By Gram Slattery
WILDWOOD, New Jersey (Reuters) – Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump attacked the Manhattan judge and prosecutor during 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 frigid Atlantic coast beach, the former president disparaged the appearance of District Attorney Alvin Bragg and dismissed the various state and federal charges he faces as 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 that he won.
Trump also took aim at the trial judge, Judge Juan Merchan, accusing the two men of working at the behest of the president. Joe Bidenhis Democratic rival in this year’s presidential rematch – an allegation for which there is no evidence.
“They are doing the right thing for crooked Joe Biden. This is all done by crooked Joe Biden.”
The New York case is one of four state and federal criminal trials Trump faces and could be the only one to take place before the Nov. 5 election. He has pleaded not guilty in all of them, describing them as politically motivated.
Trump was in the beach town of Wildwood, New Jersey, a conservative part of an otherwise Democratic state.
Although the former president has told supporters he plans to win New Jersey, that is unlikely given that Biden beat the then-president 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 it’s a popular weekend getaway for residents of metropolitan Philadelphia. Trump frequently referenced Pennsylvania during the rally.
He hinted at policies including tax cuts and new tariffs if he returned to power.
Recounting a conversation with an unnamed auto executive who had built factories in Mexico, Trump said he was committed to imposing 200 percent tariffs on some imported cars. It was not clear which countries would be affected by the tariff or whether the account of the conversation amounted to a formal policy proposal.
The Biden White House itself is poised to significantly increase tariffs on Chinese electric vehicles in the coming days.
“I said, ‘I’ll put a 200 percent tax on every car that comes in,'” Trump told the crowd.
Trump also said he would stop offshore wind projects in New Jersey and pledged to implement a new tax cut, without giving details.
Trump has come out in favor of extending a major tax cut he signed into law in 2017, and Reuters reported in April that Trump was considering an additional tax cut aimed at the middle class.
“Instead of a Biden tax hike, I will give you a significant tax cut for the middle class, upper class, lower class and business class,” he said.
North Dakota Gov. Doug Burgum, a former rival in the Republican primary race, warmed up the crowd. The governor has since become a top contender for Trump’s vice presidency, according to several people who have spoken to the former president. Trump appeared to allude to Burgum taking on a major administrative role in his speech.
“Get ready for something, okay?” Trump said, discussing Burgum. “Prepare yourselves.”
(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)
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