Trump to hold news conference as he looks to grab attention back from Harris

Former president Donald Trump is set to hold a news conference Thursday afternoon as he looks to regain attention and momentum in the tightening presidential race against the new Democratic nominee, Vice President Kamala Harris.

Trump is expected to make another proposal for a debate against Harris as early as Thursday afternoon, after he backed away from a prior agreement to debate next month on ABC News. That agreement was struck before President Joe Biden ended his reelection campaign last month and endorsed Harris to take over as their party’s nominee.

Harris has since enjoyed a surge in fundraising and enthusiasm among Democrats, while polls have pointed to a tighter race that has frustrated Trump and challenged his control over the media spotlight.

“I will be doing a General News Conference at 2:00 P.M. at Mar-a-Lago, Palm Beach. Thank you!” Trump said Thursday morning on his Truth Social platform.

The former president otherwise spent the morning going after Harris on Truth Social and accused the media of giving overly positive attention to her rally crowd sizes. She held a large rally Wednesday night at a Detroit airport hangar, the kind of backdrop that Trump has often used for his boisterous campaign events.

“Donald Trump craves media attention, he’s not getting it, and so he is throwing tantrums online and today at his country club for the media,” Harris campaign spokesperson Ammar Moussa said in a statement before Trump’s news conference.

Harris on Thursday was set to continue campaigning in Michigan with her new running mate, Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz (D). They plan to meet with members of the United Auto Workers union in Detroit before heading to another battleground state, Arizona, for a rally Friday.

Ahead of the western swing, Harris’s campaign announced a new ad campaign targeting Latino voters. It includes a minute-long spot — in both English and Spanish — that is largely biographical and touts Harris’s “determination” throughout her life.

New polling has underscored the changed nature of the race since Biden’s withdrawal. A national survey from Marquette Law School found Harris with a narrow lead over Trump among registered voters.

In Georgia — a state where Trump previously had a polling advantage against Biden — a new poll found Trump and Harris tied in a head-to-head matchup among likely voters.

The Cook Political Report shifted its ratings for three battleground states in Democrats’ direction; Arizona, Georgia and Nevada moved into toss-up territory after they were deemed “Lean Republican.”

As for the debate, Trump is likely to return to ABC or propose a debate on NBC News with Telemundo, according to people close to him who spoke on the condition of anonymity to describe private deliberations. Both networks are interested in the debate, along with others, the people familiar with the matter said.

“President Trump consistently talks about the issues that matter the most to voters, and he’s ready to do so on a debate stage. It’s Kamala Harris who is afraid to take tough questions and speak to voters without using a teleprompter,” said Danielle Alvarez, a Trump spokeswoman.

After Trump backed away from the previous deal to debate on ABC, he pitched a new — and earlier — debate on Fox News, but Harris declined that and vowed to show up the original ABC debate regardless of whether Trump attends. That debate was scheduled for Sept. 10.