President Donald Trump went on the attack against Joe Biden at his first campaign rally after their presidential debate, calling his rival a ‘liar’ and ‘corrupt politician.’
He started off hitting his Democratic rival on his oil policy.
‘This is probably the most shocking division ever made,’ Trump said.
‘Could be one of the worst mistakes’ in presidential political history, he argued.
Biden’s pledge to ‘transition away from the oil industry’ shook up that energy sector, leaving the Democratic nominee to try and clarify his stance, saying he would transit it out ‘over time.’
The president argued it would hurt Biden in some of the Midwest states both candidates are courting.
‘Texas are you watching. Pennsylvania, Oklahoma, Ohio are you watching,’ he said.
Pennsylvania and Ohio are critical states for winning the White House. Democrats are also making a play for Texas, which has been trending blue.
President Trump at his rally in The Villages, Florida
Marine One circled the crowd before landing
Florida is considered a must-win for Trump if he wants a second term
Trump relieved some of his debate moments, recalling how brought about Biden’s answer on oil and how he attacked Biden on immigration.
He also showed a video – a rare occurrence at a Trump rally – that showed Biden and Bernie Sanders arguing about social security at a Democratic primary debate, a huge issue in Florida.
The ad was a Sanders campaign ad during the Democratic primary.
Trump went after Biden hard – a change in tone from how he showed restraint at Thursday night’s presidential debate.
‘He’s a corrupt politician,’ he said of Biden. ‘He’s a liar. He’ll look at you and lie.’
He argued Biden has changed his stance on fracking and oil.
‘This guy is either really stupid or lies,’ he said.
He also criticized what he called Biden’s ‘dark, dismal, gloomy’ vision for the future, adding ‘we’re about the American dream.’
He played to the crowd, praising the the location and joked how he liked to watch them drive around on their golf carts.
And he even joked: ‘I’ve got an idea, I will sell Mar-a-Lago and I’ll move to The Villages,’ which led to cheers.
He told the crowd of several hundred, many of whom were not wearing face masks nor social distancing, that the U.S. is ’rounding the corner.’ Coronavirus cases are on the rise in Florida.
‘Normal life is all we want to resume,’ he said in reference to the shutdowns that came with the COVID pandemic.
‘We’re rounding the corner beautifully,’ he said.
And he criticized Biden: ‘All he talks about is Covid, Covid, Covid. Because they wanna scare people.’
The president also reminded supporters to cast their ballot, which he plans to do in Palm Beach on Saturday.
He pointed to Florida Governor Ron DeSantis, a close ally, and joked: ‘If we don’t win I’ll never speak to him again.’
‘I’m voting early tomorrow in Florida,’ Trump reminded the state, which started its early in-person voting this week.
Trump attacked Biden throughout most of his campaign rally
President Trump is holding two rallies in Florida on Friday
Supporters of President Donald Trump cheer as he arrives for a campaign rally at The Villages Polo Club
A Trump supporter dances in the crowd
Marine One approaches The Villages Polo Club for landing
Florida, which is considered a must-win for Trump if he wants a second term, saw a new record of early votes cast on Monday, the first day the option was available. More than 3.1 million votes were cast with the majority from Democrats at 1.2 million. Republicans cast 1 million ballots and the rest were other parties or had no affiliation.
‘I’m old fashioned I guess. I like to get in line,’ the president said. In Florida’s primary he voted by mail.
‘We’ll catch up later on,’ he said of reports Democrats are ahead in early voting.
He asked the crowd of a few hundred how many of them had voted already. About half raised their hands and cheered. He then asked them how many of them voted for ‘President Trump’ and the cheers grew louder.
The president made a dramatic entrance to the rally site, a polo field in the middle of the state. Marine One circled overhead as the crowd cheered and took photos on their cell phones. It landed to the side of the rally site for Trump to walk out to his signature song ‘Proud to Be An American.’
Most of Trump’s remarks were focused on attacking Biden, including reiterating his attacks on Biden’s on Hunter for his business ties in the Ukraine and China.
‘Where’s Hunter,’ he said, getting cheers with his popular campaign line.
He also joked about Hunter being seen again, adding: ‘Hunter you gained weight.’
President Trump also returned to one of his 2016 arguments that helped him win the White House – his outsider status when it came to Washington D.C.
‘I’m not a politician,’ he said to huge cheers.
Trump is kicking off his final stretch of campaigning before November 3 with two rallies in Florida on Friday and three rallies in three states: North Carolina, Ohio, and Wisconsin. On Sunday he’ll campaign in New Hampshire, and, on Monday he’ll be in Pennsylvania.