[Source: Reuters]

Republican U.S. presidential candidate Donald Trump sought to tie his Democratic rival Kamala Harris to the Biden administration’s economic record on Thursday during a meandering, 80-minute press conference at his New Jersey golf club, his latest effort to blunt her momentum.

Flanked by tables stacked with assorted grocery items, Trump blamed Harris, the U.S. vice president, for the inflation that has caused the price of everyday goods to rise during President Joe Biden’s term in office.

The event was aimed at drawing a contrast with Harris, who has rarely answered questions from reporters since replacing Biden at the top of the Democratic ticket in late July.

But the press conference quickly became reminiscent of a Trump rally, with the former president leveling many of the same false claims he typically unleashes on the campaign trail and speaking for 45 minutes before taking his first question.

Harris is scheduled to deliver a speech on economic policy on Friday in North Carolina.

The grocery staples Trump used as props included household brands like Wonder Bread, Oreo cookies, Folgers coffee and Campbell’s soup.

Bread and coffee prices have fallen over the last year, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics’ monthly Consumer Price Index. Food costs more broadly are now experiencing an inflation rate comparable with when Trump was president – between zero and 2% a year.

Their substantial price rises in 2022 and 2023, however, have pushed them about 20% to 30% above their levels when Trump left office.