Former US President and current Republican Party candidate Donald Trump gathered supporters in the heat of Las Vegas. At one point, he asked the crowd if they needed help and appeared visibly annoyed by the teleprompters (a text display screen often used by politicians during their speeches – ed.) that were not working, the Associated Press reported. BTA.
The candidate hired extra medics, deployed ventilators, handed out bottled water and allowed supporters to carry umbrellas at a rally in Las Vegas, where temperatures reached nearly 38 degrees. During his speech, he joked that he didn't want anyone to die at the event because he needed votes. At the same time, he offered assistance to people who felt tired.
Trump returned to Nevada, one of the most important states for the November election, for his second rally since he was found guilty in the scandal of buying silence from an actress in adult films about their past relationship. The unprecedented indictment against the former president has boosted Trump's campaign cash flow and energized his supporters, but it remains unclear whether it will win over swing voters. Trump is scheduled to be interviewed today by court officials in New York via video conference, a necessary step before his sentencing in July.
During the rally, held in a partially shaded park near an airport, Trump said the event was “not as bad” as he had expected and complained about malfunctioning teleprompters, despite earlier himself he mocked his predecessor – US President Barack Obama for relying on them in his speeches.
„It is dry heat. Trivia for Las Vegas residents. But it is a symbol for the rest of the country – we will also go through hell,” said the chairman of the Republican Party in the state of Nevada, Michael McDonald.
Democratic candidate Hillary Clinton won Nevada in 2016, as did President Joe Biden in 2020, but Nevada was the only contested state where Trump did better against Biden than against Clinton. In the 2022 midterm elections, Nevada Governor Steve Sisolak, a Democrat, was the only incumbent governor who did not win re-election. Trump is hoping that his influence among working-class voters and growing interest among Latinos will propel him to victory in the state.
Courting employees from Nevada's huge service sector, Trump said he would seek to eliminate tip taxes, a major source of income for waiters, bartenders and other workers at glitzy Las Vegas hotels. According to Reuters, the pledge provides yet another detail on Trump's planned tax policy, which has so far included vague promises to cut taxes for middle-class workers and small businesses. As required by current law, employees must report their tips as income.
His campaign has renewed efforts to woo Hispanic voters. Four of the speakers who warmed up the crowd before Trump took the stage came from just that background. Trump also criticized U.S. President and likely November election challenger Joe Biden on illegal immigration, predicting the president's decision last week to limit the admission of migrants crossing the U.S.-Mexico border illegally would not lead to change. , though Trump himself tried to implement similar restrictions while he was president.
Trump once again portrayed as heroes his followers convicted of taking part in the storming of the Capitol on January 6, 2021, calling them “soldiers” and suggested a possible cross-examination should he be re-elected. “They are victims of what happened. They are protesting against falsified elections," he said.
Nevada is one of six or seven “wavering” states most likely to determine the outcome of the overall vote. A Fox News poll conducted after Trump's sentencing showed him ahead of Biden in Nevada by five percentage points. Rebecca Gill, a political science professor at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas, said she was skeptical that the poll results would reflect the survey's results, given that the majority of voters were still not paying attention to the race. Additionally, she said, a proposed amendment to Nevada's state constitution to ban abortion would likely boost voter turnout among Democratic supporters. “I think Nevada is still 100% in the game,” Prof Gill concluded.