OPINION: This article may contain commentary which reflects the author's opinion.
Former President Donald Trump was on his game as he headlined another jam packed rally, this time shredding the Democrat’s reconciliation legislation and touting candidates he has endorsed.
The rally was held in front of a raucous crowd of supporters in Waukesha, Wisconsin on Thursday.
“The radical Democrats now intend to impose the biggest tax hike in American history, the exact opposite of what I did,” he said. “And they are working feverishly to pile on more regulations at levels never seen before. You’re going to have regulations like nobody’s ever seen before.”
He said that Senate Minority Leader and Kentucky Sen. Mitch McConnell got “taken for a ride” by Democrat West Virginia Sen. Joe Manchin.
“Joe Manchin has totally sold out West Virginia, what he’s done to that state is disgraceful. And I told the old broken crow, Mitch McConnell, that this was going to happen,” he said.
And he hinted again at possibly campaigning for president in 2024.
“This is the year we’re going to take back the House, we’re going to take back the Senate and we’re going to take back America.
“And in 2024, most importantly, we are going to take back our magnificent White House, we’re going to take it back,” he said.
“We will shut down Biden’s border disaster, reinstitute our strong remain in Mexico policy, strengthen the patriots of ICE and border control.
“We will again end catch and release, one of the dumbest programs ever, we will end chain migration, we will end the visa lottery and we will clamp down on illegal immigration just like we did less than two years ago,” the former president said.
“We will stop the crimewave in Democrat run cities, we will give our police the power they need and the respect they deserve and we will not take immunity protection away from our police.
“We will restore law and order in America, we will hold China accountable for unleashing the virus upon the world, we will protect innocent life, we will defend our constitution, we will defend our totally under siege second amendment,” he said.
The former president had a fantastic week as many of the candidates he endorsed had primary victories.
Out of more than 100 endorsements he has made thus far, the vast majority of his chosen candidates have gone on to win their primaries, though many are facing tough competition from their Democratic opponents as the November midterm elections edge closer.
Still, nowhere is Trump’s backing been as impactful in recent weeks as in Arizona, where he has backed MAGA-supporting gubernatorial candidate and former Phoenix-area newscaster Kari Lake, pitting her against another Republican who has been backed by outgoing GOP Gov. Doug Ducey and former Vice President Mike Pence.
Newsweek reports: “The primary will serve as another test of Trump’s influence in the Republican Party,” adding that heading into to Tuesday’s contest, Lake is polling in single digits but well above the Ducey-Pence-backed Karrin Taylor Robson.
The outlet continued:
Polls in the days leading up to the election generally show Lake holding a single-digit lead. A composite of all polling calculated by Real Clear Politics points to a victory for Lake, who leads Robson by an average of 8.7 points in the race to replace outgoing GOP Governor Doug Ducey.
A Trafalgar poll conducted from July 25 to 27 of likely Republican primary voters found that Lake held an 8.8-point lead. She won 47.6 percent of support from the poll’s respondents, while Robson earned 38.8 percent.
A Rasmussen poll conducted from July 27 to 28 found a similar result. It had Lake winning 43 percent of the vote, compared to Robson’s 34 percent. An OH Predictive Insight poll conducted July 27 showed Lake with an 18-point lead, though no other recent polls show Lake with such a large lead.
Other surveys, Newsweek noted, show a much closer contest. For instance, an Emerson College survey conducted from July 28 to July 30 found that Robson actually led by a single point, 47-46 percent. When undecided voters who revealed the candidate they leaned toward were factored in, Robson still came out on top 49-48 percent.
In a statement to Newsweek, a spokesperson for Lake said the campaign feels “very confident that the polling shows us with a strong lead going into Election Day.”
“Kari has connected with the voters all across Arizona and has won over the hearts and minds of the grassroots for over a year now,” the statement added. “Despite being outspent 15-1, our opponents’ attacks are falling flat, and we will be victorious tomorrow.”
