Whoa: Trump Gives Harshest Opinion of Biden Yet at Raucous Minny Rally
S E E D E D C O N T E N T
Source: AP Photo/Evan Vucci
Minneapolis, MN - After hours of standing in the pouring rain, thousands of Trump supporters finally got to see the president take the stage at the Target Center Thursday night.
The place was packed. Here's a shot I took just a few minutes before POTUS arrived. It's no wonder Trump and his campaign are so confident about winning the state next November.
"This is a great state," Trump said. "We are going to win this state."
The president remarked on America's strong economy, which he credited with his administration "putting America first again."
But then he spoke for several minutes about his perceived enemies. The media, he charged, has a "partnership" with the Democrats. He was shocked that coverage about him had gotten "worse."
Take Ukraine, for instance. Trump again called his phone call with Ukrainian Zelensky "perfect." He's compelled to speak out about it, he explained, because "the Democrats put out a phony narrative" that he was trying to get Ukraine to interfere in U.S. elections and investigate Joe Biden for political reasons.
"These people are sick," Trump said of the Dems.
None more so than Adam Schiff, who he also called "crooked" and "Shifty Schiff."
If Schiff, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and the rest of her party "would have waited one day longer," Trump reasoned, "they would have had the transcript."
"They never thought in a million years that I was going to release the transcript at all."
He took a swipe at one Democratic opponent in particular, Joe Biden, who, he said has the real Ukrainian scandal. His son Hunter reportedly received over a million dollars while sitting on the board of a Ukrainian gas company. That suddenly gave Trump a novel idea for a new T-shirt: "Where's Hunter?"
Former Vice President Biden, Trump said, was "never considered smart." The president then launched one of the harshest attack lines I've heard yet of one of his rivals.
"He was only a good vice president because he knew how to kiss Barack Obama's ass," Trump said of Biden.
One more interesting, parting moment to note. The president had some fun revisiting the string of texts sent between FBI agent Peter Strzok and his lover Lisa Page, mocking both their relationship and their wish that his opponent Hillary Clinton would win.
Trump's impersonation went something like this: "I love you, Peter. I love you too, Lisa! Lisa! Lisa! Lisa. God, I love you Lisa."
The Minneapolis crowd loved every second of it.
"We are going to win this state make no mistake about it," Eric Trump said before his dad took the mic.
They may be right. Even Minnesota Democratic groups are admitting they're nervous.
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Trump cited a new report in The Washington Examiner that the whistleblower at the center of Democrats' impeachment push had worked with Biden. The whistleblower's anti-Trump attorney, Mark Zaid, acknowledgedearlier in the week that his client had "contact" with current presidential contenders "from both parties."
The president also derided the Biden campaign for aggressively seeking to convince Facebook and The New York Times, as well as all major television networks, not to cover what it calls "conspiracy theories" about potential Biden corruption.
"The Bidens got rich -- and that is substantiated -- while America got robbed," Trump said. "Sleepy Joe and his friends sold out America. ... And in a brand new report, just came out as I'm walking on the stage, it turns out that when Joe Biden was vice president -- he worked with the so-called whistleblower. This is nothing more than a partisan witch hunt, sabotage, and I'm sure they're going to say, 'totally unsubstantiated.'"
As the crowd erupted into applause, Trump remarked, "Isn't it much better when I go off script? So much better."
Trump set a fiery tone within minutes of taking the stage, as he relentlessly mocked ex-FBI officials and lovers Peter Strzok and Lisa Page with a passionate dramatic reading of their anti-Trump text messages. He also touted the country's economy and suggested the U.S. will prevail in its trade war with China -- without mentioning the growing issue of censorship in the U.S. over ongoing pro-democracy protests in Hong Kong.
The rally, Trump's first since the House moved toward impeachment over his handling of a July phone call with Ukraine's president, is in a state Trump nearly won in 2016 and has talked frequently of capturing in 2020. But it takes place in a traditionally liberal city and the home turf of a frequent foil, Democratic Rep. Ilhan Omar.
To loud booing during the rally, Trump slammed Omar as "an America-hating socialist" who "minimized the September 11 terror attack on our homeland." He also outlined comments from Omar that even top Democrats have admitted are anti-Semitic, before asking, "How do you have such a person representing you in Minnesota? I'm very angry at you people. She is a disgrace to our country, and she is one of the big reasons that I am going to win, and that the Republican Party is going to win, Minnesota in 13 months."
A chant of "four more years" broke out -- in sharp contrast to the "send her back" rallying cry from a July rally in North Carolina that was directed at Omar. Trump later condemned that chant, which came after Trump asked why unnamed "Democrat Congresswomen" don't "go back and help fix the totally broken and crime infested places from which they came, then come back and show us how it is done."
