Trump again attacks the New York prosecutor and presents economic plans at a rally in New Jersey

By Gram Slattery

WILDWOOD, New Jersey (Reuters) – Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump attacked the Manhattan judge and prosecutor in his New York criminal trial and hinted at a range of possible economic policy measures at a large rally in New Jersey on Saturday.

As the former president addressed tens of thousands of supporters on a chilly Atlantic coast beach, he disparaged the appearance of District Attorney Alvin Bragg and dismissed the various state and federal charges against him as a form of political persecution.

“Fat Alvin, corrupt guy,” said Trump, who is on trial for allegedly falsifying business records to hide a hush-money payment to a porn star ahead of the 2016 presidential election, which he won.

Trump also took aim at the trial judge, Judge Juan Merchan, accusing both men of working on behalf of the president Joe Bidenhis Democratic rival in this year’s presidential rematch — a claim for which there is no evidence.

“They are offering corrupt Joe Biden. This is all being done by the corrupt Joe Biden.”

The New York case is one of four state and federal criminal trials Trump faces and may be the only one taking place before the Nov. 5 election. He pleaded not guilty to all cases and portrayed 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 told his supporters he plans to win New Jersey, that is unlikely since Biden beat the state’s 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 is a popular weekend getaway for residents of the Philadelphia metropolitan area. Trump frequently referenced Pennsylvania during the rally.

He pointed to policy measures including a tax cut and new tariffs if he were to return to office.

Trump recounted a conversation with an unnamed auto executive who had built factories in Mexico and 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 his account of the conversation amounted to a formal policy proposal.

The Biden White House itself is poised to dramatically 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 stop offshore wind projects in New Jersey and promised to introduce a new tax cut, without giving details.

Trump has advocated for extending a sweeping tax cut he signed in 2017, and Reuters reported in April that Trump was considering an additional tax cut for the middle class.

“Instead of a Biden tax increase, I’m giving you a big tax cut for the middle class, the upper class, the lower class and the business class,” he said.

Warming things up was North Dakota Governor Doug Burgum, a former rival in the Republican primary race. The governor has since emerged as a top contender to become Trump’s vice presidential running mate, according to multiple people who have spoken with the former president. Trump seemed to indicate in his speech that Burgum would take on a major role in the administration.

“Get ready for something, okay?” Trump said while talking about Burgum. “Just get ready.”

(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)