Five takeaways from Trump's Monroe rally on impeachment, China and election
President Donald Trump held a rally in Monroe on Wednesday night, campaigning for Republican gubernatorial candidate Eddie Rispone. He began speaking at 7:44 p.m. and touched on a wide range of topics from foreign policy to endorsing Republican candidates in state races (Secretary of State Kyle Ardoin and Robert Mills for Senate.) He stopped speaking at 8:58 p.m. to wrap up the rally.
Here are some of the highlights.
Biden in the crosshairs
Trump took shots at former Vice President Joe Biden and his son Hunter, hired to serve on a Ukraine gas company’s board.
Trump is under investigation by House Democrats for asking the Ukraine government to look into Biden’s work in Ukraine. The vice president urged the Ukraine government to crack down on corruption, and Trump asked Ukraine to investigate Biden’s influence in the country and his son.
The vice president urged the firing of a Ukraine prosecutor after concerns about corruption not being investigated there.
Trump quoted Biden saying, “You fire the guy, you get $1 billion. You don’t fire the guy, you get nothing,” Trump said. “That’s quid pro quo.”
Trump has criticized Hunter Biden’s service on the Ukraine company’s gas board, saying he got it because of his father. He identified an 8-year-old boy in the Monroe rally audience and said, “He knows energy better than Joe Biden’s son.”
Trump on foreign policy
Trump criticized previous Democrat efforts in world affairs. He said China, a country that he’s battled with in a trade war, would prefer a Democrat because they’ve fared better during Democratic administrations.
But he says he’s made progress in reducing the U.S. trade deficit with China and “they actually do like me.”
But he promised to protect U.S. interests. “We will not be taken advantage of any longer,” he said.
He accused Democrats of promoting economic growth in other countries, providing military aid to wealthy nations and spending $8 billion in the Middle East, all at the expense of U.S. interests. “But I was elected to be the president of the United States, not the president of the world.”
Mueller and impeachment talk
Trump referenced the investigation by Robert Mueller into Russian interference in the 2016 presidential election.
“The biggest lie ever foisted on the American people,” he said.
Trump said the investigation made him “maybe even more popular.” He said the current impeachment inquiry led by House Democrats is a continuation of the attacks on him.
“Democrats must be held accountable for their hoaxes,” he said.
He called the impeachment inquiry a “witch hunt.”
“Now we go again,” Trump said.
Kennedy vs. Pelosi
Sen. John Kennedy and Sen. Bill Cassidy also shared time at the microphone and Kennedy defended Trump against the House impeachment inquiry and House Speaker Nancy Pelosi.
"I don't mean any disrespect, but it must suck to be that dumb," he said, referring to Pelosi's push on the House impeachment inquiry.
White House helps .... Edwards?
White House Press Secretary Stephanie Grisham tweeted about the economy of Louisiana prior to the president's visit to Monroe on Wednesday evening.
She mentioned Louisiana's lowest unemployment rate in a decade; hourly earnings on the rise for blue-collar workers and 21,000 jobs added since Trump took office.
Louisiana Gov. John Bel Edwards' campaign staff took notice and pounced on Grisham's tweet.
“We agree with the White House. Louisiana’s economy is much better off under Gov. Edwards, and our people are feeling the benefits. When Gov. Edwards is re-elected, we will keep our state moving in the right direction,” said Richard Carbo, John Bel for Louisiana campaign manager.