Donald Trump reprized his role as reality TV character at a rally in Waunakee, Wisconsin, on Tuesday, telling voters in the key swing state that his Democratic rival Kamala Harris would not have succeeded in his business competition show.
“Kamala, you’re fired!” the ex-president said, invoking his slogan that eliminated contestants from The Apprentice after urging voters to support him. “Go away!”
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“The Apprentice… she wouldn’t have won The Apprentice,” the Republican candidate said.
His speech was intended to focus on the economy, which along with immigration has been a top priority among voters. Trump did discuss the economy, promising to eliminate taxes on tips and overtime, and promising to help Americans with languishing purchasing power, saying, “Inflation, we can fix it.”
Trump’s speech was also marked by self-praise, with boasts about the size of his audience and his close relationship with Elon Musk. He also indulged in fear-mongering about the conflict in the Middle East, pointing to Iran’s missile attack on Israel and worrying about migrants.
“These people are downright incompetent,” Trump said of Joe Biden and Harris’ dealings with the US military. “And now we have them in charge of possible World War III. World War III – it will be like no other when it happens, because of nuclear weapons and other weapons of mass destruction that no one has ever seen before.”
Trump also claimed that migrants are “taking over our small towns and cities, they’re taking over our big cities too,” and appeared to express support for New York City’s Democratic Mayor Eric Adams, who was accused last week of taking bribes of the Turkish government.
“If you fight it, you’re going to get sued,” Trump said, echoing Adams’ claim that he was politically targeted for clashing with the Biden administration over the migrant crisis. “The mayor of New York… he was shocked by what happened and they indicted him, and I predicted it.”
Trump’s comments come as he continues to hammer Harris on her economic policies, and just hours before vice presidential candidates JD Vance and Tim Walz were set to debate. Voters have said they want to hear both VP picks speak on immigration and the economy on Tuesday night, according to a CBS News/YouGov poll
In a Harris poll conducted for the Guardian, a majority of respondents, 66%, said the cost of living was among their top economic concerns. Democrats face continued pressure on American consumers, who have seen their purchasing power plummet after inflation hit 9.1% in the summer of 2022 – a 40-year high – under the Biden administration.
Americans’ concerns about prices extend far beyond grocery store shelves and gas pumps to the places they call home. Democrats fear housing costs could tilt key swing states like Nevada; in Las Vegas, the median home price rose from $345,000 in August 2020 to $480,000 in August 2024.
Inflation has declined and Harris has introduced numerous proposals in her economic platform agenda to lower housing costs and increase access to homeownership. But Trump and his surrogates have used economic challenges to double down on an integral campaign motif: Americans’ lives got worse under Democratic leadership.
At a recent rally in Newton, Pennsylvania, Vance claimed – without evidence – that Harris had a hand in the deterioration of the economy, then linked financial concerns to immigrants by claiming their arrival was contributing to rising housing costs.
“The problem with Kamala Harris is she has no substance,” Vance said. “The problem with Kamala Harris is that she doesn’t have a plan. And the problem with Kamala Harris is that she has been vice president for three and a half years and has failed this country.”
While Trump’s camp is doing everything it can to tarnish Harris’ economic strength, the Guardian poll indicates that Americans prefer her policies. The survey asked Americans about 12 economic policies — six from Trump, six from Harris — without being told which were whose.
Democrats’ most popular idea was a federal ban on gouging grocery and food prices. Some top economists have criticized this idea, but 44% of respondents agreed it would boost the economy.
