Former President Donald Trump held a rally in Coachella, California, on Saturday night, in which he focused heavily on immigration and the crisis at the southern border.
Early in his remarks, Trump directed his attention stateside, calling California a “paradise lost” and linking Vice President Kamala Harris to the “decline” of the Golden State.
“Through generations of American history, California stood as the beacon of what our country aspired to become. … But all that was eradicated by the very policies that Kamala Harris now wants to force upon America,” he said.
“We’re not going to let Kamala Harris do to America what she did to California,” Trump added.
Trump then shifted to illegal immigration, saying it has been one of the biggest factors in “destroying” California.
“If Kamala gets four more years, the entire country will become like the migrant camp of LA and San Francisco,” he said, before adding that he thinks the crisis at the southern border is the No. 1 issue over the economy.
Video played at the rally showed news stories focusing on the Tren de Aragua gang from Venezuela, illegal immigrant crime, and Harris’s past comments on immigration.
Reiterating comments he made at a rally in Aurora, Colorado, on Friday, Trump said he would invoke the Alien Enemies Act of 1798 under “Operation Aurora” to deport immigrant gang members. He also repeated his call for the death penalty for illegal immigrants who kill a U.S. citizen or law enforcement officer, saying, “It’s time.”
Trump shifted back stateside to launch personal jabs at Rep. Adam Schiff (D-CA), a noted Trump critic, saying he’s a “major lowlife.”
“He’s a bad person, he’s a sick person — not a stupid guy — but he’s a sick puppy. … To me, he’s one of the least attractive human beings I think I’ve ever seen,” he said.
Schiff is facing off against Republican Steve Garvey for the U.S. Senate seat that was held by the late Sen. Dianne Feinstein. Notably, Garvey has not sought Trump’s endorsement.
Before Trump took the stage, Hollywood actor Dennis Quaid spoke, emphasizing that “it’s time to pick a side.”
“I’m here today to tell you that it’s time to pick a side. Are we going to be a nation that stands for the Constitution, or for TikTok? Are we going to be a nation of law and order, or wide open borders? Which is it because it’s time to pick a side,” he said.
Quaid said in an interview with Piers Morgan in May that he would vote for Trump after he saw a “weaponization of our justice system, and a challenge to our Constitution.“
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While a campaign stop by Trump in California, a reliably blue state, is unconventional at this time of the election cycle, California is home to six competitive House races, with the Coachella Valley being in the state’s 41st Congressional District, currently represented by Rep. Ken Calvert (R-CA).
Calvert is currently in a tight race for reelection against Democratic challenger Will Rollins, and Trump’s campaign stop could help Republicans galvanize voters ahead of the election.
