Former US President and Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump speaks during his campaign rally on June 18, 2024 in Racine, Wisconsin, USA.
Brendan Mcdermid | Reuters
Former President Donald Trump gave a brief glimpse Saturday of the ammunition he is building against President Joe Biden’s handling of the economy ahead of next week’s first presidential debate.
During his roughly 80-minute keynote address at a conference of the evangelical advocacy group Faith and Freedom Coalition, Trump launched a series of attacks against Biden, including on economic issues such as inflation, climate infrastructure spending and the growing federal deficit.
Regarding inflation specifically, Trump hinted at a tactic he said he would use in the upcoming debate against Biden on June 27.
“I have like this little thing. I shouldn’t show it. Maybe I should save it for the debate,” Trump said, just before taking out a miniature box of Tic-Tac candies and holding a regular-sized box next to it.
“Inflation, that’s what it does to you. Now that’s Tic Tacs,” Trump continued, pointing to the miniature box as the crowd roared with laughter. “Inflation did that. I’m glad everyone in this room has good eyesight. But I will put an end to the Biden inflation nightmare.”
Trump’s Tic-Tac demonstration represents a phenomenon that Biden himself has called “shrinkflation,” the practice of selling smaller items for the same price. The White House has used “shrinkflation” as an attack on companies that allegedly keep consumer prices artificially high.
But something like Trump’s tic-tac stunt won’t be allowed at Thursday’s debate, as props and pre-written notes are banned. It ultimately underscores how Trump must navigate debate’s limitations on the kind of theatrics that resonate at his voter rallies.
The televised debate will have no in-person audience and microphones will be muted if a candidate does not speak. Those restrictions are intended to limit disruptions in hopes of avoiding a repeat of the 2020 debates, when both Biden and Trump struggled to get a floor heard over each other’s interruptions.
Trump’s comments on Saturday give the Biden campaign a high-profile preview of the talking points that could come up in Thursday’s showdown as both candidates prepare to face off.
“Under Biden, the economy is in shambles,” Trump said on Saturday.
“Trump’s incoherent, unhinged tirade showed voters in his own words that he is a threat to our freedoms and is too dangerous to be allowed near the White House again,” said Sarafina Chitika, spokeswoman of Biden-Harris 2024, in a response to Trump’s Saturday speech.
The former president’s economic policy has so far focused on tough tariffs on all imports, pressuring the Federal Reserve to cut interest rates and extending his first tax cuts. Economists believe these proposals would stoke inflation again if enacted.
On Saturday, Trump also reiterated his proposal to eliminate taxes on tips and walked back previous comments about cutting Social Security.
“As president, I will not cut a dime from Social Security or Medicare,” Trump said, months after saying in an interview on CNBC’s “Squawk Box” that he would consider cuts to Social Security.
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2024-06-23 11:33:11
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