President Trump on Thursday visited Iowa to kick off a year-long celebration of the 250th anniversary of the nation’s founding at an occasion that doubled as a victory lap for the passage of a serious legislative bundle.
Trump spoke at a “Salute to America” occasion in Des Moines, Iowa, on the eve of Independence Day. His remarks got here hours after the House passed the One Huge Lovely Invoice Act, sending the laws that incorporates lots of the president’s marketing campaign guarantees to Trump’s desk.
The president additionally mused in regards to the mutual “hate” between him and Democrats, a potential exemption for farmers to keep away from the deportation of their undocumented staff and a current change of missiles between the U.S. and Iran.
Listed here are 5 takeaways from Trump’s Iowa remarks.
A victory lap on huge, lovely invoice
The speech supplied Trump an opportunity to bask within the legislative success of getting a large tax and spending invoice throughout the end line within the Home and Senate after months of negotiations and tense final hours of convincing holdouts to assist the invoice.
Whereas Trump is anticipated to signal the invoice into regulation on Friday on the White Home, he used Thursday’s remarks to spotlight a few of what’s within the bundle.
The laws extends the tax cuts Trump signed into regulation in 2017, which had been set to run out later this yr. It additionally eliminates some taxes on tipped wages, a provision that drew roars from the gang in Iowa.
The invoice supplies a $150 billion improve in funding for a border wall, immigration enforcement and deportations. It supplies $150 billion in new protection spending for priorities like shipbuilding and a “Golden Dome” missile protection undertaking.
Democrats have seized on how the invoice incorporates cuts to low-income well being and vitamin applications — reductions designed to assist offset the lack of revenues from the tax cuts however which can be additionally anticipated to remove well being protection for tens of millions of individuals.
“This can be a declaration of independence from a very nationwide decline. We had a nationwide decline,” Trump mentioned. “We had been a laughingstock all around the world. We had a person as president who shouldn’t have been there.”
Trump on Democrats: ‘I hate them, too’
Trump isn’t any stranger to utilizing harsh rhetoric to assault his critics and political opponents, and he did simply that on Thursday as he railed towards Democrats for voting towards the GOP reconciliation bundle.
“All the issues we did with the tax cuts and rebuilding our army, not one Democrat voted for us. And I believe we use it within the marketing campaign that’s arising, the midterms,” Trump mentioned.
“However all the issues that we’ve given, they usually wouldn’t vote. Solely as a result of they hate Trump,” the president continued. “However I hate them, too. You understand that? I actually do, I hate them. I can not stand them as a result of I actually consider they hate our nation, you need to know the reality.”
Trump has prior to now referred to political opponents because the “enemy from inside” and “scum” and described then-Vice President Harris as “mentally impaired.” The president’s critics have repeatedly in contrast him to dictators and authoritarian regimes.
Trump mocks Iran’s counterattack
The president, who has racked up quite a few international coverage victories in current weeks, took time throughout Thursday’s occasion to poke enjoyable at Iran for its response to U.S. strikes on its nuclear services final month.
Trump touted the U.S. strikes, and he famous that the pilots and mechanics who labored on the planes that flew over Iran could be on the White Home for Fourth of July celebrations.
The president additionally appeared to mock Iran for giving the U.S. a heads-up earlier than firing missiles at a U.S. army base in Qatar in response to the strikes on the nuclear websites.
“They had been good sufficient — that is Iran — to name me and inform me that they wish to shoot at me 14 occasions,” Trump mentioned. “So, they need to shoot us, and I mentioned go forward, they usually shot 14 high-grade, very quick missiles. Each single considered one of them was shot down routinely.”
Trump claimed earlier Thursday that Iran needs to talk to him and signaled an openness to having conversations. He famous Steve Witkoff, his particular envoy for the Center East, has been dealing with talks with Iran.
“I believe they need to meet. I do know they need to meet,” he mentioned. “And if it’s needed I’ll do it.”
Trump indicators deference to farmers on undocumented staff
Talking to a crowd full of farmers and others with a stake within the agriculture trade, Trump acknowledged a conundrum together with his aggressive deportation efforts.
The president has vacillated in current months between deporting all people who’re within the nation illegally and being sympathetic to farmers and hospitality executives who depend on migrant staff for labor.
On Thursday, Trump indicated he was open to leaving farmers to their very own units.
“We wish all of the criminals out, everyone agrees. The farmers, among the farmers… they’ve had individuals working for them for years, and we’re going to do one thing,” Trump mentioned.
“If a farmer is keen to vouch for these individuals ultimately, we’re going to have simply say that’s going to be good. We’re going to be good with it,” Trump added. “As a result of we don’t need to do with it the place we take all the employees off the farm.
“Severe radical proper individuals, who I additionally occur to love rather a lot, they is probably not fairly as completely satisfied. However they’ll perceive,” Trump mentioned.
Fireworks immediate temporary flashback for Trump
July 13 will mark the anniversary of the marketing campaign rally in Butler, Pa., the place Trump survived an assassination try after being grazed by a bullet.
When a firework boomed within the distance as he spoke in Des Moines, Trump’s thoughts appeared to flash again to that second almost a yr in the past.
“It’s solely fireworks, I hope. Well-known final phrases,” Trump quipped.
“You all the time must assume constructive,” Trump added. “I didn’t like that sound both.”
Trump is anticipated to take a seat down for an interview together with his daughter-in-law and Fox Information host Lara Trump for an interview subsequent week on the White Home that can air forward of the anniversary of the Butler rally. Axios first reported on the deliberate interview.