Trump in Arizona: Former president ends speech saying U.S. is 'nation in decline'
Former President Donald Trump returned to Arizona for the third time this year to push his preferred Republican picks over the top in the upcoming midterms.
The event started at 1 p.m., and Trump took the stage shortly before 5 p.m. at Bell Bank Park in Mesa. The event was streamed on YouTube.
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More coverage by Republic reporters of Trump and the Republican campaign rally in Mesa follows below.
6:55 p.m.: Trump fails to mention 2 Arizona Republicans
Former President Donald Trump wrapped up his Arizona remarks with endorsements for most, but not all, of the state’s Republican congressional candidates.
During his speech, Trump shared the dais with gubernatorial candidate Kari Lake and U.S. Senate candidate Blake Masters in an effort to boost the top of the ticket.
He also took turns praising U.S. Reps. Andy Biggs, Paul Gosar and Debbie Lesko, as well as GOP challengers Eli Crane and Kelly Cooper. Trump notably didn’t mention Rep. David Schweikert and Juan Ciscomani, who is the GOP nominee in a Tucson-area district.
After doing so, Trump again turned to the dark imagery of an America in chaos because of Democratic policies. He complained of inflation and declining stocks, dead U.S. soldiers and wasted hardware in Afghanistan and with Ukraine at war.
“We are a nation in decline,” Trump said near the end of his speech as sorrowful sounding music played. “We are a nation that in many ways has become a joke.”
“But we are not going to allow this horror to continue,” he said. “It is hard-working patriots like you who are going to save this country.”
By the time Trump was ending his speech, many in the crowd already had walked away.
— Ronald J. Hansen
6:40 p.m.: Trump ends speech in Mesa
Former President Donald Trump has concluded his remarks at a rally in Mesa. Trump spoke for more than 90 minutes, airing many of the grievances he has repeated for years, while also giving attention to Republican candidates that he is backing in the state.
6:10 p.m.: Trump says World War III could happen soon
The planet could be on the verge of World War III, former President Donald Trump said Sunday, blaming the Biden administration for failing to avert the Russian invasion of Ukraine and the spiraling tensions over it.
With characteristic self-congratulation, Trump praised himself for being correct about “everything” but said he hopes he is wrong that another global war could be on the horizon.
“We must demand immediate negotiation of a peaceful end to the war in Ukraine or we will end up in World War III, and there will never be a war like this. We will never have had a war like this, and that’s all because of stupid people that don’t have a clue. And it’s also because of the kind of weaponry that’s available today.”
Trump castigated Sen. Mark Kelly, D-Ariz., as a reliable vote for ill-considered legislation pushed by House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., and Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y.
More than 45 minutes into his remarks, Trump returned repeatedly to claims of a stolen election in 2020. He called 2020 a “rigged and stolen election.”
“I ran twice. I won twice,” Trump said.
— Ronald J. Hansen and Alison Steinbach
5:55 p.m.: Trump claims predecessors took classified records
Former President Donald Trump unloaded on the FBI and accused his presidential predecessors over the criminal investigation of the documents seized from his residence at Mar-a-Lago.
He alluded to a third presidential run that won’t get derailed by what he views as politically motivated attacks on him.
“What they’re trying to do is take us out so we can’t represent you if we decide to do that, but we’ll be making a decision very soon,” he said to rising cheers.
Trump claimed that former President Bill Clinton took millions of classified records with him when he left office, and presidents George W. Bush and Barack Obama also improperly took records as well.
Clinton lost the nuclear codes and former President Jimmy Carter sent the nuclear codes to a dry cleaner, Trump said, adding that nothing happened in those matters.
“Lock her up! Lock her up!” the crowd chanted after Trump mentioned former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton kept private from officials government emails.
“They should give me back everything that was taken,” Trump said of the records taken by the FBI.
“They plant documents,” he said of the FBI. Trump wondered aloud when the Clintons would face investigation and prosecution.
“I don’t think they will do it, and I don’t think they should do it,” Trump said.
Despite his complaints, Trump said the actions against him drove his poll numbers higher.
