President sought to rehab image after criticism of being out of touch, but speech aimed at midterms took different turn
Fact-checking Trump’s speech
Donald Trump has sought to reboot his ailing US presidency at a rally-style event with a blitz of false claims about the economy and xenophobic attacks on immigrants and “shithole countries”.
In the wake of Republican election defeats and criticism that he is out of touch with America’s affordability crisis, Trump’s speech at the Mount Pocono casino in north-eastern Pennsylvania on Tuesday was billed as an opportunity to reclaim the economic narrative.
But greeted by Lee Greenwood’s song God Bless the USA and a crowd chanting “USA! USA! USA!”, the president swiftly reverted to his freewheeling campaign mode, frequently diverting from his teleprompter over more than 90 minutes to hurl insults and call affordability a “hoax”.
