DONALD TRUMP TOLD cheering supporters at a rally last night that his meeting with Kim Jong Un would bring peace “for the whole world”.
The US President used one of his signature rallies in northern Indiana to attack political rivals and the media as well as talk up his performance since assuming office.
It was confirmed yesterday that Trump would be meeting North Korean leader Kim Jong Un in Singapore, a historic first face-to-face meeting between leaders of the two nations.
The meeting comes following a period of sabre-rattling between the two leaders that has developed into apparent better relations between both, as well as South Korea.
Yesterday, Trump welcomed home three American citizens who had been detained in North Korea that were freed by the Pyongyang regime.
In his speech last night, Trump hailed this concession by North Korea and claimed next month’s meeting would have positive repercussions globally.
“On 12 June, I’ll be meeting with Kim Jong Un, to pursue a future of peace and security for the world. For the whole world,” Trump said.
And the relationship is good. And do you remember all of them in the fake news saying ‘he’s going to get us into a nuclear war, he’s going to get us into a nuclear war’? And you know what gets you into nuclear wars, and you know what gets you into other wars? Weakness, weakness.
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In his speech, Trump also embraced his role as party leader and issued a stern warning that Democrats would disrupt the economic progress of his administration, imploring Republicans to mobilise during the 2018 midterm elections.
Trump painted a rosy picture of his presidency, pointing to low unemployment, “booming” job growth and optimism under his watch.
Two days after Indiana wrapped up a divisive Republican Senate primary, the president praised a lengthy ticket of House and Senate candidates by name and predicted Democrats would dismantle his agenda if they regained control of Congress.
“You have to work every day between now and November to elect more Republicans so that we can continue to make America great again,” Trump said, referencing his 2016 campaign slogan.
Basking in the cheers of thousands of supporters wearing his red campaign hats, Trump hailed his decision to impose tariffs on steel and aluminum imports and his tough stance on trade deals, appealing to the region’s manufacturing base.
He reissued his campaign pledge to build a border wall with Mexico, telling the crowd the work had started despite opposition from Democrats.
And he celebrated the return of three Americans who had been held captive in North Korea, saying: “We welcomed them back home the proper way.”
The Indiana rally was Trump’s fourth political-style event in the past two weeks. Trump skipped the White House Correspondents’ Dinner late last month to rally supporters in Macomb County, Michigan.
He spoke last week to the National Rifle Association in Dallas. And last Saturday, Trump was in Ohio, long the key electoral piece for any GOP presidential hopeful.
As he travels the country, Trump will face the question of whether his appeal is transferable to down-ballot candidates, much in the way that Obama struggled to rally core Democrats when he wasn’t running himself.
Obama suffered broad losses in Congress and in statehouses during the 2010 and 2014 midterm elections, an outcome Trump hopes to avoid.
- With reporting by Associated Press
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