— Ronald J. Hansen
5:30 p.m.: Trump starts speech with familiar topics
Former President Donald Trump wasted no time on Sunday launching into familiar grievances and a bleak image of America without him in the White House.
Citing the influx of illegal immigrants, soaring prices and arrests of people who oppose abortion, Trump hit President Joe Biden and Democrats generally for a country in turmoil.
“These are incredible people. They’re being treated like terrorists,” Trump said, vaguely alluding to those who support him or conservative causes.
“Nothing happens to antifa. Nothing happens to (Black Lives Matter). But look at what happens to patriots. The Democrats are locking up their political opponents," he said.
Trump put himself and his many controversies as the central evidence of Democrats abusing their power to hurt Republican opponents.
He complained of impeachment over what he again referred to a “perfect phone call” where he tied approval of military aid to Ukraine to that country declaring an investigation of President Joe Biden’s son, Hunter Biden.
He described his conversation with Georgia election officials that is under criminal investigation “an absolutely perfect phone call.”
Within seconds of taking the stage, Trump had complained about the media, alluded to his baseless claims of a stolen election and hinted that more elections could lie ahead.
“We won it big and we won it a second time,” Trump said early on.
He took the stage in sun-splashed Mesa an hour later than scheduled, though those in the crowd of perhaps 5,000 at the event had stuck around without any obvious complaints.
— Ronald J. Hansen
5 p.m.: Trump takes the stage in Mesa
Former President Donald J. Trump started speaking to the crowd in Mesa just before 5 p.m. Sunday, about an hour later than scheduled. He started his remarks by repeating his false claim that he won Arizona in 2020 and went on the attack against Democrats.
4:50 p.m.: Lake fires up crowd, but doesn't mention 2020 election
Republican candidate for Arizona governor Kari Lake, the former television news anchor, spoke for 18 minutes on Sunday — without once mentioning the 2020 election and the false claims about it that propelled her to political prominence.
Instead, Lake painted her Democratic opponent Katie Hobbs as an absent candidate who refused to debate her, while Lake has toured the state speaking directly to voters. She connected Hobbs to the Biden administration, claiming Hobbs would raise taxes on Arizonans already feeling the brunt of record-high inflation. Hobbs has said she does not plan to do so, and either candidate would need the Legislature’s agreement to change tax policy.
Lake repeatedly noted a discrimination case Hobbs was involved in while Hobbs was the Democratic leader in the state Senate. A Black female Democratic staffer proved to two juries she was discriminated against and fired in retaliation by Hobbs and others after raising an issue over her pay disparity.
Those verdicts, Lake said, showed Hobbs had already embarrassed the state and should not lead it. Her attacks prompted cheers from the crowd.
“They’re saying lock her up,” Lake said. “I think we should just vote her out, how’s that?”
Lake proved victorious in August’s four-way primary election with the backing of Trump, who remains polarizing in politics. And though claims about the 2020 election being stolen or corrupt are a hallmark of her campaign — she has said she wouldn’t have certified Biden’s win in the state two years ago — she didn’t mention them Sunday.
Instead, she pledged a crackdown at the border to stop illegal immigration and fentanyl trafficking and talked about economic hardship facing Arizonans. In a new policy proposal, Lake said she would work to prohibit municipalities from collecting taxes on groceries and rent. Doing both would require the Legislature to pass a bill.
“It is said hard times create strong men, well they create strong women too,” she said. “And this woman is ready to put an end to the hard times. Who is ready to step up with me?”
The crowd chanted back: “Kari! Kari! Kari!”
4 p.m.: Finchem promises changes to voting if elected secretary of state
State Rep. Mark Finchem’s walk-on music at the Mesa rally was the theme from "The Good, the Bad and the Ugly." To further his Western bona fides, and to take a swipe at East Coast commentators who mock his western vibe, Finchem wore his cowboy hat and sported his “Sunday Go-To Meeting Tie.“
He launched into his familiar attack on his Democratic opponent for secretary of state, Adrian Fontes, from Fontes’ missteps during the 2020 Democratic presidential preference election to his support of all-mail voting to policy changes that were slapped down by court rulings.
“Just follow the law” is his campaign mantra, and he said he will stick to the rules.
