President Donald Trump renewed his fierce battle with the nation’s political press corps on Saturday night during his First 100 Days rally in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania.
President Donald Trump renewed his fierce battle with the nation’s political press corps on Saturday night while America’s journalistic upper-crust were feting themselves at the annual White House Correspondents’ Dinner in Washington.
Trump was in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, speaking to about 10,000 voters, a crowd that he claimed ‘broke the all-time record’ for the arena.
‘There’s another big gathering taking place tonight in Washington, D. C., ‘ he said, drawing a chorus of boos.
‘A large group of Hollywood actors and Washington media are consoling each other in a hotel ballroom in our nation’s capital right now, ‘ he said, insisting that ‘I could not possibly be more thrilled to an to be more than 100 miles away from Washington’s swamp.’
Trump also said he had attracted ‘a much, much larger crowd – and much better people.’
Reporters from CNN and MSNBC, outlets that have historically been antagonistic toward the president, ‘would actually rather be here’ instead of at the dinner, he said.
‘They would love to be with us right here tonight. But they’re trapped at the dinner, which will be very, very boring.’
‘The media, ‘ he said, ‘deserves a very, very big, fat failing grade’ for its coverage of his first 100 days in office.
He singled out ‘the failing New York Times, ‘ saying its poor financial management has led it to shrink its print edition past the point where ‘pretty soon they’ll only be on the Internet.’
‘The paper’s getting smaller and smaller. Did you ever notice? It’s starting to look like a comic book.’
Vice President Mike Pence introduced the commander-in-chief, congratulating him for completing ‘100 days of action, 100 days of consequence, and 100 days that will be remembered as the days we began to make America great again.’
Pence blamed ‘left-wing activists and their willing allies in the media’ for ‘ignoring the facts and spreading that fake news.’
‘He’s driving them all a little bit crazy, ‘ he said.
Trump, said Pence, has ‘signed more bills cutting job-killing regulations than any president in American history.’
And ‘thanks to President Donald Trump, ISIS is on the run in Iraq, in Syria and Afghanistan, and we will not rest until we destroy ISIS once and for all.’
Before arriving at the Farm Show Complex, the president visited a nearby tool manufacturing company for a run-of-the-mill photo op, signing a pair of executive orders.
One is a response to foreign trade violations – an effort to re-examine every trade relationship in the U. S. portfolio.
The other launches a specialized Trade Office at the White House to focus in international commerce.
The president told employees of the Ames Companies that ‘we believe in “Made in the USA, ” and it’s coming back faster and faster.’
‘We’ve taken unprecedented steps to bring back American wealth, American jobs and American dreams.’
A pool reporter overheard the company’s CEO, Ron Kramer, telling Trump: ‘We’ll do just fine if there’s a level playing field.’
Kramer explained to reporters that his Mexican and Chinese competitors flood the U. S. with tools made from with state-subsidized steel and wood, whose lower costs undercut companies like Ames.
Asked about the correspondents’ dinner competing for media oxygen with his rally, the president said that he wishes the D. C. press corps ‘a good dinner.’
‘But ours is going to be much more exciting, I think. We have a big crowd, ‘ he said. ‘We sold thousands and thousands of tickets.’
Pennsylvania turned out to be a key battleground for the president, who won the Keystone State by less than 1 per cent and scooped up 20 electoral votes in the process.
Trump focused during his weekly radio address on rust-belt states including Pennsylvania where his improbable election was cemented.
‘We’re bringing back jobs, ‘ he said on Friday. ‘You asked the people of Michigan. You asked the people of Ohio. You can ask the people of Pennsylvania.’
‘See what’s happening. See the car companies come roaring back in. They don’t want to leave. They want to stay here. They want a piece of the action.’
Saturday’s speech was a laundry list of campaign issues, folded together with a collection of his deliverables since Inauguration Day.
Terrorism and border security consumed more of Trump’s time than other issues, and produced the most applause.
Citing ‘bloodshed overseas, ‘ he reiterated his position that the U. S. should erect strong procedural barriers to prevent the entry of would-be terrorists.
‘We don’t need to be admitting people who want to oppress, hurt or kill innocent Americans. They’re not coming in, ‘ he said.
‘So let me state this as clearly as I possibly can: We are going to keep radical Islamic terrorists the hell out of our country.’
In his best stentorian voice, the president read ‘The Snake, ‘ an allegorical poem about the folly of welcoming existential threats with optimism and open arms.
It was a staple on the campaign trail, and much of Saturday’s audience knew the punchline – ‘You knew damn well I was a snake before you let me in’ – delivered by the title character after he has bitten his naive host.
But Trump, as he was throughout the campaign, was never more wound-up than when he addressed the physical barrier he has promised along America’s southern border.
The president has framed his proposal for an impenetrable wall between the U. S. and Mexico as a deterrent to both drug smugglers and human traffickers, and took credit Saturday night for already slowing down both illicit trades.
‘The world is getting the message, ‘ he said. ‘If you try to illegally enter the United States, you will be caught [and] detained, deported or put in prison. And it will happen.’
The Farm Show Complex had brushes with Trump during his long-slog campaign, serving as a rally venue on April 21,2016 when Republican primary tensions were at their highest.
Hundreds of protesters squared off with rally-goers in the parking lot that night, with people on both side hurling foul language as the crowd made its way to their cars.
Shouts of ‘Black Lives Matter’ and ‘Blue Lives Matter’ drew police reinforcements to head off a near-riot.
But that was during the race for the White House, when provocateurs in Trump’s audiences competed with the candidate for TV time by disrupting his speeches at every turn.
He had 12 ejected that night, remarking as one was yanked out of his seat: ‘We love our police.
