ALLENTOWN, Pa. — A confident Donald Trump basked in the adoration of a sellout crowd at the PPL Center on Tuesday night as thousands came to support the former president a week from Election Day.
“When you think about it, we’ve created the greatest movement, probably in the history of mankind,” Trump said.
He called on Americans to get to the polls Nov. 5 to take on what he called a crooked system to fix the ills of America. President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris, Trump’s opponent, destroyed the strong economy and security he created, he said. But now, he and his backers are about to right the ship.
“After everything we have been through together, we stand on the verge of the four greatest years of our nation’s history,” said Trump, who was on stage for about an hour and 20 minutes.
The Republican presidential nominee leaned into loaded language as he launched an all-out attack on his Democratic opponents and the media. He accused his opponents of trying to rig the upcoming election and lying about crime rates and the U.S. economy.
“They cheat like hell, and it’s a damn disgrace, but we’re going to get it straightened out,” he said to cheers.
'Migrant invasion'
He saved his strongest vitriol for Harris, whom he said took control of the federal government from Biden and allowed 14,000 dangerous criminals to illegally cross into America. A Harris victory would lead to World War III and lead to millions of deaths, he said.
Under a second Trump term, he would secure the border, support police and restore world order, Trump said. He interspersed his remarks with interviews and videos of news reports focused on violent crime committed by immigrants illegally in the country.
Once he gets back in the Oval Office, “this horrible migrant invasion ends,” Trump said.
Trump’s grim picture of America was countered by the hopeful tones of the speakers who went before him – many of whom specifically targeted Latinos and Spanish-speakers in a city where Hispanics are a majority. Allentown is one of the largest Puerto Rican enclaves in the country.
Bethlehem native Robert Albino, chair of the Hispanic Republican Coalition of Pennsylvania and a minister at Central Assembly of God in Bethlehem, delivered the invocation. Tim Ramos, a former Allentown mayoral candidate, was the first speaker.
U.S. Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Fla., received a loud ovation when he accused Harris of running the most divisive campaign in American history. Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz – Harris’ running mate – accused Trump supporters of being Nazis. Former Trump chief of staff John Kelly – who has endorsed Harris – called Trump a fascist.
“When you think about it, we’ve created the greatest movement, probably in the history of mankind.”Former President Donald Trump
The attacks, Rubio said, are meant to distract Americans from the failed Biden-Harris administration. Small businesses are floundering, Americans are struggling to afford the basics and thousands of violent criminals have illegally crossed into the country, he said.
“She doesn’t want this to be about her record. If I had her record, I wouldn’t want it to be about my record, either,” Rubio said.
Focus on Puerto Rico
Trump did turn his attention to Latino voters late into his speech, calling Puerto Rico’s shadow U.S. Sen. Zoraida Buxó to join him at the podium. He said he had done more for Puerto Ricans than any president in American history recalling the Navy medical ships he sent to the island after Hurricane Maria.
"I will deliver our best future to Puerto Ricans and Hispanic-Americans," Trump said.
The Hispanic outreach came in the wake of a controversial Trump rally at Madison Square Garden in New York City on Sunday. Multiple speakers delivered racist remarks; comedian Tony Hinchcliffe drew widespread condemnations after he referred to Puerto Rico as a “floating island of garbage.”
“You know the truth. It was no joke,” Allentown Mayor Matt Tuerk said during a protest not far from the PPL Center on Tuesday afternoon. “It’s an insult to the people here in Allentown. It’s an insult to the people of Puerto Rico. It’s an insult to Americans because that is hatred. It’s a hateful insult.”
The battleground
Trump’s rally came a week from Election Day when Lehigh Valley voters will cast some of the most consequential ballots in the country. The race for Pennsylvania’s 7th Congressional District and U.S. Senate seat could determine which party controls each chamber of Congress for the next few years. And given the state and region’s battleground reputations, they could tip the scales in an airtight presidential race.
The Allentown visit is Trump’s second to the Lehigh Valley this year. He received a hero’s welcome in April when he rallied supporters outside the Schnecksville Fire Hall ahead of his trial on charges he made illegal hush money payments to conceal an affair. The New York jury later convicted him on all counts, making Trump the first president to be convicted of a felony.
But the charges have only fed into Trump’s rabid support among his MAGA base. Before the rally, vendors hawked T-shirts of a defiant Trump flipping the bird and supporters posed for pictures of an image of Trump’s head doctored onto the body of action icon Rambo.
Keith Hallowell attended the rally with his 12- and 15-year-old sons. He wanted them to see Trump and the campaign up close so they would see it isn’t a circus. The older boy is nearly voting age, and Hallowell wanted him to see up-close what Trump is all about.
Hallowell, a military veteran, said he was concerned about the growing political instability abroad, especially if his sons follow in his shoes.
“I wouldn’t want them to go in until the world gets cleaned up,” he said, adding he believes Trump is the candidate who will do it.
Jason Addy, Julian Abraham and Stephanie Kasulka contributed to this report.
