Former President Donald J. Trump delivered a freewheeling speech that dehumanized immigrants at an event Saturday ostensibly aimed at boosting his favorite candidate in Ohio's Republican Senate primary. He continued to make insults and vulgar comments, prophesying: If he doesn't win in November, America will never hold another election.
With a showdown with President Biden in the general election looking clear, Trump has energized his third presidential bid, reaffirming the apocalyptic vision for the country that energized his base in the Republican primaries.
A dark perspective resurfaced throughout his speech. As Trump discussed the U.S. economy and auto industry, he promised to impose tariffs on cars made overseas if he wins in November. Furthermore, he added: “If I don't get elected, the whole thing is going to be a bloody mess — that's the bare minimum. It's going to be a bloodbath for this country.”
Trump delivered a nearly 90-minute, discursive speech filled with attacks and vitriolic rhetoric outside Dayton International Airport in Vandalia, Ohio. He noted several times that it was difficult to read the teleprompter.
The former president began his speech by praising those serving time in connection with the Jan. 6, 2021, riot at the Capitol. Trump, who is facing criminal charges in connection with his efforts to overturn his election loss, called them “hostages” and “incredible patriots” and praised their spirit and said he would like to help them if elected in November. I vowed to help. He also repeated false claims that the 2020 election was stolen, claims that are discredited by mounting evidence.
Trump said that if he doesn't win this year's presidential election, “I don't think there's going to be another election, and there's definitely not going to be a meaningful election.”
Trump also stoked fears about an influx of migrants into the United States at the southern border. As he did during his successful 2016 campaign, Trump used inflammatory and dehumanizing language, portraying many immigrants as a threat to the American people.
He claimed, without evidence, that other countries were emptying prisons of “young people” and sending them across borders. “In some cases, I don't know if I'd call them 'people,'” he says. “In my opinion, they are not human beings.” He later called them “animals.”
Border officials, some of whom worked in the Trump administration, say most migrants who cross the border are members of vulnerable families fleeing violence or poverty, and that available data shows migrants are fueling increased crime. He said that there was no support for the idea that he was using the same technology.
Trump was sparing in mentioning Bernie Moreno, an Ohio Senate candidate and former car dealer from Cleveland. Even though he has Trump's backing, Moreno, whose super PAC hosted Saturday's event, is trying to differentiate himself in a competitive Republican primary this fall against Sen. Sherrod Brown, D-Ohio. is struggling with Mr. Trump made a sudden change from his scheduled visit to Arizona and attended with Mr. Moreno as a last-minute outreach.
Mr. Trump has made vulgar comments about a number of Democrats, including Mr. Biden and Fani Willis, the Atlanta prosecutor who is overseeing his criminal case in Georgia, and others widely seen as future presidential candidates. made a derogatory remark. California Governor Gavin Newsom and Illinois Governor JB Pritzker.
Trump repeatedly called Biden a “stupid president” and at one point called Biden “the stupid son of…” before losing his temper. He also compared Mr. Willis' first name to a vulgar word, called Mr. Newsom “Gavin Newz,” and criticized Mr. Pritzker's appearance.
Trump's sharp words weren't just limited to the country's politicians. He momentarily took aim at one of Mr. Moreno's main opponents, wealthy Ohio Sen. Matt Dolan, whose approval ratings have soared in recent polls. Returning to his prepared remarks, Trump said he didn't know Dolan, but that he described her as “trying to be the next Mitt Romney.”
Trump said, referring to the professional baseball team in which Dolan's family owns a majority stake, that “anyone who changes the name from the Cleveland Indians to the Cleveland Guardians should not be a senator. It's my attitude.”
Moreno praised the former president as a “good man” when he was briefly called back to the stage near the end of Trump's remarks. But Moreno did not explicitly remind the crowd to support him in Tuesday's Senate race. Trump also said Moreno was a “wonderful person.”
Trump's campaign speeches generally veer between scripted remarks and seemingly ad hoc digressions. He admitted Saturday that he had trouble reading the teleprompter when trying to quote inflation statistics.
“Everything's fine, the chicken is fine, the bread is fine, but I can't read this damn teleprompter,” Trump said. “This sucker is moving around. It's like reading a flag moving in a 55 mph wind.”
And Trump, who was known in New York before taking office for refusing to pay bills to various service providers, joked that he didn't pay the teleprompter company.
“Then they say Trump is the bad guy. Because I say this: Don't pay the teleprompter companies,” he said as the audience laughed. “Please don't pay.”
