Trump held another press conference - but it was the same old shtick

Donald Trump summoned reporters to one of his properties for the second time in as many weeks on Thursday -but they would be hard-pressed to find something new or interesting to write about.

Trump spoke for roughly 40 minutes before taking questions at his Bedminster, New Jersey golf resort. His lengthy diatribe touched on his opponent, Vice President Kamala Harris, his former opponent, Joe Biden, and a wide range of other issues — trucks, domestic energy policy, China and the wars in Gaza and Ukraine — all while flanked by two tables covered in groceries including Cheerios, a pack of quickly-warming raw bacon and tins of coffee.

It was a spectacle that was clearly focused by his campaign to provide a platform for the GOP contender to attack Harris over economic issues, particularly inflation and the cost of consumer goods.

However, the lack of any central focus in Trump’s remarks led to the event dragging on and losing some of its edge. In his first question, he was asked about Israel and his communications with Benjamin Netanyahu, rather than the economy.

Questions were largely softballs and teed up the ex-president to launch attacks at Harris and set out a plan for his second-term agenda. But the president didn’t offer much of a vision for the future or how he would tackle the issues. Instead, he opted to look to the post to talk about the conditions when he was in the White House.

Journalists failed to ask about newly uncovered remarks from JD Vance, his running mate, declaring “the whole purpose” of post-menopausal women to be assisting with child-rearing.

“You've spoken very passionately about how God saved your life. And I'm wondering, have you put much thought into why God saved your life? As in, for what