Now that he has been formally nominated by the Republican National Convention, Trump is in perhaps his strongest political position in the race. Republicans are optimistic despite a last-minute push by some Democrats to remove President Biden from the running. Trump gleefully spoke about the Democratic Party’s disarray on Saturday, at one point asking his audience to vote for who they most want to see running against him.
The crowd booed Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer (Democrat) and Vice President Harris when Trump got her name wrong, but cheered loudest when Trump mentioned Biden, reflecting Republicans’ growing confidence that they can beat the incumbent president.
As Democrats warned that Trump was a threat to democracy, Trump sought to denounce his opponents’ dispute over Biden’s future as undemocratic. The man who sought to overturn his 2020 defeat said Democratic “bosses” were “trying to overturn the results of his own party’s primary” and declared, “I took a bullet for democracy last week.”
The Grand Rapids rally was Trump and Vance’s first as vice presidential candidates, underscoring the Trump campaign’s hopes that Vance’s Ohio upbringing and populist message will help him win in the neighboring battleground states of Michigan and Pennsylvania. Speaking for just over 10 minutes before Trump’s remarks on Saturday afternoon, Vance highlighted his roots in a “working-class family” that struggled with addiction and said he believes both political parties have long been “broken.”
Trump laid out the “America First” and isolationist ideas he has championed in the changing Republican Party. He scolded leaders across the political spectrum for allowing American jobs to be shipped overseas and suggested the U.S. be more selective in its engagement abroad.
“There’s nothing radical about having strong national security and hitting hard when we go to war, but there’s certainly something cautious about not trying to get America involved in every far-flung place and conflict in the world,” Vance said. “Sometimes, my friends, it’s none of our business and we’re better off staying out of it.” The crowd cheered.
Trump took the stage wearing a small brown bandage instead of the prominent white one he wore at the Republican National Convention after his injuries in the assassination attempt. On Saturday, Trump also released a letter from aide and former White House physician Rep. Ronny Jackson (R-Texas), which said that while Trump’s wound did not require stitches, it was still bleeding intermittently and needed to be bandaged.
At the rally, Trump sought to address his general election audience, ramping up his attacks on a conservative package called Project 2025, whose architects include some of Trump’s staunchest supporters and members of his first administration. As Democrats have increasingly attacked Project 2025, Trump has sought to distance himself from it, calling it “very extreme” and the product of the “far right” on Saturday. But the policy package also includes many proposals that Trump supports.
At the same time, Trump returned to key issues that galvanized his base, promising to carry out mass deportations and “transfer most of our federal law enforcement powers to immigration enforcement,” to huge cheers. He repeated his false claims that the 2020 election was rigged.
Trump criticized government regulations to increase electric vehicle production, but also softened his criticism by praising Elon Musk, CEO of electric car maker Tesla, who recently endorsed Trump and is reportedly planning to donate heavily to Trump’s reelection. “I’ve owned electric cars, I’ve driven electric cars, they’re great, but not for everybody,” Trump said of electric cars.
Trump also doubled down on his praise for leaders that Biden and other U.S. officials have denounced as dictators. Recalling his comments about Chinese President Xi Jinping, he said, “He’s a brilliant man who rules 1.4 billion people with an iron fist,” and said he believes Xi makes people like Biden look like “babies.”
“They’re all smart, they’re all tough, they love their country,” Trump said of Xi Jinping and Russian President Putin.
Despite last week’s violence, Trump supporters formed long lines early Saturday to hear their official candidate speak. Many rally-goers wore shirts bearing Trump’s words after the assassination attempt, “Fight, fight, fight,” or a picture of Trump raising his fist. Some wore bandages over their ears, mimicking what Trump did at the Republican National Convention.
Saturday’s rally took place with extra security measures in place. As The Washington Post previously reported, it was held indoors because an arena would be easier to secure following the shooting at the outdoor event. The Trump campaign has no plans to hold any outdoor rallies for the time being. The Secret Service has also asked local police for additional assistance.
Supporters at the rally said they believed God spared Trump’s life last week and had little concern for their own safety.
“I feel safe and I have no fears. Security is as tight as it can be,” said Angelique Johnson, 54. “I just pray that God protects us like he did the night Trump was shot.” She said she only knew a basic background on Vance but came here to learn more.
Biden’s campaign held a press conference on Saturday ahead of the Grand Rapids rally, where they denounced Trump’s policies, claiming they hurt working people while benefiting the wealthy. Rep. Whitmer (D-Ore.) shared a video of herself sending a “welcome” message to Trump and Vance, saying, “We’re defending reproductive freedom here,” and criticizing Trump’s policies.
But the Democratic Party’s own turmoil is also adding to the confusion: On Friday alone, 12 more Democrats called on Biden to drop out of the presidential race, a sign that the party remains deeply shaken by Biden’s struggle to get his point across during the June 27 debate and other gaffes.
The coronavirus pandemic has kept Biden off the campaign trail, while Trump and Vance are planning a series of events after the Republican convention.
Vance will hold a rally in his hometown of Middletown, Ohio, on Monday afternoon, followed by one in Radford, Virginia, on Monday night, in a sign of the Trump campaign’s continuing efforts to widen the battleground state map into states that typically go to Democrats in presidential elections. Biden won Virginia by 10 points in 2020.
President Trump is scheduled to speak at a rally in Charlotte on Wednesday night.
Trump, who appeared at the convention with a bandaged ear, spoke in a speech calling for unity following the shooting at a rally last week. “The divisions and discord in our society must be healed,” he said.
But after detailing the assassination attempt and attributing his survival to divine intervention, Trump largely returned to his usual topics. He blasted “crazy Nancy Pelosi” and referred to her false claims that the 2020 election was stolen from him. “We must never let that awful, awful outcome happen again.”
Knowles reported from Washington.
