Trump holds rally to ‘shake up’ Democrat rivals
US PRESIDENT Donald Trump has tried to rattle Democrats with a rally in New Hampshire on the eve of the state’s first-in-the-nation primaries.
Mr Trump, on a high after his acquittal last week on impeachment charges, boasted about the nation’s strong economy, tore into his possible general election foes and launched an assault on the Democrats who tried to remove him from office. He called the impeachment a “pathetic partisan crusade”.
“Our good Republicans in the United States Senate voted to reject the outrageous partisan impeachment hoax and to issue a full, complete and absolute total acquittal,” Mr Trump told a crowd that roared and cheered throughout his speech.
“And it wasn’t even close.” Mr Trump’s rally came a day before New Hampshire Democrats head to the polls following the disastrous Iowa caucuses that failed to produce a clear-cut winner to take him on in November.
The president mocked the lingering uncertainty over the outcome of the party’s Iowa caucuses, where the results are still under dispute.
“Does anyone know who won Iowa?” he asked the crowd. “I don’t know.”
Before leaving Washington, Mr Trump said he had planned the rally to rattle Democrats and demonstrate his strength in the state before the primary vote.
“Want to shake up the Dems a little bit – they have a really boring deal going on,” Mr Trump tweeted. “Still waiting for the Iowa results, votes were fried. Big crowds in Manchester!”
Mr Trump regularly schedules counter-programming to divert attention from Democratic debates and other major moments, keeping him in the spotlight.
At the same time, Mr Trump continued to celebrate the Senate’s acquittal decision, attacking House Speaker Nancy Pelosi for her performance during his State of the Union address last week.
Mr Trump’s remarks prompted the crowd to break into the same “Lock her up!” chant that his supporters directed at Hillary Clinton four years ago.