Trump said the midterms should be a “national referendum” on President Biden and Democratic control of Congress, and Republicans should ensure Democrats suffer a “crippling” defeat. His speech at the convention in Dallas, Texas ended its third day. Trump pointed to several candidates he supported in the primary, including Tudor Dixon, the Republican candidate for governor of Michigan, and Kari Lake, who won the GOP nomination for governor of Arizona. He said GOP candidates should campaign to hold the Biden administration accountable and work to “close” the southern border, reduce crime and beat inflation. He said restoring “public safety” is the first order of business for the next Congress, and he knows the Republican candidates “are not going to play games.” Trump reiterated his call for the death penalty for drug dealers. He said China doesn’t have a drug problem because it executes drug traffickers after quick trials. He said the procedure “sounds horrible” but would be effective in eradicating drug trafficking. Trump said congressional Republicans should make it clear that no money will be given to fund Biden’s “open borders agenda.” Republicans have sharply criticized the Biden administration for increasing the number of undocumented immigrants since he took office. Biden has rolled back many Trump-era policies since becoming president, most recently Title 42, a pandemic-era policy that allowed the federal government to quickly deport undocumented immigrants and prevent them from seeking asylum. Trump said the country needs a “record” increase in the number of Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents to deport undocumented immigrants, and the administration should implement tougher penalties for repeat offenders. Trump said teaching any inappropriate “racial, sexual and political material” to students “in any form” should be banned, and if federal officials push for this “radicalism,” the Department of Education should be abolished. He championed several other cultural issues that have become key parts of many Republican platforms, including banning transgender people from playing a gender-identified sport and ending a “censorship regime” to protect free speech. He said the next Congress has many urgent tasks to deal with and there is no time for waiting. Read the full text: Senate climate, tax bill grows to 755 pages, passes key CBO test Trump wins CPAC poll with more than two-thirds of vote Trump also hinted at a possible third run for the presidency in 2024, saying he won millions more votes in 2020 than he did in 2016 and that “we might have to do it again.” Trump told New York Magazine last month that he has already decided whether to run again, but the big decision will be whether to announce before or after the midterm elections. He said the country’s comeback would start in November with the interim, but 2024 would be the “big one”.
