‘I think they’re at a debate tonight. Nobody’s talking about it. Everybody’s watching us,’ Trump said at a rally held at the same time and near the GOP debate.
HIALEAH, Fla.—Former President Donald Trump called on the Republican National Committee (RNC) to stop “wasting time” on his “weak and ineffective” rivals for the Republican presidential nomination.
President Trump drew a large, enthusiastic crowd during a rally in Hialeah, Florida, a Hispanic-dominant suburb of Miami. The rally was held only a few miles from the third Republican presidential debate and drew a diverse crowd in the one-time Democrat stronghold—a fresh sign that the area has tilted in Republicans’ favor.
Because President Trump’s speech began about 90 minutes later than scheduled, some people at the event wondered whether he was trying to more directly conflict with the debate time in nearby Miami. The debate began at 8 p.m. local time, while President Trump’s speech started at about 8:30 p.m.
However, Jason Miller, a senior adviser to President Trump, said there was no purposeful delay.
“President Trump loves to get out to the people, loves to speak to the people who’ve been patiently waiting and been here for hours,” Mr. Miller said. “So soon as he was able to get here, he did.”
During his speech, the former president hit on several of the most common themes of his many rallies: He decried Democrats for allegedly “rigging elections” against him, vowing not to let it happen again; accused the federal government of being weaponized against Democrats’ political enemies; and repeated his promise to undertake the largest deportation initiative in U.S. history.
President Trump also took the opportunity to attack his Republican opponents for the nomination, citing his stunning success in polls for both the primary and general elections.
“Our nation is in very serious trouble,” he said.
“It’s time for the Republican establishment to stop wasting time and resources trotting to push weak and ineffective ‘RINOs’ [Republicans in name only] and ‘Never Trumpers’ that nobody wants and nobody is going to vote for.”
By Joseph Lord and Janice Hisle
