Former president Donald Trump came to Asheville on Wednesday to deliver remarks on the economy as he woos North Carolina voters in his 2024 White House bid.
But during the visit, Trump focused more on his Democratic rival than on his own policy proposals.
Kicking off his remarks in Asheville’s Thomas Wolfe Auditorium, Trump told the crowd of more than 2,000 people that they weren’t about to hear his usual campaign speech.
“Now, this is a little bit different day, because this isn’t a rally," he said. "This is — we’re talking about a thing called the economy."
Across the country, voters identify the economy as a top issue in this year’s election.
At the Asheville event, Trump was flanked onstage by two signs, “No Tax on Social Security” and “No Tax on Tips,” suggesting that he planned to focus on two of Asheville’s largest constituencies: senior citizens and service industry workers.
"So we’re doing this as a intellectual speech. You’re all intellectuals today," he said.
But despite the promises to talk about the economy, the former president spent much of the next hour launching a series of personal attacks against his rival, Vice President Kamala Harris, who is delivering an economic speech of her own in Raleigh on Friday.
"When Kamala lays out her fake economic plan this week — it will probably be a copy of my plan, because basically, that’s what she does," Trump told the crowd.
Both Trump and Harris support eliminating taxes on tips, a proposal that would require congressional approval. Trump has also called for eliminating taxes on Social Security, a move that some experts say would be catastrophic for the program’s future.
When Trump did focus on his own agenda in Wednesday's speech, he spoke in broad terms about what the country would look like under a second Trump presidency.
"Everyone will prosper. Every family will thrive. And every day will be filled with opportunity, hope and joy. But for that to happen, we must never let Kamala Harris get anywhere near the White House," he said.