As secretary of state, Finchem said he will push for post-election audits in all 15 counties and disconnect Arizona from ERIC, the Electronic Registration Information Center, which shares voter information among states to ensure there is not double voting.
— Mary Jo Pitzl
3:40 p.m.: Masters continues to pound Kelly over border, drugs, crime
U.S. Senate candidate Blake Masters continued his aggressive attacks on Sen. Mark Kelly, D-Ariz., saying he should have to attend the funerals of overdose victims killed by drugs that entered America from its porous borders.
Masters rattled off a familiar list of complaints about current conditions: There are 300,000 people crossing the nation’s border each month, violent crime has soared in Phoenix since 2019 and fentanyl continues to kill Americans everywhere.
“Mark Kelly has been radio silent about fentanyl for 22 months,” Masters said. That ended last week, Masters said, because he had a debate with Masters.
“One month before Election Day, he says, ‘Uh oh. I better pretend to start doing something about fentanyl,’” Masters said, adding that 2,000 Arizonans have died from the drug in the past year.
“I think Mark Kelly should have to attend the funerals. Let him look a grieving mother in the eye and he can explain to her why he failed to even lift a finger to secure our border,” Masters said.
His words extend attacks on Kelly that shot to prominence last week during the debate between the Senate candidates.
Masters took the stage to “Danger Zone,” the song made famous in both installments of the movie “Top Gun” that is about Navy pilots. It would seem a curious choice. Kelly was a Navy fighter pilot before becoming an astronaut, while Masters never served in the military.
— Ronald J. Hansen
3 p.m.: Hamadeh, Lesko describe a country in turmoil
Abe Hamadeh, a Trump-endorsed candidate for Arizona attorney general, characterized Arizona as on the front lines of defending America in a short speech at the rally in Mesa.
“Arizona, we shocked the hell out of the establishment on Aug. 2, and are you ready to do it again?” Hamadeh said to loud applause.
Hamadeh said Democrats have harmed the country in the past couple years, citing inflation, drugs and “terrorists” crossing the border with Mexico, critical race theory in schools, censorship from big tech and Democrats who are “weaponizing the law and targeting patriots.”
“Arizona is on the front lines of so many of the battles facing our country, and if we lose Arizona, we lose our country, but we’re not going to lose. We’re not going to lose because President Trump is still fighting for America,” he said.
As attorney general, Hamadeh said he would fight criminals, drug cartels and the federal government and “lock up some people and put handcuffs on them,” prompting cheers in the crowd of “lock them up.”
“America has been down before, but America has never been out. The rest of the country is watching, they’re watching what we do right here in Arizona, because if we win, there’s still hope for America. And when we win, when we win, Arizona will lead America’s greatest comeback and never look back," he said.
The dark imagery was a theme among speakers.
Rep. Debbie Lesko, R-Ariz., described a dystopian America on the verge of collapse in the hands of Democrats in her remarks Sunday.
Inflation, a “totally open border,” fentanyl and violent crime have surged under President Joe Biden with help from congressional Democrats, Lesko told the crowd in Mesa.
And authorities have hounded Trump since he began his political career, she said.
“They continue to go after President Trump for six years,” she said, also lamenting the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention “to take away our rights” presumably during the pandemic.
“If our country is going to survive, this has got to stop,” Lesko said.
— Alison Steinbach and Ronald J. Hansen
2:40 p.m.: Republicans rally with Katie Hobbs in Paradise Valley
Democratic candidate for governor Katie Hobbs held a brief news conference Sunday morning at Barry Goldwater Memorial Park in Paradise Valley to emphasize that Republicans should support her over rival Kari Lake.
Several members of Hobbs’ “Republicans for Katie Hobbs Coalition” gathered with her at the park, which celebrates the state’s conservative icon who died in 1998 following five terms as a U.S. senator.
Karie Dozer, a former spokesman for the late state Attorney General Grant Woods, said Goldwater would be “shaking his head in disgust” at how “crazy” Republican politics have become.
Kari Lake is “dangerous for Arizona,” said Mesa Mayor John Giles, and that’s why he — a Republican — was at the park with Hobbs and not at Trump’s rally in Mesa on Sunday.
