Trump calls Democrats ‘unhinged’ and ‘an angry mob’ in run-up to midterm elections

Donald Trump described Democrats as “unhinged” and “an angry mob” during a campaign pitch to voters in Iowa, four weeks ahead of the midterm elections.

The president told the arena crowd of roughly 9,000 people that Democrats would destroy people’s businesses, provide sanctuary to murderous immigrant gangs and plunge the nation into “poverty” and “chaos”.

“The Democrats have become too extreme and they’ve become, frankly, too dangerous to govern,” Mr Trump said. “They’ve gone wacko!”

His 76-minute speech, held at a border town along the Missouri River, was a preview not only of his campaign blitz over the next 28 days, but also of his own re-election push that will begin in earnest soon after the midterms.

The president said Fred Hubbell, the Democrat challenging Iowa’s governor, Kim Reynolds, intends to “massively raise your taxes”, “take away your ethanol” and “devastate your farms and businesses”.

Mr Trump called Democrats “Dems”, which he pronounced as “Dims” – an apparent play on their intelligence.

He said he picked up the nickname from “the great Lou Dobbs”, the Fox Business Network host.

Mr Trump mentioned more than six other Fox News Channel stars at the rally, including Sean Hannity, Tucker Carlson, Laura Ingraham and Jeanine Pirro.

Mr Trump claimed victory throughout – not only for the confirmation of Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh after a bruising nomination fight, but also for new trade deals, the falling unemployment rate and last December’s tax cuts.

“The only reason to vote Democrat is if you are tired of winning,” Mr Trump said.

He said the sexual assault allegations against Mr Kavanaugh were “a national embarrassment” and the product of a Democratic campaign to “destroy that man”.

“In four weeks, you will have a chance to render your verdict on the Democrats’ outrageous conduct,” Mr Trump said.

President Trump singled out senator Dianne Feinstein, ranking member on the Senate Judiciary Committee, and accused her of disclosing the identity of Christine Blasey Ford, who had written a confidential letter this summer detailing her claims against Mr Kavanaugh.

Ms Feinstein has denied that she or her staff leaked Ms Ford’s name to the press, but Mr Trump insisted she had.

“Did she leak that? One hundred per cent,” Mr Trump said. “I don’t want to get sued, so 99 per cent.”

The crowd burst into chants of “Lock her up!” – a Trump rally staple usually reserved for demeaning Hillary Clinton, Mr Trump’s 2016 Democratic opponent.

Moments later, the crowd again chanted “Lock her up!” – this time when Mr Trump invoked Ms Clinton in his remarks.

As his rally crowd called for the imprisonment of two Democratic politicians, Mr Trump said it was the Democrats who were the party of lawlessness.

“You don’t give power to an angry left-wing mob,” Mr Trump said, warning that if Democrats win congressional majorities next month they would “turn our country so fast into Venezuela.”

President Trump also recounted his greatest hits against prominent Democrats.

He called senator Richard Blumenthal, a frequent cable-news critic of Mr Trump, “DaNang Dick” - a reference to the senator overstating his military service during the Vietnam war several years ago.

Mr Trump also singled out senator Elizabeth Warren for particular disdain.

He said Democrats “have gone so far left that they consider ‘Pocahontas’ a rational person”.

“No, it’s crazy! Elizabeth Warren. Oh, I hope she runs. We can finally get down to the fact as to whether or not she has Indian blood.”

President Trump added that “her mother says she has high cheekbones”.

Mr Trump said Ms Warren’s claims of Native American ancestry have given her unfair advantages in her career.

Ms Warren has said her claims of Native American ancestry are based on family lore. But a Boston Globe investigation last month found that her ethnicity did not help her advance in her law career.

Tuesday night’s event was the first of several “Make America Great Again” campaign rallies scheduled for this week.

President Trump plans to visit Erie, Pennsylvania, on Wednesday, and then rally supporters in Ohio and Kentucky on Friday and Saturday respectively. Last week, he headlined rallies in Tennessee, Mississippi, Minnesota and Kansas.

Mr Trump has already visited Iowa three times as president. He won the state by 9 per centage points in 2016.

But 56 per cent of Iowans now disapprove of his performance as president, while only 39 per cent approve, according to an Iowa Poll conducted last month.

Council Bluffs sits on Iowa’s western edge, across the Missouri River from Omaha, and Republican officials and candidates from both Iowa and Nebraska attended the rally.

There was a clear Nebraska tint to the audience, which at one point burst into chants of “Go, Big Red” – a reference to the University of Nebraska’s football team.

When President Trump asked attendees to cheer to identify their state of residence, the screams from Nebraskans were louder than those from Iowans.

Mr Trump used the event to announce that his administration will press forward with plans to promote the use of ethanol, in a move that could boost Republicans on the ballot across Midwestern states.

The announcement paves the way for year-round sales of E15, or fuel that is 15 per cent ethanol by volume. Currently sales of the fuel are prohibited during the summer months due to air pollution concerns.

“Today we are unleashing the power of E15 to fuel our country all year long,” Mr Trump said, to big cheers from the crowd.

He noted he “made that promise to you during the primaries, remember? Promises made, promises kept”.

Washington Post