Trump launches 2020 re-election bid with mega rally, says ‘Keep America Great’

PTI, Jun 19, 2019, 12:14 PM IST

Washington: US President Donald Trump formally launched his 2020 re-election campaign with a jam-packed rally in Florida on Tuesday, urging his supporters to “keep this team in place” for four more years as he vowed to “Keep America Great”.

The 73-year-old real estate investor-turned-politician, who became the 45th President of the United States of America in 2017, told a crowd of 20,000 people in Orlando that the economy of the US under him has become “the envy of the world”.

Trump said his victory three years ago was a “defining moment in American history” and vowed to maintain his ‘America First’ policy as he touched the hallmarks of his 2016 campaign, hard-line immigration policies and defence spending.

He said that the country has made significant progress during his presidency and all that is at risk if he were to be defeated in the presidential elections next year.

Unveiling a theme of ‘Keep America Great’, Trump in a speech that lasted 79 minutes exuded confidence of winning the general elections. In his 2016 election campaign, he had popularised the slogan ‘make america great again’.

Addressing his supporters who filled the Orlando’s Amway Center, brimming with enthusiasm for the President, Trump said, “We’re going to keep on going. We’re going to keep on fighting and we’re going to keep on winning, winning, winning”.

Nearly two dozen Democratic leaders are aspiring to contest against him in the November 2020 presidential elections. The winner of the Democratic primary beginning early next year would get to challenge him.

Vice President Mike Pence and the entire First Family along with First Lady Melania Trump were on the stage during his speech. Trump also asked his outgoing press secretary Sarah Sanders to address the enthusiastic crowd. Trump is seeking her to run for the Governor of Arizona.

“We’re going to miss her,” Trump said, calling her “a warrior”. Amidst chants of “four more years” from his supporters, Trump announced his 2020 re-election campaign to complete his unfinished agenda.

In his speech, Trump accused Democrats of pushing socialism and vowed, “America will never be a socialist country”. He said he has kept his promises to the American people and pledged, “I will never, ever let you down”. “Nobody has done what we have done in two-and-a-half years,” he said, citing his economic policies as a major accomplishment.

Complaining about special counsel Robert Mueller’s investigation, Trump said that he has been under siege for years. “No president should ever have to go through this again,” he said. Trump accused Democrats and the media of conducting “a witch hunt” to “take down our incredible movement”.

He also mentioned Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh’s difficult confirmation hearing and said, “They tried to destroy him with false and malicious accusations… They tried to ruin his life”. Trump claimed that Democrats want to take the country back to the past. But, “We are not going back,” he asserted.

Citing the new trade deal with Mexico and Canada as one of his accomplishments, Trump said his administration has reduced the price of prescription drugs and made progress in the fight against opioid addiction.

He also railed against sanctuary cities and said no one who supports sanctuary cities should be allowed to run for president. Continuing with his usual stump remarks against the media and fake news, Trump said with his election in 2016, voters not only transferred power from one party to another, but back to the people.

“Many times, I said we would drain the swamp, and that’s exactly what we’re doing now,” he said. John Santos from the Democratic National Committee said that his party will continue to call him out on his failures and broken promises to the American people.

“From healthcare and immigration reform, to gun control and the Muslim ban, Trump’s actions have made life more difficult for South Asians. The Democratic Party is committed to mobilising South Asian voters to deny Trump a second chance at implementing his regressive policies,” Santos told PTI.

“New campaign, same broken promises. Voters heard nothing new tonight. It’s been the same thing for the past two and a half years. One broken promise after another,” said DNC Deputy War Room Director Daniel Wessel.