“Those of us who support Secretary Hobbs care very deeply about the future of Arizona,” he said. “And that’s why we are putting our state above our party.”
November’s election wasn’t between Republicans and Democrats, but “a choice between sanity and chaos,” he added.
Monica Villalobos, president and CEO of the Arizona Hispanic Chamber of Commerce, describing herself as a former Republican, emphasized that the nation has “moved forward” under Biden.
She didn’t leave the party, she said — it left her when it began running “candidates operating from places of hatred, hubris and hostility rather than honesty, humility and humanity.”
Hobbs, repeating Giles’ statement about “sanity” and “chaos,” said the problem isn’t just that Lake “proudly accepts support from Nazis and spews dang conspiracy theories, it’s what she would actually do as governor.”
Hobbs then ran down a litany of Lake’s positions, including her support for a territorial-era anti-abortion law, baseless conspiracy theories about the 2020 election, and surveillance cameras in public-school classrooms.
Lake’s entire platform “boils down into being a sore loser,” she said.
Other Republicans at the event included former Scottsdale Mayor Sam Campana and former state legislator Steve May.
— Ray Stern
2 p.m.: Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene appears at rally
Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, R-Ga., echoed the language of the Great Replacement theory popular with white nationalists in her message to Arizonans in Mesa on Sunday.
Speaking about illegal immigration, Greene said 5 million people have crossed the Mexican border with impunity from a derelict President Joe Biden.
“Five million people from all over the world have crossed our borders,” Greene said. “Joe Biden’s 5 million illegal aliens are on the verge of replacing you, replacing your jobs, replacing your kids in school, and coming from all over the world they are also replacing your culture. That’s not great for America.”
The replacement theory is an idea first popular among white nationalists that Democrats want illegal immigrants to keep their party politically viable.
Some Republicans have flirted with similar rhetoric to energize their base, which has long seen the border as dangerously porous.
Greene has long pushed a nationalist message. Last year, Greene and Rep. Paul Gosar, R-Ariz., were briefly linked to creating an America First Caucus that was reportedly linked to preserving the nation’s Anglo-Saxon past and dramatically restricting the nation’s immigration laws. Both lawmakers quickly distanced themselves from the caucus idea after bipartisan pushback.
Before taking the stage, Greene predicted the shifting state of Arizona’s law on abortion rights would not play a significant role in the upcoming elections.
The state’s guiding law seems to have whipsawed between a Civil War-era law that bans nearly all abortions and a law passed earlier this year that bans most abortions after 15 weeks of pregnancy.
Despite the conflicting rulings and the attention it brings back to the issue, Greene said it won’t have an impact on voting in Arizona.
“I don’t think it’s distracting at all,” she told a reporter before taking the stage in Mesa. Instead, America-first themes, like those identified by Republican Senate candidate Blake Masters, will resonate with voters, she said.
Greene said she is looking forward to Republicans winning back the House of Representatives after the November elections. When that happens, she said, she will be placed on the House Oversight Committee, where she plans to open investigations into Hunter Biden, President Joe Biden’s embattled son.
Greene also said Big Tech will face scrutiny over its “collusion” with Democrats in 2020 to censor conservative voices.
— Ronald J. Hansen
1:45 p.m.: Trump, Lake supporters travel from Arizona, out of state
As the prayer, pledge of allegiance and national anthem began shortly before 1:30 p.m., attendees were still streaming into the dirt lot at Bell Bank Park. Seats were filled in the relatively small area of floor seating and risers around the speaking platform.
After the national anthem, a chant of “USA, USA, USA” rose through the crowd. Many wore Trump attire, some wore anti-Biden clothes, and lots wore red, white and blue apparel, including a few people draped in American or Arizona flags.
A few people were carried out on stretchers; it was a hot and sunny afternoon.
“We’re just real Trump people,” said Ann-Marie Villicana, who drove from Pasadena, California, on Saturday to see Trump on Sunday.
Villicana said she founded LA Trump and was a delegate from California in 2016. One of her friends is working with Lake so she came out to show support.
“Since we haven’t been able to get out to Arizona to help Kari Lake, we thought the least we could do was donate money, get great seats,” she said. She and Robin Salzer had VIP seats.
