Although supporters stood in the rain for hours to enter, Trump’s rally in Dubuque is not as well attended as past rallies have been. The venue can hold 3,000 people. From my vantage point in the back, accounting for the large press area, I would guess the room is about half full pic.twitter.com/bFWvG6ws8n
— Olivia Nuzzi (@Olivianuzzi) September 20, 2023
Trump has been speaking for over an hour. His supporters are beginning to leave.
— Olivia Nuzzi (@Olivianuzzi) September 20, 2023
CNN reports on what he’s selling in Iowa this year:
Trump largely focused his Dubuque speech on immigration and the border. While he did at times call out Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, Trump largely focused on attacking President Joe Biden over what he referred to as the “nation-wrecking catastrophe” on the southern border, describing it as “an invasion.”
The former president also lauded his immigration policies while in office, saying he replaced “catch-and-release” with “detain and deport.” He also argued that Mexico paid for the wall because they supplied the US with soldiers at the border for free.
Trump said that if reelected, his administration would follow “the Eisenhower Model” and carry out the largest domestic deportation operation in American history, invoking the Alien Enemies Act to remove all known or suspected gang members, drug dealers, or cartel members from the US.
Trump said his administration would bring back his travel ban, expanding it further, and, without explaining how, he said it would deny “communists and Marxists” from entering the US.
That “Eisenhower model” was called “Operation Wetback.” This is a retread from his 2016 campaign. It won’t be long before he’ll be talking about bullets sipped in pigs blood and cutting off people’s heads. That was the winning message in his first race. He knows he lost the seconds so he’s going back to what works.