Former President Donald Trump on Wednesday presented his vision for the country as he fielded questions from voters and a CNN moderator for a town hall in New Hampshire.
Trump, the frontrunner for the Republican presidential nomination in 2024, shared what he’d do if he is reelected in 2024 to address what his campaign calls the “Biden decline” currently taking place in the United States.
Republicans and undeclared voters were at the event, held at Saint Anselm College. It marked Trump’s first appearance on CNN since before he became president in 2016, and was also the first major televised event of the 2024 presidential campaign.
“[President] Joe Biden has turned everything into a disaster: inflation, the economy, the border, crime, energy, China, Russia, and wokeness in schools,” Trump’s campaign said in a statement shortly after the town hall.
“President Trump will save the economy, bring down inflation, secure the border, crush the Deep State and prevent World War 3.
“President Trump is the only one who can stop the forces from destroying our country—anyone else will be ripped to shreds.”
Throughout the event, Trump shared his policy stances on a range of issues.
Skyrocketing Prices
An audience member asked about skyrocketing prices that have affected food, gas, utilities, and insurance, which has increased U.S. taxpayers’ bills by several hundred dollars a month.
“If elected president again, what is the first thing you’d do to help bring down the costs to make things more affordable?” she asked.
“Drill, baby, drill,” Trump responded, referring to drilling for more oil to help lower energy costs. The audience warmly cheered and applauded him.
Trump said under his administration, the country became energy independent and was soon to be energy dominant, and oil prices went down to $1.87, and in some cases lower, before “these stupid fools ended it,” in a reference to the Biden administration.
“We created the greatest economy in history,” Trump asserted, adding that “a big part of that economy” also gave Americans large tax cuts.
