In Pennsylvania, Trump Goes After Biden and Harris
Hours before President Biden was expected to speak at the Democratic National Convention on Monday, former President Donald J. Trump accused Mr. Biden of being corrupt, fell back on his insistence that the court cases against him were election interference and claimed Democrats did an “overthrow or a coup” in replacing Mr. Biden atop the ticket with Vice President Kamala Harris.
During a speech, billed by his campaign as being focused on the economy, Mr. Trump went on what he acknowledged was a digression on a report from House Republicans that accused Mr. Biden of seeking to allow his family to profit off his office. The report contained no proof that Mr. Biden, when he was vice president, engaged in any corrupt activity to benefit his son Hunter’s business partners.
But Mr. Trump, who has continued to needle Mr. Biden as he adapts to a new opponent, insisted that the report vindicated him. He also claimed he was exonerated in a federal classified documents case against him, even though the judge’s ruling dismissing the case did not address his guilt or innocence.
Mr. Trump, who was dogged by questions over conflicts of interest during his presidency and was indicted four times last year, portrayed himself as ethical.
“I would have made billions of dollars in this job if I wanted to play that game the way they played it,” Mr. Trump said. “But instead I took the job very seriously and very importantly.”
Mr. Trump has spent considerable time attacking Mr. Biden in his campaign speeches, even as his campaign and Democrats have shifted their focus to Ms. Harris. Still, his remarks on Monday included some personal attacks on Ms. Harris.