Minneapolis, MN - After hours of standing in the pouring rain, thousands of Trump supporters finally got to see the president take the stage at the Target Center Thursday night.
The place was packed. Here's a shot I took just a few minutes before POTUS arrived.
#TrumpRallyMinneapolis pic.twitter.com/9ysUwo6gkd
— Townhall.com (@townhallcom) October 11, 2019
It's no wonder Trump and his campaign are so confident about winning the state next November.
"This is a great state," Trump said. "We are going to win this state."
The president remarked on America's strong economy, which he credited with his administration "putting America first again."
But then he spoke for several minutes about his perceived enemies. The media, he charged, has a "partnership" with the Democrats. He was shocked that coverage about him had gotten "worse."
Take Ukraine, for instance. Trump again called his phone call with Ukrainian Zelensky "perfect." He's compelled to speak out about it, he explained, because "the Democrats put out a phony narrative" that he was trying to get Ukraine to interfere in U.S. elections and investigate Joe Biden for political reasons.
"These people are sick," Trump said of the Dems.
None more so than Adam Schiff, who he also called "crooked" and "Shifty Schiff."
If Schiff, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and the rest of her party "would have waited one day longer," Trump reasoned, "they would have had the transcript."
"They never thought in a million years that I was going to release the transcript at all."
He took a swipe at one Democratic opponent in particular, Joe Biden, who, he said has the real Ukrainian scandal. His son Hunter reportedly received over a million dollars while sitting on the board of a Ukrainian gas company. That suddenly gave Trump a novel idea for a new T-shirt: "Where's Hunter?"
Former Vice President Biden, Trump said, was "never considered smart." The president then launched one of the harshest attack lines I've heard yet of one of his rivals.
"He was only a good vice president because he knew how to kiss Barack Obama's ass," Trump said of Biden.
One more interesting, parting moment to note. The president had some fun revisiting the string of texts sent between FBI agent Peter Strzok and his lover Lisa Page, mocking both their relationship and their wish that his opponent Hillary Clinton would win.
Trump's impersonation went something like this: "I love you, Peter. I love you too, Lisa! Lisa! Lisa! Lisa. God, I love you Lisa."
The Minneapolis crowd loved every second of it.
"We are going to win this state make no mistake about it," Eric Trump said before his dad took the mic.
They may be right. Even Minnesota Democratic groups are admitting they're nervous.
Trump almost winning Minnesota was not a fluke.
— Minnesota DFL Party (@MinnesotaDFL) October 7, 2019
Minnesota, one of the last bastions of progressivism in the Midwest, has been trending more and more red in the last few presidential elections. pic.twitter.com/x1b8LT1d5V