President Donald Trump kicked off his 2020 campaign on Tuesday at a raucous rally in Orlando, Florida, reenergizing the movement that elected him president.
“Since the very first day I walked through the doors of the White House, I have never forgotten who sent me there,” he said.
Pointing to the crowd, Trump continued, “You did.”
Trump noted that his supporters made history in 2016, launching a new political movement in the country.
“It turned out to be more than just a political campaign, it turned out to be a great political movement because of you,” he said. “A great movement.”
Trump’s kickoff rally hosted tens of thousands of supporters in Orlando but also organized thousands of watch parties across the country, including at the Trump International Hotel in Washington, DC.
The president voiced the frustration from his supporters, noting that despite their great victory in 2016, the Democrats, the media, and the elites tried to block their agenda and get him out of office.
“Our patriotic movement has been under assault from the very first day,” Trump said.
The president recalled the ongoing fight against the Russia “witch hunt” during his first two and half years as president.
“It was all an illegal attempt to overturn the results of the election, spied on our campaign, which is what they did, and subvert our democracy,” he said.
Trump celebrated his supporters, urging them to continue fighting for the future of their country.
“It’s a movement made up of hard-working patriots who love their country, love their flag, love their children, and who believe that a nation must care for its own citizens first,” he said.
Trump recalled how failed presidential candidate Hillary Clinton called his supporters “deplorable” and “irredeemable”
“They called you and us — do you remember this? — They called us the Deplorables!” Trump said. “That was their mistake. That was their mistake.”
During the rally, Trump asked his supporters to cheer for the re-election slogan they liked best — either a new slogan, Keep America Great, or continue with his 2016 slogan Make America Great Again.
The crowd cheered the loudest for “Keep America Great,” which Trump acknowledged on the stage.
The movement theme was also part of Vice President Mike Pence’s speech, prior to Trump’s remarks.
“It’s amazing to think about it, but what began four years ago this week has grown into a movement, a movement of everyday Americans from every walk of life,” Pence said.
He thanked supporters for believing in the campaign and believing that they could make America great again.
“In president Donald Trump you found a leader who believed in you,” Trump said. “I don’t have to tell any of you gathered here — President Donald Trump is the real deal.”
The president specifically mentioned former Vice President Joe Biden as “Sleepy Joe” Biden, noting that the Obama/Biden administration watched as China ripped off of the United States.
“The people trying to stop our movement are the same Washington insiders who spend their careers rigging the system so your losses will be their gains,” he said. “You know that.”
He also warned of the socialist policies proposed by Sen. Bernie Sanders that would destroy the country.
“No matter what label they give, a vote for any Democrat in 2020 is a vote for the rise of radical socialism and destruction of the American Dream,” he wrote. “Don’t ever forget, this election is about you. It’s about your family, your future, and the fate of your country.”
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