President-elect Trump He estimated the exact time his administration would be “fully operational” as January 20 in his first rally-style address since his decisive victory over Vice President Kamala Harris last month.
“You only have a few days to wait,” Trump said from the AmericaFest stage. “We will be fully operational, I believe, by 2 p.m. on the 20th.”
Trump took the stage From the Phoenix Convention Center On Sunday as part of Turning Point's annual AmericaFest — a four-day event described as part of “the nation's largest conservative movement” — the president made a victory lap for his election victory last month, as well as to parade his administration in the final days of the transition.
“The thing that brings people together is victory. It's winning. And we did that for most of my first year. We had more than that – we had the greatest economy in history, in our first term. We can now call it a first term. We had the greatest economy In the history of our country, and perhaps in the history of any other country, frankly, we've done things that no one would have done, and we're going to do them better now. We're going to dig, as we say, “Dig, baby, dig.” “We will dig, but we will do much more than just drilling,” he said of his victory and his upcoming administration.
President-elect Trump at AmericaFest in Arizona. (Rick Scottri/AP Photo)
On Saturday evening, Trump issued a message on Truth Social, calling on the United States to regain control of the Panama Canal. He explained during his speech on Sunday, “We will demand that the Panama Canal be returned to the United States of America in its entirety, quickly and without the slightest doubt.”
“Securing the Panama Canal is critical to American commerce and the rapid spread of the Navy from the Atlantic, all the way to the Pacific. It is incredible. It dramatically cuts shipping times to American ports by days and even weeks. The United States is the number one user of the Panama Canal, as More than 72% of transportation operations go to or from American ports.
The canal has been under American control since its completion, and began operations in 1914. It was handed over to Panama during the administration of President Jimmy Carter in 1977.
Trump also reviewed his next administration, saying that in addition to implementing “The largest deportation In American History,” his supervisor will also launch an advertising campaign highlighting the evils of drug use, highlighting the fentanyl flowing across the border.
President-elect Trump on stage at AmericaFest in Arizona. (Cheny Orr/Reuters)
“We're going to do very big advertising campaigns, just like a campaign for president. We're spending a lot of money, but it's going to be a very small amount of money, relatively speaking. We're going to advertise how bad it is.” Drugs for you, how bad they are, they ruin your appearance, they ruin your skin. If you want to have bad teeth, take too much fentanyl. “If you want to have skin that looks absolutely terrible, take fentanyl.”
Trump said efforts to strengthen border security and deport illegal immigrants in the country will also include efforts to secure the northern border.
“Canada is allowing people and drugs to flow across our northern border. You know, we have a northern border that's not doing well either. Likewise, people are coming from Mexico in numbers never seen before. We've had 21 million people come over the four years,” he said. past”.
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The Border Patrol picks up a group of asylum seekers from an aid camp on the US-Mexico border near Sasabe, Arizona, on March 13, 2024. (Justin Hamel/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
Trump's speech on Sunday came after Congress avoided a lengthy government shutdown early Saturday morning. House members returned to the negotiating table last week after Trump and allies like Elon Musk criticized the more than 1,500-page bill as “outrageous” and full of excessive spending.
Trump called on Republicans to suspend the debt ceiling as part of their talks to avoid a government shutdown. But the final draft law did not include suspending the debt ceiling.
Trump has not spoken publicly since the bill was passed, including on Sunday, though sources told Fox News that the incoming president is not happy with the bill.
The Capitol Building in Washington surrounded by early morning clouds, March 19, 2024. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite, File)
In his speech, Trump reiterated his support for former Fox News host Pete Hegseth as defense secretary in his second administration, as Hegseth faces allegations of sexual misconduct and heavy drinking while rallying support for his confirmation among senators. Hegseth denied the allegations and vowed he would not drink “a drop of alcohol” if confirmed to Trump's Cabinet.
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House Speaker Mike Johnson, Director of National Intelligence nominee Tulsi Gabbard, President-elect Trump, Vice President-elect J.D. Vance and Secretary of Defense nominee Pete Hegseth attend the 125th Army-Navy football game Dec. 14, 2024, in Landover, Maryland. (Kevin Deitch/Getty Images)
“In order to awaken the vigilance in our military and restore the unquestioned strength and fighting spirit of the United States Armed Forces, I have appointed Pete Hegseth to be the next Secretary of Defense. He will be great. You know, I interviewed a guy who he watched a lot on Fox, and all he wanted to talk about was “It's about the army.”
Trump also celebrated his other Cabinet picks, including Pam Bondi as attorney general and Robert F. Kennedy Jr. as secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services.
“When you look at autism 25 years ago, and you look at it now, there's something going on. And I nominated Robert F. Kennedy Jr. Think about it. Think about this: 25 years ago, autism, 1 in a year and he said, '10,000 kids today It is 1 in 36 children. Do I think so? “Robert and I will find out.”
President-elect Trump pledged to unleash the energy industry and remove “woke” politics from schools and the military, during AmericaFest in Arizona. (Rick Scottri/AP Photo)
The former and incoming president continued his speech with the usual campaign talking points, vowing to fulfill his promises to unleash the energy industry and remove “woke” politics from schools and the military.
“I will sign Day One orders to end all of Biden's restrictions on energy production. End his insane electric vehicle mandate. Repeal the natural gas export ban, reopen ANWR in Alaska, the largest site potentially anywhere in the world, and declare a national energy emergency.” He said.
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Adding at another point: “With the stroke of my pen on Day One, we will stop the transgender craze. I will sign executive orders to end child sex mutilation, and remove transgender people from the military and from our elementary schools.” “And middle and high schools, and we will keep men out of women's sports.”
Trump also quoted his mother at one point during his speech, citing her use of the word “Confused” to describe Democrats After the elections.
President-elect Trump dances at AmericaFest. (Rick Scottri/AP Photo)
“If you watch TV now, they're all confused. They don't know what the hell happened. They're confused. To use a nice word my mother used years ago, when you talk about someone being a mess. But they've lost their confidence, and hopefully “They lose it for a long time and then they come back to our side because we want them.”
The America Festival kicked off on December 19 in Phoenix and will conclude on Sunday after Trump's speech. The annual event is described as an event that re-energizes students and conservative votersAll while celebrating the greatest country In the world.” The venue seats about 14,000 people, while Turning Point reported that about 21,000 tickets were sold for the conference.
“We are incredibly honored that President Trump will deliver his first rally-style speech since the election at AmFest 2024 in Phoenix,” Turning Point USA President and Turning Point Action President Charlie Kirk said in a press release prior to the event. “This was already the largest multi-day event in the movement, and this year will be the largest we have ever hosted, to date.”