The president then explicitly cited reporting that Omar has committed tax and immigration fraud, and accusations that New York Democratic Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez has committed campaign finance violations.
Trump hit Democrats for bringing into many refugees without proper security controls, noting that he has "reduced refugee resettlement by 85 percent" since taking office. The president thanked Mexico for agreeing to deploy its soldiers to help curtail illegal immigration at the border pursuant to a deal the White House struck earlier this year -- a move that Trump said would help avert a humanitarian crisis like the one unfolding in Europe.
Devon Archer, far left, with former Vice President Joe Biden and his son Hunter, far right, in 2014. Archer worked with Hunter Biden on the board of a Ukrainian natural gas company. Joe Biden has denied discussing his son's overseas business dealing at any time -- amid accusations that Hunter Biden secured his lucrative role as a means of selling access to his father.
Local news reports indicated that scores of Trump supporters, as well as pro-impeachment demonstrators, lined up hours before the event at the Target Center in downtown Minneapolis began. At the rally, Trump said more than 20,000 people were inside the arena -- and more than 25,000 were outside, out of nearly 100,000 who indicated online that they wanted to attend.
Before the president took the stage, his son Eric Trump briefly encouraged a "lock him up" chant directed at Joe and Hunter Biden, before telling the crowd it wouldn't be necessary because Biden will lose his bid for the White House.
Trump turned to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky's comments earlier Thursday concerning his fateful call with Trump. Zelensky unequivocally told reporters the call involved no bribe, blackmail or quid pro quo, as impeachment-minded Democrats claim.
"That should be the end of it," Trump told rallygoers. "We released a transcript of that call, which was so good that Crooked Adam Schiff had to make up a fake conversation that never happened, and he delivered it to the United States Congress and the American people. It was a total fraud. And then Nancy Pelosi said, 'Oh, I think the president said that.' These people are sick."
Trump argued that Democrats never anticipated that he would release a full transcript of his call with Zelensky, and recklessly locked themselves into their impeachment inquiry before even reading the document.
"Where's Hunter?" Trump asked rallygoers at one point, referring to Biden's son. Both Joe and Hunter Biden have mostly avoided taking questions about their Ukrainian business dealings in recent days.
The president then launched into a mock interview with Hunter, whom Trump called "not too smart."
"Hunter, you know nothing about energy, you know nothing about China, you know nothing about anything, frankly. Hunter, you're a loser," Trump said, his voice rising. "Why did you get $1.5B, hunter? And your father was never considered smart, he was never considered a good senator -- he was only a good vice president because he understood how to kiss Barack Obama's ass."....
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That was hilarious, Trump is always projecting himself on others, how stupid he is and how far Pence's head is it up Trump's ass. Did you watch him outright lying yesterday, and you could tell he knew he was doing it but had to please the master. Trump or Putin? Letting Turkey attack the Kurds was Putin's bday pressie.
By the way, HA, was your power cut today? Drove by Jeffs this afternoon and they'd cut power around Redding and north they said. Guess Redding has its own power so was fine, by others around it were cut. I had a good laugh from the talk radio up there, it was like an alternative universe.
Most everywhere in the far north except Shasta Lake City and Redding had our power cut. These two cities have their own electric utilities. Redding has had one since before 1920. As to talk radio, we love our two stations. Lest you forget, we are like the rest of Heartland America, not like coastal urban Ca. and here in this county Trump got 63% to 28% for Hillary with the rest going 3rd party. I hope you enjoyed your visit.
I was driving through, but do enjoy the beauty up there. I hope you guys don't get fires, my old so cal area is on fire now
That beauty and all the activities it provides are strong draws to living up here along with the rural nature of our surroundings and the small town feeling and attitude of our city.
As to the fires, we had much more than our share of those last year... we were in a red flag and high wind advisory when they turned off the power in most of Northern California. I hope the ones down south are extinguished quickly.
A bumper sticker for those of us wanting Pence to hold the office of President in 2019!
More like Pence for President 2019-2029
lol
I think we could fill the entire site with these. But alas I'm off to help my mother-in-law.
This is really a classic though. The water bottle.
not bad, I like this one better.
If you guffaw at a fat narcissistic bully accused of dozens of sexual assaults telling unoriginal jokes, you might be a Trump supporter...
If you chortle at a half-wit serial adulterer and unindicted co-conspirator trying to paint his opponents as the lawless crazy ones, you might be a Trump supporter...
If you giggle at a disgusting lying pig stirring up hate for their fellow man with outrageous false claims, you might be a Trump supporter...
If we love our religious liberty, if we like our revamped judiciary, if we like a space force and strong defense, if we like energy independence, if we like lower taxes, if we like less regulation, if we love life and freedom, we would be Trump supporters!