In his first rally since the Senate’s vote to acquit him on two articles of impeachment, Trump celebrated his “full, complete and absolute and total acquittal.”
As he reprised the votes, he mentioned losing only Romney in the Senate — and he was cut off by immediate and loud boos at the mention of the Utah senator’s name.
He also referred to the State of the Union address six days ago: “I had somebody behind me who was mumbling terribly,” he said, prompting a loud “Lock her up!” chant.
“We have the highest poll numbers that we have ever had,” he continued. “Thank you, Nancy, very much.”
He also remarked on tomorrow’s New Hampshire primary and seemed to urge independent voters to take part on the Democratic side.
“I hear a lot of Republicans tomorrow will vote for the weakest candidate possible of the Democrats,” he said, although he claimed he was “still trying to figure out” who that was. “I think they’re all weak.”
He referenced his narrow 2016 general election loss in New Hampshire, telling supporters that “we should have won” but claimed that Democrats “had buses being shipped up from Massachusetts.”
He introduced many of the lawmakers and aides who traveled with him and were seated in the first few rows to Trump’s right, remarking at the louder ovation for Rep. Matt Gaetz: “Not bad,” he said.
He called Ivanka and Donald Trump Jr. to the stage briefly and when he asked if his oldest son had made a good speech, some in the crowd chanted “Forty-six!”
Gaetz, incidentally, was mingling with supporters, signing hats and taking pictures on the floor by the press riser during much of the president’s speech.
Around the 7:40 mark, Trump decided to read “The Snake” for the first time in a long while, noting the hush that fell over the arena just before he began. “This is illegal immigration,” he said, by way of introduction.
When he read the line about the snake giving the woman “a vicious bite,” a man behind the press table shouted: “Pelosi!”
More riffs on Democrats and the Iowa caucuses debacle: “The Democratic Party wants to run your healthcare, but they can’t even run a caucus in Iowa.”
“We have become a big party,” Trump said of the GOP. “An open-minded party… We’re the hot party. We’re the party with all the enthusiasm.”
Nearing the one-hour mark, Trump still on stage but pool being told to begin packing up.