GRANITE STATE OF MIND
OUR TAKE: TRUMP DELIVERS RIGHT MESSAGE ON OPIOIDS
MANCHESTER, N.H. — With an eye on 2020, President Trump — joined by first lady Melania — returned to the state that helped catapult him to the White House, shoring up his weakened voter base.
The highlights of his Granite State stop included an unusual speech by Melania and a somewhat awkward embrace and kiss with her husband — the first time the couple has appeared together on stage since the Stormy Daniels scandal broke.
But even in a speech promising to get tough on drug dealers, Trump seemed to be aware of the political effects of yesterday’s visit — and he couldn’t miss the “Trump 2020” sign in the audience.
“Lot of voters here today, I see that,” Trump said, going off his Teleprompter script and scanning the crowd at Manchester Community College.
With rumblings of a possible GOP White House challenge, New Hampshire looms as a critical battleground for the president. It’s a state that gave him a huge primary win in 2016 and it’s full of white, suburban voters, a key voting bloc that Trump needs to hold to win again.
“I said I’d be back and I’m back,” Trump said, referring to a promise he made during the 2016 campaign to return to New Hampshire and talk about the opioid crisis.
The first lady even weighed in on behalf of her husband, saying, “I’m proud of this administration’s commitment to battling this epidemic.”
The invitation-only crowd was full of Trump supporters, including Rita and Philip Abirachet of Windham, who said they voted for Trump in 2016 and plan to vote for him again. “Absolutely,” Rita said. Embattled Attorney General Jeff Sessions also flew up to New Hampshire for the event, and Trump singled him out for praise. None of New Hampshire’s Democratic senators or House members showed up, though they got invites.
Trump’s most recent visit to New Hampshire was the eve of Election Day in 2016, where he held a huge rally in Manchester hours before the polls opened. He ended up narrowly losing the state to Hillary Clinton.
But Trump’s impressive victory in New Hampshire’s first-in-the-nation primary launched him on the path to the GOP nomination.
During the campaign, Trump heard firsthand about the grip of opioid addiction afflicting families here.
“It all started right here in New Hampshire because I see what you’re going through,” he said.
Trump also singled out the city of Lawrence, Mass., as being one of the “primary sources” of illegal fentanyl dealing. He also took on sanctuary cities, calling them “safe havens for just some terrible people, terrible people.”
The president pushed for tougher penalties including the death penalty for drug dealers, saying they were getting away with killing thousands of people. And he promised to end the opioid crisis during his presidency.
“We can have all the blue ribbon committees we want but if we don’t get tough on the drug dealers, we’re wasting our time, just remember that, we’re wasting our time. And that toughness includes the death penalty,” he said. “I don’t want to leave in seven years and have this problem.”