Trump mocks small size of Biden campaign rallies at Michigan event
The president mocks the Democratic nominee for finally leaving his basement to campaign
President Trump slammed Democratic Minnesota Gov. Tim Waltz and "far-left" Attorney General Keith Ellison at a rally in Rochester, Minn., after the president was forced to limit his crowd attendance to 250 to comply with coronavirus restrictions.
"At least 25,000 people wanted to be here tonight," Trump said.
"They waited and waited then the governor did bad things," he continued.
The president was forced last-minute to comply with local coronavirus regulations.
"Your far-left Democratic Attorney General Keith Ellison and your Democrat governor tired to shut down your rally, silence the people of Minnesota, take away your freedom and your rights," Trump told Minnesotans.
"They thought we would cancel, a word they are very familiar with cancel, cancel culture. I said no way, I would never abandon the people of Minnesota."
Trump said that when groups of rioters and vandals descended on cities in Minnesota, Ellison "did not ask them to submit a permit."
Ellison said in a Thursday statement that after consulting with state labor and health officials as well as city, county and airport officials, he and his partners asked the Republican National Committee and Trump campaign for a COVID-19 preparedness plan for the rally in writing but did not receive responses.
The Minnesota Department of Health recorded 2,872 positive tests on Thursday -- an all-time daily record for the state. Hospitalizations and deaths have also been rising.
"He treats you like second class citizens, he believes pro-America voters have fewer rights than anti-American rioters," Trump said.
"The Democratic Party wants you to be banned from peaceful assembly while they allow their supporters to burn down police precincts," he continued.
Trump then turned to opponent Joe Biden's record with African Americans, noting that the Democratic nominee called African Americans "superpredators" when writing the 1994 crime bill.
"Biden did everything in his power to wipe out the Black middle class," Trump continued.
The president's appearance was notably shorter than his earlier rallies, clocking in at under 30 minutes.
President Trump opened his much larger rally in Green Bay, Wis., by railing against an ABC News-Washington Post poll that showed him 17 points down in the Badger State.
"I was up here two days ago, that was a great speech, that was a cold one," Trump said, noting his last-chance visits to the key swing state in the run-up to Election Day.
Both Trump and Democratic nominee Joe Biden are criss-crossing the Midwest on Friday, with both candidates traveling to Minnesota and Wisconsin. Trump visited Michigan earlier in the day and Biden is to visit Iowa.
"The Washington Post, they say Trump is 17 points down in Wisconsin. I say wait a minute, I just left a crowd of 25,000 or more."
"They were going crazy. That was not a second place crowd," Trump continued. "It's called suppression polls. You know what it does? It surpresses the vote."
He said U.S. media was "among the most dishonest in the world." "They have a new thing where they don't report, like with this Hunter Biden thing," Trump said, referring to lagging media coverage of a laptop allegedly belonging to Hunter Biden and containing emails proving a meeting between then-Vice President Joe Biden and a Ukrainian executive at the energy firm, Burisma Holdings, where Hunter Biden sat on the board.
"Fortunately we have people like Ron Johnson willing to say it like it is," Trump said of the Republican senator from Wisconsin, chair of the Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs. Johnson's committee has opened an investigation into the alleged meeting.
"It's a terrible thing, we have tremendous dishonesty," the president continued. "We call it freedom of the press, this is the opposite of freedom of the press. They now suppress, its suppression of the press."
Trump continued with his pitch that Tuesday's election would be the most important of all time.
"I'm not just running against Joe Biden, I'm running against the left-wing media big tech giants and Washington swamp, and it's deep and vicious," he said.
Earlier Friday, Trump told supporters in Michigan on Friday that Democratic rival Joe Biden would “eradicate the economy” while he would “eradicate the virus,” as he delivered his closing message in the remaining days of the election.
The presidential competitors are both crisscrossing the Midwest on Friday in a last-ditch battle for the vote before Tuesday. Both candidates will visit Wisconsin and Minnesota, while Trump is visiting Michigan and Biden will visit Iowa.
“Joe Biden is going to lock down your state, wipe out your factories, ship your jobs to China, punish your family with a $4 trillion tax hike, eliminate private healthcare, and send your state into a deep depression,” Trump warned Michiganders in Waterford.
“Joe Biden is promising a long, dark and painful winter. I am delivering the great American comeback!” he promised.
While Trump's Michigan supporters stood shoulder-to-shoulder in the 34-degree weather, Biden is holding socially-distanced events and drive-in rallies.
"I'm watching these Biden rallies, it's like there's nobody. They say they want to do it that way, of course, but the problem is nobody shows up. At least he's doing a rally, he got out of the basement," Trump said.
Trump has frequently pitched Tuesday's election as a high-stakes choice between a "socialist hellhole" under Biden and the "American Dream" under him.
BIDEN AND TRUMP HOLD DUELING RALLIES IN MINNESOTA ON FRIDAY
“Joe Biden's plan will delay the vaccine, postpone therapies, crash the economy, and shut down our entire country,” Trump said. “Biden wants to keep everyone locked up - even young Americans who are at extremely low risk from the virus.”
The Democratic nominee has not ruled out shuttering businesses again to slow the spread of coronavirus, instead pledging to "let science drive our decisions.” However, most lockdown decisions occur at the state level.
The president called on Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer to "open up" the state. A "lock her up" chant broke out among the crowd.
"They blame me every time that happens. Every time I mention her name," he said.
The FBI intercepted a plot to kidnap the Michigan governor earlier this month, and Whitmer blamed Trump's "violent rhetoric" for putting her in danger.
Trump turned to Biden's running mate, Sen. Kamala Harris. "Kah-ma-la, you have to pronounce it exactly right otherwise she gets very upset, even though she can't pronounce it right," he said.
As civil unrest picked back up in Pennsylvania following the police shooting of Walter Wallace Jr., Trump provided a contrast.
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“Biden is the candidate of rioters, looters, gun-grabbers, flag-burners, lobbyists, and special interests,” he said. “I am the candidate of police officers, middle-class families, and law-abiding, hardworking American patriots.”
The president then warned that a Biden administration would turn Michigan into “a refugee camp.”
The number of refugees coming into the state significantly dropped under Trump. Michigan took in 4,258 refugees in fiscal year 2016, President Obama’s last full fiscal year in office, compared to 647 in the 2018 fiscal year.
“Biden has pledged a staggering 700 percent increase in refugees from the most dangerous terror hot spots on earth -- including Syria, Somalia and Yemen. The Biden Plan will turn Michigan into a refugee camp,” Trump said.
Turning to his record with African Americans, Trump said that Biden had “betrayed African American community” for the 47 years he held public office.
“Under our Platinum Plan we will create 3 million new jobs for Black Americans, restore safety to every neighborhood, and we will deliver school choice to every parent in America.” Trump has frequently referred to school choice as the “civil rights issue of all-time in this country.”
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The Platinum Plan is a $500 billion plan that would aim to increase access to capital in Black communities, help to create 500,000 new Black-owned businesses, and help to create 3 million new jobs for African Americans. Rapper Lil Wayne made waves on social media Thursday when he revealed he’d met with the president and supported the plan.
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