At an event meant to tout economic policies that would usher in what his campaign calls a “new era of American industrialism,” Donald Trump spent as much time discussing personal grievances and blaming immigrants for everything from fentanyl overdoses to crime and stealing Americans’ jobs as he did discussing the economy.
“This is a speech about economic development, but this is a big part of economic development,” the former president said Tuesday about immigration at a rally in Savannah, Georgia.
After limiting himself to about 30 minutes of pre-prepared speeches about the economy, Trump began to frequently deviate in his speech to other topics, such as immigration, much to the delight of the audience.
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“Close the border!” a man in the crowd shouted as Trump said illegal immigrants were responsible for countless ills.
One of the loudest cheers from the crowd of about 2,500 came when the Republican presidential candidate argued that the United States already has much of what it needs to become an “economic superpower,” as he called it, including natural resources, skilled workers and leading companies.
“The one thing we don’t have is smart people running our country,” Trump said.
Among other promises – including cutting Americans’ energy bills in half and claiming he would “prevent World War III” – Trump said he would revive American manufacturing and restore it “to the way it was 50 years ago.” Trump also said he would block the sale of U.S. Steel to Japanese company Nippon – a plan Joe Biden has said he wants to block.
The former president took aim at electric cars — with the exception of those of his supporter Elon Musk — a perhaps odd tactic given the ongoing construction of a $5.4 billion Hyundai electric car factory that will employ 8,500 workers and has been praised by Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp. Trump did not mention the factory or Kemp in his remarks.
Trump then became distracted by immigration issues, questioning Kamala Harris’ intelligence and patriotism, and relived an assassination attempt in Pennsylvania in July and another terrifying event in Florida earlier this month.
Trump claimed it was more than luck that saved his life when he was hit by an assassin’s bullet.
“People say, ‘It was God, and God came down and saved you because He wants you to bring America back,’” Trump said as the crowd began chanting “USA!”
Ultimately, Trump returned to the economy, saying that a plan to give away federal land to companies willing to build manufacturing facilities there would result in “entire industries” moving to the United States.
He also said he would cap the corporate tax rate at 15%, but only for companies whose products are made in the United States. Trump and Republicans already lowered the top corporate tax rate from 35% to 21% when Congress passed the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act in 2017. The top corporate tax rate was made permanent under the act, but individual tax cuts included in the legislation expire in 2025. Both candidates have said they want the tax cuts extended, but Harris says she would raise the top rate to 28%.
It was Trump’s first visit to Georgia since Aug. 3, when he held a rally in Atlanta. Last month, Harris visited Savannah and held a rally that drew nearly 9,000 supporters.
Much of Trump’s economic policy cannot be separated from his views on immigration. That line of attack — that a weak economy, and even inflation and the availability of goods, are the fault of immigrants — resonated with some of the Republican candidate’s voters who waited to attend his event on Tuesday.
“We don’t have enough groceries in our stores because of all the immigrants here,” said Christy Donley, who drove from nearby Pembroke to hear Trump speak. “We have Americans here who can’t live the American dream, but we’re giving the American dream to illegal immigrants.”
Donley’s girlfriend, Kassie Williams, joined the conversation.
“Loans, health care, driver’s licenses — we’re giving all of these things to immigrants, whether they deserve it or not,” said Williams, who believes Trump’s proposed corporate tax cuts will help individual workers. “I want him to be more specific when he says he’s going to give corporations tax breaks. I understand how that benefits everybody — they lower the unemployment rate, which brings in more tax revenue — but maybe not everybody understands that.”
