President Donald Trump rallied supporters in Phoenix, Arizona, on Wednesday night. Mr. Trump took the stage roughly 30 minutes after six Democratic candidates began the ninth 2020 presidential debate.
Mr. Trump kicked off his speech welcoming a WWII veteran who was carried down the steps of the arena by two other attendees. As usual, the president’s planned remarks began by touting the U.S. economy and military. Mr. Trump also took aim at Democrats in Congress and the media for both the impeachment process and the Russia investigation.
The president also turned his attention to his Democratic rivals on the debate stage throughout the evening.
“I hear he’s getting pounded tonight, you know he’s in a debate,” Mr. Trump said, referring to Michael Bloomberg, who took the debate stage for the first time in 2020 Wednesday night and was repeatedly targeted by his rivals.
“He spent $500 million so far and I think he has 15 points. Crazy Bernie was at 30,” Trump said, referencing Bernie Sanders’ lead in the polls over the former New York City mayor.
Mr. Trump also claimed the “DNC is gonna take [the nomination] away from Bernie again,” before saying, “That’s OK because we don’t care who the hell it is. We’re going to win.”
The president also took aim at Tom Steyer, although Steyer did not qualify for Wednesday’s debate. Mr. Trump, irked by Steyer’s support for impeachment, called the candidate a “jerk.”
Mr. Trump spent much of the evening focusing on the economy, touting low unemployment rates and the stock market. The president also compared the U.S. economy to that of China and Europe, saying both were “doing poorly.”
The president also brought out Arizona Senator Martha McSally, who was a staunch defender of Mr. Trump during the impeachment process.
Trump is hoping to win Arizona for the second time, but Democrats see the state as winnable. The last time a Democrat won Arizona in the general election was 1996.
