Trump rally watch live: Donald in Texas to talk migrants ahead of midterm elections
Former President Donald Trump is in Robstown, Texas, on Saturday for a “Save America” rally to stump for his preferred candidates ahead of next month’s midterm elections.
The event, which is taking place at the Richard M. Borchard Regional Fairgrounds, will feature appearances from state Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick and state Attorney General Ken Paxton, both of whom are up for reelection in November. Texas Gov. Greg Abbott, an ally of the former president who is also on the ballot next month, will not be in attendance for Saturday’s event. Abbott will instead be in Florida for a fundraiser.
Also in attendance, Saturday are former acting director of Immigration and Customs Enforcement Tom Homan and National Border Patrol Council President Brandon Judd, making it likely that the 45th president will make the border crisis a top focus at the event.
Trump’s Texas visit comes just over two weeks before voters head to the polls in the November elections. While Texas is a reliably red state, its 15th and 34th Congressional Districts are expected to be competitive, with both viewed as winnable races for the Republicans as they try to retake the House of Representatives.
Follow along to see how the event unfolds.
ROBSTOWN, Texas — Former President Donald Trump wrapped up a campaign rally Saturday night with an obituary-style tribute to how the United States has declined under the Biden administration.
As Trump spoke, cinematic style music played in the background, as if from a tragic scene in a movie.
But Trump pivoted after running through every way the U.S. was not succeeding, and he spoke to how Republicans would take back Congress in November and the White House in 2024.
“The silent majority is back, stronger than ever before. My fellow citizens, this incredible journey we are on together has only just begun,” said Trump. “And it is time to start talking about greatness for our country again.”
ROBSTOWN, Texas — Former President Donald Trump predicted that Republicans will win the 2024 presidential election, but he skirted whether he would be the name on the ticket.
“In 2024, most importantly, we are going to take back our magnificent White House,” Trump said to cheers.
“This nation belongs to you. This is your home. This is your heritage. And our American liberty is your God-given right.
“From Houston to Austin, from Dallas to El Paso, form College Station to Corpus Christi, and from the Red River to the Rio Grande, the people of Texas lived and breathed the fierce spirit of independence,” Trump said. “The Lone Star State has always embraced the cause of American freedom like no other.”
The audience at former President Donald Trump’s rally in Texas broke out into singing the national anthem Saturday night.
While Trump harped on the Jan. 6 committee’s investigation, supporters packed into the venue at Robstown gave him pause as a chorus got louder with a rendition of the Star Spangled Banner.
Trump supporters at his rally in Robstown, TX sing the National Anthem.
WATCH LIVE: https://t.co/CshRFQxxD5 pic.twitter.com/bIjN7Jb2fe— Washington Examiner (@dcexaminer) October 23, 2022
Trump, wearing one of his red “Make America Great Again” hats, smiled and clapped as the crowd ended with the “Home of the brave” line and began cheering loudly.
After a round of “USA” chants, Trump again spoke into the microphone saying, “Wow that’s so beautiful. You know when this whole big group stood up, I said, ‘Oh we have protesters.’ And you know what? They are protesting. They are protesting what’s taking place in our country, and it’s so bad, and so wrong.”
ROBSTOWN, Texas — Former President Donald Trump brought up transgender issues against the wishes of his team, he said.
Trump pointed to an incident in early 2022 when an Olympian female swimmer lost a race to a trans woman. Trump said the Olympian experienced “windburn” from how fast her opponent swam.
Trump dubbed the opponent, Lia Thomas, “a woman in a man’s body.”
“When they tell me it’s politically incorrect, ‘Please don’t speak about it,’ I’m going to speak about it,” said Trump.
ROBSTOWN, Texas — Former President Donald Trump issued a strong endorsement of two-term state Attorney General Ken Paxton, but added that he was a “little controversial” and that his admission before thousands of attendees would likely upset the Republican attorney.
“He’s a little controversial. [He’ll] probably say, ‘Oh I wish you didn’t say that.’ They know it already,” said Trump. “Being controversial is OK. He’s controversial because he does things. No state attorney general in America is tougher strong than Ken.”
Paxton was indicted on federal securities charges in 2015, but has yet to go to trial.
ROBSTOWN, Texas — Former President Donald Trump teased that he would “probably” have to run for the White House in 2024, a comment that drew joy from the several thousand people in attendance.
“I will probably have to do it again,” Trump said.
