Republican presidential nominee former President Donald Trump speaks at a campaign rally in Freeland, Mich., on Wednesday. A pair of rallies in the key states of Wisconsin and Michigan will be his first campaign appearances since his investigation into campaign finance violations began in New York.
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Republican presidential nominee former President Donald Trump speaks at a campaign rally in Freeland, Mich., on Wednesday. A pair of rallies in the key states of Wisconsin and Michigan will be his first campaign appearances since his investigation into campaign finance violations began in New York.
Paul Sancia/AP
Donald Trump did not give a reason for his absence from the campaign at his first campaign rallies since the start of a criminal hush money investigation in New York.
But in lengthy speeches in Waukesha, Wisc., and Freeland, Mich., on Wednesday, Trump continued his rhetoric around what a second term would look like — and the consequences he faces if he doesn't win.
In a Time magazine interview published earlier this week, he outlined an aggressive take on the presidency, including reviving the power to withhold funds appropriated by Congress and a push to give police more leeway to crack down on immigrants and perceived crime. Hotspots.
Many of his signature proposals and policies, often mentioned at campaign events, were on display: increased oil drilling, a rollback of President Joe Biden's economic policies, including the Deinflation Act and a massive bipartisan infrastructure bill, and the false claim that the 2020 election was stolen.
He also noted recent protests on college campuses against Israel's military operation in Gaza in response to Hamas' October 7 attack on the country.
He called on those schools to “defeat the extremists and take back our campuses for all normal students”, while making inflammatory comments about refugees from the conflict as part of his tough immigration comments.
Republican presidential candidate former President Donald Trump speaks at a campaign rally in Waukesha, Wis., on Wednesday. The Wisconsin campaign stop was his first official rally since he began an investigation in New York into campaign finance violations related to payments to adult film actress Stormi. Daniels.
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Republican presidential candidate former President Donald Trump speaks at a campaign rally in Waukesha, Wis., on Wednesday. The Wisconsin campaign stop was his first official rally since he began an investigation in New York into campaign finance violations related to payments to adult film actress Stormi. Daniels.
Mori Cash/AP
In his Wisconsin speech, Trump warned that resettled Palestinian refugees in the United States would bring “jihad” and an “Oct. 7 attack.” The largest deportation in our nation's history.”
In the nearly three hours of speaking between the two rallies, very little time was spent mentioning the ongoing trial in New York, where Trump was held in contempt of court yesterday for violating a gag order against commenting on witnesses and jurors in the case. .
In Wisconsin, Trump called a “crooked judge” and a Georgia prosecutor overseeing a separate fraud case stemming from a failed attempt to overturn his 2020 election loss.
In Michigan, Trump was more expansive with his displeasure. He rejected a “sham trial” in New York and called several of the criminal cases against him “bullshit,” saying the judge unconstitutionally prevented him from speaking.
“You know, I came here today from New York City, where I was forced to sit in a kangaroo court for days, enduring a Biden sideshow trial with a corrupt and divisive judge, at the hands of a Marxist district. A Soros-backed attorney who takes orders from the Biden administration,” Trump complained. said.
The New York investigation has sidelined Trump's ability to campaign and capitalize on media coverage earned through interviews, social media posts and reactions to other news of the day. Bad weather forced the campaign to reschedule a rally in North Carolina on April 20 at the last minute.
But the time off the track hasn't changed Trump's message or delivery in a race that will determine whether the country survives, he says.
At an evening rally in Michigan, Trump warned that Biden would win in November, arguing that giving Mexico troops to patrol the U.S. border, the war in Ukraine and conflict in the Middle East would never have happened if he were in charge. Destroy the country.
