Trump broke Biden’s climate plan released earlier in the day, claiming that Biden’s call to reach zero net carbon emissions for all new buildings by 2030 “basically means there are no windows, there is nothing.” The president also accused his opponent of trying to abolish prisons, Biden has only called for an end to the federal use of private prisons, and criticized other parts of Biden’s criminal justice and immigration platform.
The president only briefly touched on the coronavirus pandemic, except to blame China for it, but did not substantially address a further surge in cases that shook parts of the Sunbelt and generated a record number of new infections.
Disjointed and streamlined comments, though initially announced to journalists as a press conference on Hong Kong, may have been confused with the lengthy speeches Trump often makes at campaign rallies. (One of those events, planned for last Saturday in New Hampshire, was canceled at the last minute.)
At one point, Trump jumped back and forth between attacking the World Health Organization, from which his administration moved to withdraw on criticism that the international health body was too respectful of China, and boasting that his administration had “completely rebuilt” the military.
Later, while accusing Biden of being soft on China and reading supplementary comments from the former vice president on Beijing, Trump briefly turned to repeat his attacks on Biden’s son Hunter and his international work in China and Ukraine before returning to promote the strength of the pre-pandemic economy.
But despite all the heat brought about by Biden, Trump insisted that he did not believe countless polls showing him behind the former vice president in key key states and even some traditionally red states.
“We have very good numbers of surveys: they are not repression surveys, they are real surveys,” Trump said. He then signaled his support among boaters and bikers, and claimed that, as in 2016, Trump voters were afraid to express their support for pollsters.
“You look at the intercoastal coastlines of Florida, if you look at the lakes and you see thousands of ships with signs of Trump and America, and you have the signs of Trump-Pence everywhere, you look at what is happening and you look at the cyclists.” for miles and miles proudly riding highways with their signs, “Trump said.” It was the same in 2016, “he added.
Biden’s campaign ended with the president’s speech, and the Democratic candidate’s rapid response director exclaimed that “we will help pay the taxpayer bill” if Trump made more devious speeches like the one he delivered on Tuesday.
However, after answering the questions of just four reporters and promising that “we are going to have these conferences again,” Trump repeated a vague promise that he would soon sign an “immigration law” to address the Deferred Action policy for Arrivals in the childhood. Congress has not passed such a bill.
Then the President turned and returned to the Oval Office, ignoring questions from the media.
