Donald Trump has blasted the media, criticised Congress and threatened to shut down the government over the US-Mexico wall in a frenzied, campaign-style rally in Phoenix, Arizona.
During a meandering, 77-minute speech last night (Tuesday), the president also slammed the media as “dishonest” over reporting of his comments about violence at a far-right rally in Charlottesville.
In clashes outside the Trump rally, police fired what appeared to be pepper spray, or pepper balls, in an effort to disperse crowds protesting against the president.
Trump faced great criticism at the time for failing to exclusively condemn the actions of neo-Nazis and white supremacists at the rally, which left one woman dead.
“The only thing giving a platform to these hate groups is the media itself and the fake news,” Trump said.
“I really think they don’t like our country. I really believe that,” he added.
Trump reread some of his initial response to the deadly rally, notably omitting the phrase “on many sides,” which he used to describe groups inciting violence in Charlottesville.
The president specifically called out antifa, an anti-facist group of protesters, suggesting his initial response to the violence at the white supremacist protest was directed at them.
He also spent more than 10 minutes at the Phoenix rally rereading his three responses to Charlottesville, arguing that “the words were perfect.”
“You know where my heart is,” Trump told the crowd.
Here is a breakdown of some of Trump’s wildest moments at the rally:
1. He kicked off the speech by rereading all his responses to the protests in Charlottesville, arguing “the words were perfect”.
But while going over his widely criticised initial response, Trump omitted the most controversial part of the statement, in which he blamed “many sides” for the violence there.
Defending his remarks, he said he “hit” various racist groups.
“I hit ’em with neo-Nazi, I hit ’em with everything,” he said.
“I got the white supremacist, I got the neo-Nazi, I got ’em all in there. Let’s see. KKK? We have KKK. I got ’em all.”
2. He attacked the media for “trying to take away our history, our heritage”.
Turning on journalists in typical Trump fashion, the president said the media was “dishonest” in the portrayal of his response to the Nazi rally in Virginia.
“The only thing giving a platform to these hate groups is the media itself and the fake news,” he said.
“I really think they don’t like our country. I really believe that,” he added.
However, he did praise Fox News and Sean Hannity, saying they “treated me fairly”.
3. He bragged about how he lives in a “bigger, more beautiful apartment” than the journalists who cover him.
“I went to better schools than they did. I was a better student than they were,” Trump said, referring to what he called the “elite” media, whom he referred to as “dishonest” and “bad people.”
4. He suggested he’d shut down the government if it meant he could get a wall built along the US-Mexico border.
“If we have to shut down that government, we’re building that wall,” Trump said. “One way or another, we’re going to get that wall.”
5. He claimed cameras at the rally were being turned off as live-streams of the speech on cable news networks continued to roll.
He specifically called out CNN, which aired Trump’s speech until the end.
6. He lamented CNN’s firing of Jeffrey Lord, a pro-Trump commentator formerly featured on the network.
Lord was fired for tweeting the Nazi salute “Sieg Heil” earlier in August.
7. He slammed both Republican Arizona senators.
Not only did he criticise Jeff Flake, who has recently spoken out against Trump, but also John McCain, who cast a pivotal vote that caused the GOP’s Obamacare repeal bill to flame out in the Senate in July.
McCain is currently receiving treatment for brain cancer.
8. He requested (again) that statues of George Washington are protected.
Trump has made the demand a number of times since many Confederate statues and monuments around the U.S. have been removed or relocated.