By Gram Slattery
WILDWOOD, New Jersey (Reuters) – Republican presidential candidate donald trump attacked the Manhattan judge and prosecutor at his criminal trial in New York, while hinting at a range of possible economic policies at a large rally in New Jersey on Saturday.
Speaking before tens of thousands of supporters on a chilly Atlantic coast beach, the former president belittled District Attorney Alvin Bragg’s appearance and dismissed the multiple state and federal charges he faces as a form of political persecution.
“Fat Alvin, corrupt guy,” said Trump, who is on trial for allegedly falsifying business records to hide a secret payment to a porn star before the 2016 presidential election, which he won.
Trump also took aim at the trial judge, Judge Juan Merchan, accusing both men of working at the president’s behest. Joe Bidenhis Democratic rival in this year’s presidential rematch – a claim for which there is no evidence.
“They are making the bid for corrupt Joe Biden. All of this is being done by the corrupt Joe Biden.”
The New York case is one of four state and federal criminal trials facing Trump and could be the only one to be held before the Nov. 5 election. He pleaded not guilty in all of them, portraying them as politically motivated.
Trump was in the coastal town of Wildwood, New Jersey, a conservative part of a Democratic state.
Although the former president has told his supporters that he plans to win New Jersey, this is unlikely given that Biden beat the then-president in the state by 16 percentage points in 2020.
But Wildwood is less than 90 minutes from Pennsylvania, one of the most competitive states in the country, and is a popular weekend spot for residents of the Philadelphia metro area. Trump frequently referred to Pennsylvania during the rally.
He alluded to policies that include a tax cut and new tariffs if he returns to office.
Recounting a conversation with an unnamed automotive executive who built factories in Mexico, Trump said he had promised a 200% tariff on some imported cars. It was not clear which countries would be affected by the tariff or whether the reported conversation amounted to a formal policy proposal.
Biden’s own White House is prepared to drastically increase tariffs on Chinese electric vehicles in the coming days.
“I said, ‘I’m going to put a 200% tax on every car that comes in,'” Trump told the crowd.
Trump also said he would suspend offshore wind projects in New Jersey and promised to implement a new tax cut, without offering details.
Trump has spoken out in favor of extending a major tax cut he signed into law in 2017, and Reuters reported in April that Trump was mulling an additional tax cut aimed at the middle class.
“Instead of a Biden tax increase, I will give you a big Trump tax cut for the middle class, the upper class, the lower class and the business class,” he said.
Warming up the crowd was North Dakota Gov. Doug Burgum, a former Republican primary rival. Since then, the governor has become a leading contender to be Trump’s vice presidential nominee, according to several people who have spoken with the former president. Trump appeared to allude to Burgum taking an important role in the administration in his speech.
“Get ready for something, okay?” Trump said, while discussing Burgum. “Just prepare yourself.”
(Reporting by Gram Slattery in Wildwood, New Jersey; additional reporting by Nathan Layne in Wilton, Connecticut, and John Kruzel in Washington; editing by William Mallard)
