Trump: Protesters are vicious people, but you will not be silenced

The US President, who was pranked during a previous public appearance, will address a packed hall in Phoenix.

By JERUSALEM POST STAFF, REUTERS
U.S. President Donald Trump reacts to the crowd as he arrives onstage at his first re-election campaign rally in several months in the midst of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) outbreak, at the BOK Center in Tulsa, Oklahoma, U.S., June 20, 2020 (photo credit: REUTERS/LEAH MILLIS)
U.S. President Donald Trump reacts to the crowd as he arrives onstage at his first re-election campaign rally in several months in the midst of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) outbreak, at the BOK Center in Tulsa, Oklahoma, U.S., June 20, 2020
(photo credit: REUTERS/LEAH MILLIS)
United States President Donald Trump said at a campaign rally in Phoenix, Arizona on Tuesday night, that Left Wing protesters "are vicious people, but you," his audience, "will not be silenced." 
By this time, the crowd was repeatedly chanting "USA." The event was geared towards a younger audience, that Trump assured would surely "serve their country well."  
Trump went on to say that the protesters "hate our history" and warned that the recent wave of mass protests across the US contain totalitarian elements.
"We will never cave to the left wing intolerance," Trump said.
The 3,000-seat church seemed to be completely full, and the Students For Trump organization tweeted that the house was 'Absolutely Packed.' Trump invited several young people to speak alongside him, and they shared how, from their perspective, they were bullied by those whom they called "left-wing bullies."   
CNN noted that few, if any of the students, were wearing masks at the event, during a global pandemic, adding that the Grand Canyon state recorded 3,591 cases in the past 24 hours.
Trump argued in his speech that the Left "is trying to destroy our country" and joked that he heard in some American cities they are talking about defunding police.
"Well I guess 'll be reelected now," he said, to which the audience laughed and cheered.
"The future belongs to you," he told the audience. "And those who love our country."   
Trump has been criticized for cozying up tocontroversial leaders such as North Korea's Kim Jong Un. He is also under attack by many Americans for his handling of the protests in response to the death of African American George Floyd who was killed in police custody in Minneapolis late last month.
On Sunday, it was reported that Trump's plan to speak in Tulsa Oklahoma to 19,000 people was thwarted when teenagers and other young people bought tickets, even though they did not intend to attend, leaving the hall mostly empty.
The prank spread via social media and especially so by fans of Korean pop music, who called on Tik Tok users to sabotage the event.
The Trump administration was also slammed recently by former US national security adviser John Bolton, who in his recent book, claimed that Trump is unable to serve the nation properly, and is played by Russian President Vladimir Putin 'like a violin' adding that he hopes Trump will not win a second term. 
Trump, who narrowly won Arizona in the 2016 presidential election, is looking to cement his foothold in the state as opinion polls showed that Biden was currently leading the Republican president and his challenger Republican Senator Martha McSally, who is also behind Democratic challenger Mark Kelly.
Earlier in the week, Trump visited a freshly-built portion of the wall along the shared US-Mexican border near San Luis, Arizona - a dusty, barren landscape where the temperature reportedly hit 102 degrees Fahrenheit (40 degrees Celsius). Using a black Sharpie pen, he autographed a plaque commemorating the 200th mile.
A campaign pledge to build the wall helped propel Trump to the White House in 2016.
The trip to Arizona was Trump's third this year. Arizona had a recorded increase of more than 3,500 new cases of coronavirus infections on Tuesday. The state also saw record hospitalizations, record patients in intensive care, and a record number of patients on ventilators in recent weeks.
The president and his advisers have largely dismissed concerns about holding campaign events as the coronavirus continues to spread in some parts of the United States.
Trump told the audience on Tuesday that the virus, which originated in China, is known by many names, including "the kung flu," a description has drawn fire as an insensitive slur.


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