Trump reiterates anti-immigration promise at rightwing convention rally

Source: The Guardian

Sun 22 Dec 2024 14.39 EST
Last modified on Sun 22 Dec 2024 17.24 EST


Donald Trump used a Sunday morning speech at a rightwing convention in Phoenix, Arizona, as a victory lap, doubling down on the idea that his clear though relatively narrow victory was in fact a landslide – and impressing upon his base the idea that he enjoys an overwhelming mandate.

“Our movement not only won a mandate,” said Trump, who won the popular vote in November’s election by about half a percentage point while clinching the electoral college 312-226. “We’ve built majorities all over the place that will define our country’s future.”

He was addressing a crowd of supporters that had gathered for AmericaFest, an annual convention hosted by the organization Turning Point USA, the political group that mobilized ahead of the 2024 election to turn out swing state voters for Trump and win him control of both congressional chambers at the start of his second presidency in January.

In the last five years, Turning Point has become a rightwing juggernaut in the conservative movement and a home for activists who reject the old guard of the Republican party as it was before Trump’s rise. Since 2018 the group has grown by more than 650%, bringing in more than $81m in revenue last year. During the group’s weekend event, which fell just days before Christmas, Turning Point drew out about 20,000 attendees – a little under half the turnout of the Republican national convention in Milwaukee this year.

Read more: https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2024/dec/22/trump-speech-rightwing-convention-phoenix