Trump defends Va. remarks at Phoenix rally
President pumps up his base amid protests outside
PHOENIX — President Donald Trump staged a boisterous campaign rally Tuesday night, basking in the adoration of thousands of supporters and brushing off security concerns voiced by the city’s mayor and other Democratic officials.
“You were there from the start, you’ve been there every day since, and believe me, Arizona, I will never forget it,” Trump said at the outset of his remarks, referencing a large crowd he drew at the site early in his campaign.
The event, organized by Trump’s re-election campaign, came as the president continues to face fallout over his reaction to the hate-fueled violence in Charlottesville, Va., and feuds with fellow Republicans in Congress whose cooperation he will need to kick-start his sputtering legislative agenda next month.
Phoenix Mayor Greg Stanton had urged Trump to not come to his city this week, saying that it was too tense of a time in the wake of the deadly Charlottesville clash between white nationalists and counterprotesters and that Trump could be setting the stage for more violent strife here.
Trump was criticized by Republican and Democrats alike for failing to call out neo-Nazis and other hate groups by name in his first response to the protest and then insisting there was blame on “both sides.”
Trump on Tuesday said the “very dishonest media” mischaracterized his response to the Charlottesville protest. He re-read the statements he delivered on various days, insisting, “I did this three times.”
He also repeated the message of unity he delivered Monday night
“This entire arena stands united in forceful condemnation of the thugs that perpetrated hatred and violence,” he said.
Trump spoke after Vice President Mike Pence and others called repeatedly for unity.
Inside the Phoenix Convention Center, Trump was given a hero’s welcome from supporters who chanted, “USA! USA! USA!” and waved signs reading “Drain The Swamp,” “Make America Strong Again” and “Make America Proud Again.”
Trump also defended Joe Arpaio, the former Maricopa County sheriff. Trump told the crowd that Arpaio is “going to be just fine” as he awaits sentencing on a misdemeanor contempt-of-court conviction stemming from his defiance of the courts.
Trump sparked speculation about a possible pardon when he told Fox News in a recent interview that he was considering issuing one. But White House press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders said Tuesday that “there will be no discussion of that today at any point, and no action will be taken on that front at any point today.”
Earlier, minor scuffles and shouting matches erupted between protesters and Trump's supporters in the triple-digit heat.
The scene was noisy, but largely peaceful as Phoenix police kept most members of the two opposing groups behind barricades and apart on separate sides of the street. As a police helicopter hovered overhead, officers wearing riot gear and carrying rifles sauntered through the lane between the sides.
Authorities said no one was arrested, though a few were treated for heat exhaustion.
Dillon Scott, of Phoenix, who voted for Hillary Clinton, said he came out to express dissatisfaction with how long Trump took to denounce racism after the Charlottesville violence.
“No one should be allowed to get away with what he gets away with, especially in political office,” Scott said.
Meanwhile, a group of protesters chanted, “Wrong side of history! Wrong side of history!”
About an hour before Trump was scheduled to arrive, hundreds of protesters gathered across the street, shouting, “This is what democracy looks like!”
Metal barricades divided them from the red-capped people streaming into the rally, some grinning and waving.
Brian Ratchford came to the event Tuesday armed with a .357-caliber gun to defend Trump supporters if things get out of hand
“He’s an American for Americans,” said Ratchford, 47, of Tucson. What Trump said after Charlottesville “was perfect — people on both sides were causing the problems,” Ratchford said.
Prior to his arrival, Trump traveled to Yuma, Ariz., where he received a closed briefing on border protection and greeted Marines and their families, signing autographs on hats.
Trump was greeted at the airport by Arizona Gov. Doug Ducey, who was not expected to attend the rally.