President Trump tore into Seattle and other cities that have been the sites of unrest during his first campaign rally in months.
Trump, during a rally in Tulsa, Oklahoma, on Saturday, singled out Seattle, which has been the center of media attention after demonstrators seized control of an area of the city that is now called the Capitol Hill Organized Protest (formerly known as the Capitol Hill Autonomous Zone).
“But how about Seattle?” Trump asked, with the crowd responding by booing the city.
“So, they take over a big chunk of a city called Seattle. We are not talking about some little place. We’re talking about Seattle. Have you ever been to Seattle?” Trump said. “They took over a big chunk. And the governor who is radical left — all of these places I talk about are Democrat. You know that. Every one of them.”
Trump said he offered assistance in the matter but was turned down and appeared to dismiss the situation.
“Any time you want, we’ll come in. We’ll straighten it out in one hour or less. Now I may be wrong, but it’s probably better for us to just to watch that disaster,” Trump said. The president went on to say he asked lawmakers about the situation and that they encouraged him to not act.
“Congressman, what do you think? I can straighten it out fast. Can we just go in?” Trump said. “‘No, sir, let it simmer for a little while. Let people see what radical-left Democrats will do to our country.’”
“Americans have watched left-wing radicals burn down buildings, loot businesses, destroy private property, injure hundreds of dedicated police officers,” he added.
Saturday marked Trump’s return to the rally stage, the first since the coronavirus pandemic took hold of the United States. Despite claims that hundreds of thousands of people signed up to attend, the stadium in Tulsa was not fully filled, and the president canceled an event planned for the overflow attendees. The Trump campaign blamed protesters and the media for the smaller-than-expected crowd.
“Sadly, protesters interfered with supporters, even blocking access to the metal detectors, which prevented people from entering the rally,” said campaign spokesman Tim Murtaugh. “Radical protesters, coupled with a relentless onslaught from the media, attempted to frighten off the president’s supporters. We are proud of the thousands who stuck it out.”
