Trump kicks off 2020 campaign at Orlando rally
ORLANDO, Fla. • President Donald Trump signaled that his reelection bid would echo themes from his 2016 race, criticizing former rivals and the Washington establishment as he launched his campaign with a wave of polls showing him facing a challenging path to a second term.
“As long as you keep this team in place,” Trump told thousands of supporters Tuesday, “our future has never looked brighter or sharper.”
The kickoff event was billed as a megarally to demonstrate Trump’s campaign prowess and to deliver his pitch for 2020. During his 75-minute speech, Trump largely struck familiar notes, boasting about the economy and his judicial appointments while assailing the media and Democrats.
Trump’s ability to energize supporters, such as the roughly 20,000 who packed the Amway Center, will be key as he begins a crucial phase in the contest. Twenty Democrats are preparing to face off in their first primary debates next week in Miami, and Trump’s approval rating remains stuck below 50% in crucial battlegrounds.
He continued to use 2016 Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton as a political target, complaining about polls that had predicted her winning the election, and suggesting that the Justice Department would continue to search for emails deleted when she was secretary of state. Many Republicans believe those emails were improperly deleted, and it was a rallying issue for Trump’s supporters during the last campaign.
Trump also said he would continue to “drain the swamp,” his metaphor for upending the political establishment in Washington
“That’s why the swamp is fighting back so viciously and violently.” Trump said. “For the last 21/2 years we have been under siege.”
The event had all the hallmarks of the rallies that defined Trump’s 2016 campaign. Thousands donned in “Make America Great Again” hats, chanted “lock her up” and “build the wall,” and waved signs that read “Four More Years.”
President Donald Trump greets supporters at a rally where Trump formally announced his reelection bid Tuesday in Orlando, Fla.