ROBSTOWN, Texas — Former President Donald Trump stopped his speech to run a bloopers reel of President Joe Biden’s gaffes.
The crowd laughed as dozens of clips of Biden tripping up in his remarks ran on both mega screens at the front of the venue.
“Let’s go Brandon” chants erupted after the video.
ROBSTOWN, Texas — Former President Donald Trump said he was caught off guard when a group of supporters seated near the stage suddenly stood up and began singing during his speech.
“I didn’t know what the hell happened,” Trump said afterward.
Dozens of attendees stood and began singing the Star-Spangled Banner, prompting the several thousand people in attendance to join them.
Trump paused his remarks through the entire song. The group in the front later led the crowd in an impromptu “We love Trump” chant.
ROBSTOWN, Texas — Former President Donald Trump bashed New York Attorney General Letitia James for going after him in court and said she has done so at the cost of prosecuting serious crimes in her home state.
Trump called “incompetent” James was “presiding over record numbers of murders, rapes, drug deals, and every other form of crime in our once great New York State, but only spends her time going after me.”
ROBSTOWN, Texas — Former President Donald Trump blamed House Speaker Nancy Pelosi for not securing the U.S. Capitol head of the January 6, 2021, riot.
“Nancy Pelosi is in charge of security in the Capitol,” Trump said. “And they don’t discuss it at all.
“I authorized from 10 to 20,000 troops should they need them for days, three days earlier. Nancy Pelosi didn’t like the look and she decided not to do it,” Trump added.
He bashed the U.S. House Select Committee on the January 6 Attack as the “unselect” committee and said the U.S. government commences too many investigations.
ROBSTOWN, Texas — Former President Donald Trump dubbed the United States a “communist” country during a speech in South Texas, saying it had gone fruther left
“I used to say socialist, but we skipped socialism,” Trump said. “We’re gone. It’s over. It’s communist. … It’s a communist system that we’re putting up with right now.
“The radical Democrats are locking up pro-life acitivists, persecuting their political opponents, spying on their political rivals, silencing dissent, and using the full force of government, law enforcement and the media to try and crush our movement,” Trump said.
Trump later called on Americans to “stand up to this growing tyranny.”
ROBSTOWN, Texas — Former acting Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) Tom Homan dubbed former President Donald Trump the “badass” commander in chief the United States has elected.
“I think we can all agree President Trump was one badass president,” Homan said.
Homan, who served during the Trump administration after a lifelong career in the U.S. Border Patrol and ICE, said if Trump returns to the White House in 2024, he would be willing to return to his job atop ICE.
“He comes back, I come back,” Homan said.
“That’s a good deal,” Trump said in response. “Tell you one thing, the problem will end on day one.”
ROBSTOWN, Texas — Former President Donald Trump claimed during a rally that Mexican cartels profited $13 billion from smuggling people and drugs across the U.S. southern border in President Joe Biden’s first year in office.
“Since the end of the Trump administration, the drug cartels have seen their revenues skyrocket by an astounding 2,500%. If they were a Wall Street company, this stock would be through the roof from $500 million to last year, $13 billion in one year,” Trump told attendees at a campaign rally outside Corpus Christi.
Trump claimed that illicit drugs are to blame for more than 75% of crime in the United States, and that securing the southern border would lead to less drugs being smuggled in and therefore, less crime in the country.
“A lot of the crime that we have — the robberies and all of the different things — they are caused by drugs,” said Trump. “You end that, you end the drug situation coming into your country. You’ll end 75-80% of the crime coming into America.”
Gov. Greg Abbott (R-TX) skipped out on a rally held by former President Donald Trump near Corpus Christi, Texas, Saturday evening, instead going to Florida for a fundraising trip.
Trump visited southeastern Texas for a campaign rally two days ahead of the start of early voting in the Lone Star State. Abbott is the state’s top elected official and seeking a third term on November 8, but was unable to make it to Robstown due to a pre-scheduled out-of-state event.
“I welcome President Trump back to Texas, though I won’t be able to welcome him personally since I will be out-of-state for a pre-planned fundraising trip to Florida,” Abbott said in a statement to the Washington Examiner prior to the rally.
Abbott is running against former Rep. Beto O’Rourke, the Democratic nominee. However, Abbott is viewed as a contender for the Republican nomination for president in 2024, possibly pitting him against Trump and complicating the pair’s working relationship.
