Donald Trump used his first visit to Iowa this year to attack Republican competitor Nikki Haley and to hit back against Democratic President Joe Biden, who denounced him as a threat to American democracy on Friday.
Speaking to a crowd of several hundred supporters just 10 days before the crucial Iowa caucus – the first round of the Republican nominating contest – the former president presented a dark portrait of the United States.
He called it a “failing” nation, beset by “terrorists” and immigrants from “mental asylums” pouring over the US-Mexico border.
He shot back at Biden, who spoke of the dangers of a potential second Trump term at an event in Pennsylvania earlier in the day.
Biden, who will likely face Trump in a general election rematch in November, was particularly critical of Trump’s conduct on January 6, 2021, when a mob of his supporters attacked the US Capitol as legislators were certifying Biden’s 2020 election victory.
People watched in horror that day as TV images beamed into homes nationwide showed rioters – egged on by the former president and fuelled by his claims of voter fraud – storming the seat of US democracy in a bid to halt the transfer of power.
Trump was impeached for inciting insurrection and faces multiple felony charges over his conduct leading up to and during the violence.
“Not one thing has gotten better under crooked Joe Biden. Everything’s a mess,” Trump said to several hundred cheering supporters at the rally in Iowa’s rural northwest.
Trump only briefly addressed the events of January 6, repeating unfounded claims that the 2020 contest was marred by widespread voter fraud.
Trump has described January 6 as “a beautiful day” and has made the “great patriots” and “hostages” imprisoned over the riot a cause celebre, vowing to pardon many if elected.
Trump also directed his fire toward Haley, who served as US ambassador to the UN for two years during his term.
While Haley trails Trump by over 30 points in Iowa, she is much closer in New Hampshire, which holds the second contest of the Republican nomination process, and she has been rising in opinion polls in recent months.
“Nikki Haley has been in the pocket of the open borders establishment donors her entire career,” Trump said. “She’s a globalist.”
Haley’s team hit back, citing her record in South Carolina where she served as governor.
“Donald Trump probably doesn’t remember that Nikki Haley passed one of the toughest anti-illegal immigration laws in the country in 2011, because he was still a New York City liberal,” communications director Nachama Soloveichik said.
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