Dismissing calls from allies for him to refocus on policy, former US President Donald Trump on Thursday (local time) said he was “entitled to personal attacks” against his Democrat rival Kamala Harris. With polls showing Harris erasing his lead in the upcoming November 5 election, the Republican presidential candidate said he is "very angry" at the Vice President because of "what she’s done to the country."
“As far as the personal attacks, I’m very angry at her because of what she’s done to the country...I think I’m entitled to personal attacks. I don’t have a lot of respect for her. I don’t have a lot of respect for her intelligence, and I think she’ll be a terrible president," Trump told reporters at his golf club in Bedminster, New Jersey, according to The Hill.
“And I think it’s very important that we win...And whether the personal attacks are good, bad. She certainly attacks me personally. She actually called me weird," Trump continued. “
The Former President was responding to questions from his party members urging him not to make personal attacks on Harris--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.
The Republican leader also called his Democrat rival and her policies 'weird', and said, “people don't know who she is yet."
"She (Harris) actually called me weird. He's weird, it was just a sound bite, and she called JD (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.
Talking about Harris's policies as a Vice President, Trump said, "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. When they're saying we're going to increase your taxes and then people say they're going to vote for."
Early this week, several Republican leaders, including former Trump White House aide Peter Navarro and former Republican candidate Vivek Ramaswamy, urged Trump to focus on policy instead of attacking Harris.
Meanwhile, when asked specifically about comments from former rival Nikki Haley that Trump’s campaign needs to shift its strategy, the former President said he appreciates her advice but that he would run his campaign “my way.”