Trump blasts 'bulls--- impeachment' at Louisiana rally, says Nancy Pelosi 'hates the United States'
President Trump slammed House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., during a Friday night rally in Louisiana, saying "Nancy Pelosi hates the United States of America."
In his second rally in as many nights -- following Thursday's rally in Minneapolis -- Trump also ridiculed the ongoing impeachment inquiry spearheaded by House Democrats, whom he called "scammers and con artists,"
"They
know they can't win an election," Trump told a packed arena in Lake
Charles, La., "so they're pursuing an illegal, unconstitutional bulls---
impeachment."
"They know they can't win an election so they're pursuing an illegal, unconstitutional bulls--- impeachment." — President Trump
The president's use of the barnyard epithet drew a roar from the crowd, just as a profane joke about former President Barack Obama and Vice President Joe Biden did a night earlier in Minnesota.
On Friday, Pelosi described Trump's Obama-Biden crack as "disgraceful,"
possibly prompting the president's Louisiana remark about the speaker.
On Friday, Trump also attacked Biden and his son Hunter Biden over their Ukrainian business dealings for
the second night in a row, accusing the media of covering up potential
Biden corruption and complaining that if any of his children were
similarly accused, the media wouldn't call the allegations
unsubstantiated — "They would be saying, 'Where's the nearest cell?'"
The
president decried the "rage-filled Democrat Party that has gone
completely insane" accusing them of waging a "nonstop battle" to
"overthrow" his presidency.
Trump also mocked ex-FBI officials and lovers Peter Strzok and Lisa Page again saying "these people are corrupt. These people are disgusting."
"This is the witch hunt," he said. "They've been trying to stop us for three years with a lot of crap."
Trump's appearance in Louisiana was scheduled to help rally Republican voters against the state's Democratic Gov. John Bel Edwards.
President Donald Trump introduces Louisiana Republican
gubernatorial candidates Eddie Rispone, left, and Ralph Abraham, during
his campaign rally on the eve of the Louisiana election, in Lake
Charles, La., Friday, Oct. 11, 2019. The two are running against
incumbent Democrat Gov. John Bel Edwards.
"Tomorrow you will head to the polls and vote to
replace a liberal Democrat who has sold you out, John Bel Edwards, with a
great Republican governor," Trump said in his remarks, encouraging
Louisianians to get to the polls before Saturday night's big college
football matchup between unbeaten Louisiana State University and the
University of Florida or else they would feel guilty and "it will ruin
your entire afternoon."
The president was joined onstage by
both U.S. Rep. Ralph Abraham and businessman Eddie Rispone, but did not
endorse either candidate in order to maximize chances that Edwards will
fall below the 50 percent vote threshold needed to avoid a runoff in
Saturday's gubernatorial "jungle primary," in which all the candidates
appear on a single ballot.
"You're not allowed to hit your
Republican opponent, you're only allowed to hit John Bel Edwards," Trump
said, extending an olive branch between the two GOP candidates, who
have been at loggerheads in the race to the governor's mansion.
The president's trip to Louisiana came one day after another fiery rally in Minneapolis, during which Trump also slammed House Democrats and their impeachment inquiry against him.
The
president touted the country's economy and boasted about the truce
reached with China just hours before he landed in Louisiana, which
stipulates that China will purchase up to $50 billion worth of
agricultural goods from American farmers and also will postpone tariffs
on Chinese goods that were originally set to take effect next week.
"I
just made a great China deal today for energy, for the farmers, for the
banks... I want to tell you, I got China to order a lot!"
He did not mention the growing issue of censorship in the U.S. over ongoing pro-democracy protests in Hong Kong.
"We've
ended the war on American energy, and with your help, right here in
Louisiana, the United States is now the number one producer of oil and
natural gas anywhere on the planet!" Trump also boasted.
He also slammed Edwards for the state's tax hike, which was passed with Republican support.
"You
are going to fire your Democratic governor who has done a lousy job and
send a great Republican to the governor's mansion," Trump said.
Other
top Republicans, including Vice President Pence and Donald Trump Jr.,
have paid visits to the state, which Trump won by nearly 20 percentage
points in 2016.
Neither Abraham nor Rispone has been able to break
away as the top competitor, even as Rispone poured $11 million of his
own personal wealth into the campaign. Party leaders' efforts to keep
the men from fighting each other have failed, raising concerns the
backbiting could wound both GOP contenders and help Edwards. Republicans
blame attacks among their own candidates for helping to elect Edwards
four years ago.
Edwards isn't the type of liberal, anti-Trump Democrat with whom the president usually clashes.
Louisiana's
governor is an anti-abortion, pro-gun West Point graduate who avoids
criticizing Trump, talks about his strong rapport with the White House
and calls the impeachment inquiry a distraction for Washington.
"He's
100 percent going to drop the second Amendment ... John Bel
Edwards will not protect your second amendment," Trump told the crowd.
While
Edwards' efforts to keep the president at bay in the governor's race
have been unsuccessful, the Democratic incumbent isn't complaining about
the rallies. Instead, he has downplayed them, calling it unsurprising
that Trump backs members of his own party in the "hyperpartisan"
environment of Washington. He said he would continue to "work well" with
the president and focus on his own, bipartisan approach to governing.
"When
my opponents realized just how much support my campaign had from the
people of Louisiana, they started calling in help from forces in
Washington, D.C.," Edwards said. "My opponents are obsessed with
political partisanship because the only way they think they can win is
to divide the state of Louisiana."
Republicans nationally have
targeted Edwards for ouster since his longshot election victory four
years ago. But work to unify around one major contender failed, with the
state's top-tier, well-known GOP officials passing on the race.
Trump
was also joined on stage by Sen. John Kennedy, R-La., who said: "I told
you, Donald J. Trump loves Louisiana like the devil loves sin."
He
also invited the Eastbank All-Stars, the Little League baseball
championship team that joined him at the White House earlier in the day
and then flew on Air Force One to the rally, to come on stage in
Louisiana. The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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