“People are just fed up and I think that’s why you see the enthusiasm at these rallies,” Salzer said. “You see the enthusiasm of every demographic, regardless of race, gender, creed, even sexual persuasion, people are just fed up with the way this country’s going.”
Kathy Schafer of Chandler voted for Trump and is a big supporter but said she hadn’t gone to one of his events until Sunday.
“I am brokenhearted that America is in the condition it’s in,” she said, adding that she’s concerned about issues like inflation, the 2nd Amendment and school curriculum.
Schaefer was excited to hear from Trump and Lake in particular. “I’m 100% Trumpster, I’m 100% Kari Lake,” she said, wearing a Trump shirt and hat. She said the midterm election will be “honest” because so many more people are paying attention.
Maria Foshay traveled from Rancho Cucamonga, California, to hear Trump speak. She hopes he’ll announce his next move during the speech, ideally that he’ll run for president again in 2024. Foshay wants to make sure the election is truthful, fair and with “no cheating.”
Kerry Josey of Mesa said Trump is “the face of the people,” adding that she’s been to three of his rallies. She’s concerned about whether the upcoming election will be truthful.
Kathy Elgin stood out in the sea of red-colored couture with her eye-catching Oregon Women for Trump-shirt. She and four friends flew in from Oregon for a quick turnaround trip solely for Trump.
“We want him to know Oregon exists and Oregon loves him,” Elgin said.
A resident of Salem, Elgin said Oregon was a red state “until we got mail-in voting.” Since then, she said, the state has turned blue and she doesn’t buy it.
An avid Trump follower, Elgin said she got a visit from FBI after returning from the Jan. 6 rally at the U.S. Capitol. She called the visit “audacious” explaining that she never witnessed any violence at the Capitol until she saw television footing.
— Alison Steinbach, Eryka Forquer and Mary Jo Pitzl
12 p.m.: Who is scheduled to speak at Trump rally in Mesa
The speaker list for Sunday's rally includes names familiar to Arizonans, as well as some of the more outspoken Trump advocates, including U.S. Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, R-Georgia.
Two members of Arizona's congressional delegation are on board to address the rally: Republican representatives Andy Biggs and Debbie Lesko.
They will join former Trump administration staffers Rich Grenell and Kash Patel, who were with Trump at a similar rally in Nevada on Saturday.
Grenell served briefly as acting director of National Intelligence in 2020, while also holding the posts of U.S. ambassador to Germany and special presidential envoy for the Serbia and Kosovo Peace Negotiations.
Patel was former chief of staff at the U.S. Department of Defense.
The event is a rally to support the Trump-endorsed candidates in November's election. Arizona candidates slated to speak are gubernatorial candidate Kari Lake. U.S. Senate nominee Blake Masters, secretary of state candidate Mark Finchem and attorney general nominee Abe Hamedeh.
The speeches are scheduled to begin at 1 p.m.
— Mary Jo Pitzl
11 a.m.: Masters: 'This race is winnable'
Republican U.S. Senate candidate Blake Masters continued what amounted to a victory lap ahead of his rally with former President Donald Trump in Mesa later today.
Masters appeared with Maria Bartiromo on "Sunday Morning Futures" on Fox News and made the case that his showing in Thursday's debate with Sen. Mark Kelly, D-Ariz., had reversed the race.
"I expected him to struggle to defend (his record in the Senate) and he did," Masters said of Kelly. "All I had to do, Maria, was go out there and tell the truth. Explain to the people how Mark Kelly has kept our border wide open, how his votes for all the crazy trillions of dollars in spending have caused inflation."
"I think we had him on the ropes a little bit, and it's a huge vibe shift, a momentum shift for our campaign," he continued.
Asked about the lack of financial investment from some conservative corners, Masters predicted, "a lot more people are going to get involved."
"I think I showed people that this race is winnable, that I'm a much, much better candidate than Sen. Kelly in that debate the other night."
— Ronald J. Hansen
10 a.m.: Lake and Hobbs on national TV prior to Trump rally
Arizona’s candidates for governor appeared on CBS’ Face the Nation morning news show Sunday, just hours ahead of Trump’s visit to the state.
