President Trump made his second campaign trip on behalf of Montana GOP Senate candidate Matt Rosendale on Thursday, aiming to lift his chances against incumbent Democratic Sen. Jon Tester, who Trump accuses of defaming his personal physician, scuttling his nomination to lead the Department of Veterans Affairs.
Trump fixated on Tester’s role in Dr. Ronny Jackson’s unsuccessful nomination, telling a crowd in Billings, Mont., that “one of the saddest things I have seen” is what Tester “did to a great, great man, Adm. Ronny Jackson. Adm. Jackson was subjected to horrible lies and smears.”
“I am a victim of that, too, but I’m sort of getting used to it,” Trump said.
Tester was influential in circulating shocking reports of professional misconduct against Jackson, who withdrew his nomination in April. Some of the allegations fell apart under scrutiny and were attributed to a professional rival.
“Adm. Jackson, his reputation was attacked, and all of those horrible things that were said about him turned out to be lies and they turned out to be false. Remember?” Trump said.
“Ronny Jackson is a doctor, he is an admiral, he is actually the doctor that gave me my physical,” Trump told the crowd. “And he said that I am in great shape. And the Democrats, liberals, deep state, they were very upset to hear that. So they got tougher and tougher and they lied more.”
Trump returned repeatedly to the Jackson allegations, saying that “what Tester did to Adm. Jackson should never, ever be allowed. Ronny Jackson is a great man. Ronny Jackson has led a great and beautiful life. And to have lies told about him, I would never repeat what they are.”
Rosendale, the state’s auditor, faces an uphill race against Tester. Although Montana is a deep-red state in recent presidential politics, with Trump beating Hillary Clinton by more than 20 percentage points, the state has elected Tester to two six-year terms.
Trump sought to associate Tester with national Democrats, warning that “he talks like he’s from Montana but he votes like he’s Nancy Pelosi.”
Recent polls show Tester with a slight lead in the race, but Trump highlighted his voting record on recent immigration-related matters and judicial nominations. “How did he get elected?” Trump asked.
The 74-minute speech consisted largely of an increasingly well-honed campaign sales pitch as Trump traverses the country ahead of November. Trump focused on his achievements, bashed political adversaries, and warned of what would happen if Democrats win.
Trump warned that Democrats would attempt to impeach him, despite what he said was his good job in office, pointing to the strong economy.
“If Democrats get back into power, they will try to reverse all of our incredible gains, gains like nobody thought possible,” he said. “Matt will always be voting for us, it won’t just be talk.”
Trump only briefly addressed the major news stories of the day, including the confirmation hearing of Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh and intrigue into an anonymous op-ed in the New York Times by an avowed Trump opponent who purportedly serves as a senior member of his administration.
“Today’s Democratic Party is held hostage by haters, absolute haters, left-wing haters. Angry mobs, deep state radicals, and their fake news allies,” he said.
