Trump Delivers Fiery Rally Speech, Targeting Democrats and Pushing Election Fraud Claims
In his first campaign rally since surviving an assassination attempt last week, former President Donald Trump delivered a blistering two-hour speech filled with scathing attacks on Democrats and repeated false claims about election fraud and immigration. The event, held in Grand Rapids, Michigan, on Saturday, was marked by heightened security and a return to Trump’s trademark style of provocative rhetoric.
Trump, who had previously called for national unity following the shooting, used the rally to deride Democratic President Joe Biden, branding him as feeble, and compared former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi to a “dog.” His remarks were met with enthusiastic cheers and laughter from the crowd, who were encouraged to “fight, fight, fight”—echoing Trump’s defiant stance from the aftermath of his assassination attempt on July 13.
Al Jazeera’s Phil Lavelle, reporting from Grand Rapids, noted the strong turnout from Trump’s supporters. “The lines stretched for miles before the rally began. Everyone I spoke to was eager to support Donald Trump, and the T-shirts and hats had evolved from ‘Make America Great Again’ to depicting Trump with his fist raised and the slogan ‘fight, fight, fight,’” Lavelle said.
During his speech, Trump disparaged Biden as a “stupid” and “low-IQ individual” and accused Democrats of trying to undermine their own nomination process. He mocked Pelosi, calling her “crazy” and comparing her to a “bed bug,” and labeled Vice President Kamala Harris as “crazy” as well.
Trump also reiterated baseless claims of fraud in the 2020 election, asserting that “the radical left Democrats rigged the presidential election in 2020” and vowed to prevent similar tactics in 2024. He urged voters to deliver a “landslide that is too big to rig” and advised those who voted early to “follow your vote.”
The former president also made inflammatory remarks about undocumented migrants, describing the situation at the U.S. border as an “invasion” and suggesting that Democrats were facilitating it to gain votes. Trump highlighted his relationships with international leaders like China’s Xi Jinping, North Korea’s Kim Jong Un, and Hungary’s Viktor Orban, praising Xi as a “great guy” and revealing he received a “beautiful note” from him after the assassination attempt.
Trump distanced himself from the Heritage Foundation’s Project 2025, a plan for a potential second term, labeling it as “severe right” and “seriously extreme,” and insisted he knew nothing about it.
Lavelle reported that this rally marked the first appearance of Trump and JD Vance together on stage. “From here, Trump will continue his rallies while Vance will hold his own events. This campaign is now a two-man effort to spread the MAGA message before the November election,” Lavelle said.
Trump’s return to the campaign trail coincides with President Biden’s self-isolation due to COVID-19. Biden’s campaign spokesperson indicated that details of his return would be shared once a “green light” is received. Despite Biden’s insistence on continuing his campaign, there are growing concerns within the Democratic Party about his viability and the potential need for a new candidate.
Democratic political strategist Arshad Hasan criticized Trump’s rally for failing to temper his rhetoric despite calls for restraint following the assassination attempt. “Trump and Vance have clearly escalated their negative attacks, portraying the Democratic Party in the harshest terms,” Hasan observed.
As the election approaches, debate within the Democratic Party continues over Biden’s future as the candidate. Hasan pointed out the challenge of replacing Biden with only about 100 days until the election, emphasizing that Biden remains the sole decision-maker on his candidacy.