The former president wasn’t the focus of the discussion; instead, Democratic nominee Katie Hobbs and Republican nominee Kari Lake discussed their plans for border security, abortion and other issues, including Hobbs’ refusal to debate Lake.
The interviews, conducted separately and aired back to back, might be the closest equivalent to a debate a national audience will see this cycle. They highlighted the stylistic and policy differences of two women locked in a nationally watched race that most polls say is tied.
Lake has shifted from praising a near-total ban on abortion to saying she will follow the law. She did so again Sunday. Arizona has two conflicting laws on the books, but a court ruling Friday has allowed a ban on abortions after 15 weeks except for in medical emergencies to prevail.
Lake told CBS news correspondent Major Garrett the “law right now as it stands is Gov. Ducey's law at 15 weeks, so we'll follow the law,” according to a transcript of the interview.
Garrett likewise tried to pin down Hobbs’ position on abortion, which Lake has painted as extreme because Hobbs has repeatedly declined to say if there is a stage of pregnancy after which she thinks abortion should be prohibited. Pressed on that, Garrett asked Hobbs if an Arizona voter would be right to conclude that she does “not favor any specific week limit on abortion.”
“I support leaving the decision between a woman and her doctor and leaving politicians entirely out of it,” Hobbs replied.
Lake spent much of her interview talking about her plan to use state law enforcement as border patrol and deportation officers, an authority she’d seek using an untested legal theory that would buck decades of court precedent and likely lead to a lawsuit.
“I hope that Joe Biden doesn't fight us because then it would really look like he is on the side of the cartel,” she said.
Lake didn’t mention Trump in her interview, perhaps a reflection of his unpopularity with voters nationally. Hobbs brought up the former president twice, attacking his record at the southern border and his false claims the 2020 election was “stolen,” which Lake has parroted.
Hobbs said Trump’s effort to build the border wall, the signature of his border policy, wasn’t finished and called on the Biden administration to “step up.”
Asked why she wouldn’t debate Lake, and if her decision not to participate shortchanged voters of a chance to see how Hobbs would respond in a moment of duress, Hobbs shifted to Trump.
“I think the voters of Arizona have had a chance to see how I work under crisis throughout my leadership during the 2020 election as secretary of state,” Hobbs said, “when we had to combat multiple election challenges from former President Trump and his band of election deniers, including my opponent Kari Lake."
— Stacey Barchenger
9 a.m.: 17 visits and counting
Arizona's political preeminence seems like a given these days, but the red state-turned-purple battleground coincides almost perfectly with the political rise of Donald Trump.
The former president found early enthusiasm for his America-first message in Arizona in 2015, and he never really stopped coming back.
His scheduled rally in Mesa will add to an Arizona total no president or presidential contender can rival, with big asterisks for Barry Goldwater and John McCain, who lived in the state while pursuing the White House.
According to Republic research, Trump has made at least 17 visits since entering politics.
That is a list that began on July 11, 2015, with a stop in Phoenix that focused on immigration and helped set the tone for his upstart campaign.
By the end of the 2016 campaign, Trump made six more stops in Arizona. He carried the state by 3.5 percentage points, an unusually low margin in a state that had voted Republican in all but one presidential election beginning in 1952.
Trump visited the state seven times in 2020. That included a Feb. 19, 2020, rally in Phoenix just weeks before the pandemic halted campaign visits for months.
In May 2020, Trump started to move about again, with a stop at a Phoenix Honeywell facility making respirator masks to cope with the health crisis and to discuss aid to Native Americans.
He wound up losing Arizona in 2020 by fewer than 11,000 votes, the smallest margin in the country.
Trump made his first post-presidential visit to Arizona on July 24, 2021, at a Turning Point Action rally in Phoenix in which he saw firsthand the raucous reception to Kari Lake by Republicans.
He wrongly predicted the ongoing review of Maricopa County ballots would vindicate his baseless claims of a stolen election.
This year, Trump held a January rally in Florence, a pre-primary rally in Prescott Valley in July and is set now to again back his slate of Republicans on Sunday in Mesa.
— Ronald J. Hansen
This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Trump in Arizona: Recap from Kari Lake, Blake Masters rally in Mesa
