russian President Vladimir Putin “respect” him.

“What did Putin take under Trump? Nothing,” he said.

Trump also repeated unsubstantiated claims that immigrants are driving high crime rates in the U.S., despite violent crime rates declining nationwide, and that Central and South American countries and sending incarcerated people and people with mental illnesses into the U.S.

“No country can sustain what’s happening right now,” he said. “The millions of illegal aliens pouring into our country under border czar Harris are coming from all sorts of places, from countries unknown, literally from countries unknown.”

Jimena Lavra, who traveled from Florida for Wednesday’s event, said immigration is a top issue for her in the election. She moved to the U.S. 30 years ago from Chile.

“I’m doing all my duties and paying taxes and doing the right thing, but having illegal people here, especially criminals, isn’t good,” she said.

Democrats counter with their own economic message

North Carolina Democratic Party Chairwoman Anderson Clayton gathered with supporters at Buncombe County Democrats’ headquarters ahead of Trump’s event with a counter message on the economy.

Democrats touted Medicaid expansion in North Carolina and the Biden-Harris administration’s investments in infrastructure, accused Trump of driving manufacturing jobs out of North Carolina during his first term in office and putting Social Security and Medicare at risk.

“North Carolinians know that Donald Trump left our communities out to dry as president of the United States,” Clayton said.

The spotlight will remain on North Carolina later this week, when Harris is scheduled to visit Raleigh for an event also about the economy. Clayton said she expects Harris to talk about topics including the minimum wage and affordable housing.

In a statement ahead of Trump’s rally, Gov. Roy Cooper said Trump “ran our economy into the ground.”

“Donald Trump is a bad bet North Carolina can’t afford, while Kamala Harris is a proven winner who’s delivered for our state,” he said.

State of the race in North Carolina

Polls show a tightening race in the state since Harris took over the ticket, but she’s still trailing Trump by an average of 2.4 percentage points according to RealClearPolitics’ average.

Republicans are “going to do everything we need to do to make sure (Trump) stays ahead and continue to target, identify and talk to the voters and get them out to vote,” Simmons said.

“The election is much like we would expect it to be,” he said. “It’s close.”

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