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Donald Trump gave his first rally-style speech since his election victory in Phoenix on Sunday.
At the event — AmericaFest 2024 — he discussed immigration, defended some of his most controversial cabinet picks, and laid out his plans for when he takes office on January 20, which he referred to as “liberation day.”
Trump also repeated his threats of retaking the Panama Canal.
“We’re being ripped off at the Panama Canal like we’re being ripped off everywhere else,” he said.
On Truth Social Saturday, Trump accused Panama of charging American vessels “exorbitant prices” to use the vital waterway that acts as a shortcut linking the Atlantic and Pacific oceans.
“The fees being charged by Panama are ridiculous, especially knowing the extraordinary generosity that has been bestowed to Panama by the U.S.,” Trump vented.
“If the principles, both moral and legal, of this magnanimous gesture of giving are not followed, then we will demand that the Panama Canal be returned to us, in full, and without question,” he stridently added, referring to a 1977 treaty.
The 78-year-old Republican also echoed his plans to impose tariffs against the European Union, Canada and Mexico. He said he wouldn’t let the E.U. turn the U.S. into a “dumping ground.”
ICYMI: Lara Trump will not run for the Senate
Lara Trump dropped out of the running for the Senate on Saturday evening, teasing a “big announcement” to come in January.
Donald Trump’s daughter-in-law was floated as a possible replacement for Marco Rubio, the president-elect’s choice for secretary of state.
Two weeks ago Trump announced she was also stepping down from her role as co-chair of the Republican National Committee.
Rhian Lubin has the full story.
Kelly Rissman22 December 2024 20:15
Donald Trump’s tariffs will be ‘surgical’, his former communications director warned
Donald Trump will impose “surgical” tariffs when he enters office, his former director of communications has warned, as concern grows over an imminent trade war with the United States.
Anthony Scaramucci said Trump will impose the levies in a targeted way on any “industries that we need to protect”.
The former adviser’s intervention comes just days after Sir Keir Starmer hit out at the “dangers” of tariffs, putting the prime minister on a collision course with the incoming US president.
Read the full story.
Kelly Rissman22 December 2024 19:45
Fascism is ‘not a word that regular people use:’ Sen. John Fetterman, when discussing Trump’s election win
Kelly Rissman22 December 2024 19:15
The president-elect welcomes a ‘commonsense revolution'
Donald Trump said a “commonsense revolution” is coming soon to America.
“Woke has to stop. It’s destroying our country. Woke is bulls***,” Trump said, citing the renaming of ships and military bases that were named after Confederate figures. “We will get critical race theory and transgender insanity out of our schools,” he said.
In his second term, Trump promised taxes will be slashed, wages will be increased, violent crime will end and America’s “once-great cities” will be rebuilt.
“We are finally going to build up our country, defend our land and protect our citizens,” the president-elect promised.
“Together we will fight, fight, fight, and together we will win, win, win!” Trump said at the conclusion of his speech.
Before walking off the stage, he did his signature “Trump dance” as the Village People’s “YMCA” played.
Kelly Rissman22 December 2024 18:40
Trump lays out anti-trans policies that he will sign on ‘day one'
“With the stroke of my pen, on day one I will stop the transgender lunacy,” Donald Trump told the Phoenix crowd.
He said he plans to stop “gender mutilation,” keep transgender Americans out of the military and “keep men out of women’s sports,” he said.
Kelly Rissman22 December 2024 18:22
WATCH: Donald Trump Threatens To Retake Panama Canal
Kelly Rissman22 December 2024 18:15
Former GOP chair suggests Musk is steamrolling ‘too old’ Trump
The former chairman of the Republican Party turned the tables on Donald Trump’s long-running criticism of Joe Biden and suggested it’s now the president-elect who may be “too old” to hold his own — especially against his new “best buddy” Elon Musk.
Michael Steele hit out amid lawmakers’ harsh rebukes of Trump after the tech billionaire appeared to play a major role earlier this week via X to kill the first bipartisan stopgap government funding deal floated by Republican House speaker Mike Johnson.
Trump issued a statement agreeing with his billionaire backer only after Musk launched the initial attacks, leading some to mock Trump as Musk’s obsequious vice president.
Read the full story.
Kelly Rissman22 December 2024 18:00
Trump’s threats to retake the Panama Canal continue
Donald Trump also once again threatened to reclaim the Panama Canal.
“We’re being ripped off at the Panama Canal like we’re being ripped off everywhere else,” he said.
The canal would help with “rapid deployment” of the Navy, he said, adding that the fees being charged by Panama are “ridiculous, highly unfair.”
He repeated the same claim that he wrote in a Truth Social post on Saturday: former President Jimmy Carter “foolishly gave it away for one dollar.”
Read more about Trump’s threats to retake the Panama Canal here:
Kelly Rissman22 December 2024 17:53
Trump repeats tariff threats during AmericaFest speech
“The golden age of America is upon us!” Trump declared.
He praised the post-election stock market, “small business optimism,” and a surge in bitcoin.
Trump also said he informed Mexico and Canada that they have to “stop pouring illegal drugs and aliens into our country,” he said. The president-elect has threatened to impose hefty tariffs on the neighboring countries if they don’t stop the flow of drugs and migrants into the U.S.
Trump then said the European Union has “treated us very badly,” saying they don’t take our agricultural products or cars but “we take ours.”
We’re not going to let the E.U. turn the U.S. into a “dumping ground,” the president-elect continued.
Earlier this week, threatened to levy tariffs against the E.U. in a Truth Social post: “I told the European Union that they must make up their tremendous deficit with the United States by the large scale purchase of our oil and gas. Otherwise, it is TARIFFS all the way.”
Kelly Rissman22 December 2024 17:45
Trump takes the stage at AmericaFest to deliver his first rally-style speech since his re-election
The 78-year-old Republican walked through a cloud of smoke as he stepped onto the AmericaFest stage as Lee Greenwood’s “God Bless the U.S.A.” blared.
The red MAGA cap-wearing crowd cheered and chanted “USA! USA!” as Trump approached the microphone.
His 2024 election victory “really was one of the great political victories in the history of our country,” he said.
“If I didn’t know that we won in 2020, I wouldn’t have done this,” he said, repeating claims of 2020 election fraud.
Kelly Rissman22 December 2024 17:32