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- Montana rally: President Trump spoke in Great Falls to rally for Republican state auditor Matt Rosendale, who’s running for US Senate against Democratic Sen. Jon Tester.
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President Trump hosts Montana rally
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Our live coverage has ended. Scroll through the posts below to read more about Trump’s Montana rally.
6 key quotes from Trump's Montana rally
President Trump just wrapped up his rally in Great Falls, Montana, where he addressed a number of key issues before heading off to Europe next week.
Here are a few key quotes from the President:
- On his relationship with Russia: “Getting along with Russia and getting along with China and getting along with other countries is a good thing. It’s not a bad thing. It’s a good thing.”
- On voting against Democratic Sen. Jon Tester: “A vote for Jon Tester is a vote for Chuck Schumer, Nancy Pelosi and the new leader of the Democrat party, Maxine Waters.”
- On next week’s NATO summit: “I am going to tell NATO, you’ve got to start paying your bills.”
- On Sen. Elizabeth Warren’s Native American heritage: “We will say, ‘I will give you $1 million to your favorite charity, paid for by Trump, if you take the test and it shows you are an Indian and let’s see what she does.”
- On his meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin: “Will I be prepared? Totally prepared. I’ve been preparing for this stuff my whole life.”
- On his Supreme Court pick announcement: “If you tune in Monday at 9 o’clock, I think you are going to be extremely happy.”
President Trump mocks second ailing senior member of his own party
In his second mocking reference to an ailing senior member of his own party, President Trump went after President George H.W. Bush’s slogan during his rally.
The phrase was first used during Bush’s nomination acceptance speech in 1988, and referred to the wide array of US clubs and volunteer organizations. He repeated it in his inaugural address. Later the term was used to name a foundation and awards.
It’s been lampooned before, including on SNL, and Trump seemed to adopt that tone Thursday.
Earlier, he again mocked Republican Sen. John McCain thumbs down vote on the health care vote, despite recent criticism of the comment by Meghan McCain and Sen. Lindsey Graham, McCain’s closest friend in the Senate.
Trump says Rep. Maxine Waters has IQ in "mid-60s"
President Trump, part of his effort to make Rep. Maxine Waters a central issue in the midterm elections, furthered his rhetoric by questioning her intelligence, claiming she has an IQ in “the mid-60’s.”
The remark came as Trump, as he has done in several recent speeches, called the California Democrat a “low IQ individual.”
Trump didn't mention Scott Pruitt during the rally
Just before his rally in Montana, President Trump tweeted that his Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Scott Pruitt resigned after months of ethics controversies.
The President addressed the resignation while speaking to reporters on his way to Montana — but he didn’t mention Pruitt or his controversies during the rally itself. Instead, Trump talked about his upcoming meeting with Russia’s Vladimir Putin, next week’s NATO summit and how he’d like Sen. Elizabeth Warren to prove her heritage, among other topics.
On board Air Force One on his way to the rally, Trump said it was Pruitt’s decision to resign.
Trump says ICE protects us and "we protect them"
Taking on the recent calls from Democrats to abolish US Immigration and Customs Enforcement in the midst of the family separation crisis at the border, President Trump promised to protect ICE.
The administration has faced intense scrutiny after over the separation of undocumented parents and children. Trump went on to sign an executive order aimed at keeping families together at the border, but some Democrats went further and have begun demanding the dismantling of ICE.
Trump attacks Jon Tester, says Montana deserves a senator who votes like a Montanan
President Trump launched a sweeping attack on Sen. Jon Tester’s record during his visit to Great Falls, arguing that the Montana Democrat has been a loyal soldier for the Democratic Party in Washington, despite his claims of centrism and bipartisanship.
Trump argued that Tester says “one thing in Washington” and then comes home to Montana and pretends to be a centrist who sometimes supports the President’s agenda. He said he would rather have had Tester’s votes than his compliments.
He lavished praise on Tester’s opponent, Matt Rosendale — who appeared with Trump briefly on stage — as a “really good man.” He also complimented Rosendale, former real estate broker who moved to Montana in 2002, for surviving a tough Republican primary.
In one of his most pointed attacks, Trump said Tester voted no on a bill that would have banned late-term abortions: “You wouldn’t think it would play very well out here.”
The President got some of his biggest cheers with his critiques of Tester’s votes on immigration, drawing boos for the Montana Democrat when he said he voted against the travel ban and against the “vetting of refugees from terror stricken countries.”
Trump challenged Sen. Elizabeth Warren to prove her Native American heritage
President Trump, speaking at a rally in Montana, challenged Democratic Sen. Elizabeth Warren to prove her Native American heritage.
“We will say, ‘I will give you $1 million to your favorite charity, paid for by Trump, if you take the test and it shows you are an Indian and let’s see what she does,” the President told the crowd. “I have a feeling she will say no.”
The Massachusetts senator has been a biting critic of Trump for some time. Trump has responded by repeatedly trying to belittle her as “Pocahontas.”
Warren says she is Native American and points to “family stories” passed down to her through generations as evidence. One genealogist, following Warren’s account, traced her Native American heritage to the late 19th century, which, if true, would make her 1/32 Native American. (However, the legitimacy of those findings has been debated.)
During the rally, Trump described a debate strategy against Warren that involved tossing a boxed DNA test at her.
He made reference to the MeToo movement saying: “It’s the ‘MeToo generation’ so we have to be very gentle.”
Warren later responded to Trump’s remarks over her heritage on Twitter, saying that he should “focus on fixing the lives” that he’s destroying.
Trump on Putin meeting: "I've been preparing for this stuff my whole life"
President Trump, referring to critics who questioned on readiness for his Kim Jong Un summit, said he’ll be “totally prepared” for his upcoming meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin.
At a rally in Greats Falls, Montana, Trump said…
Trump is scheduled to meet with Putin on July 16 in Helsinki, Finland.
Trump: Getting along with Russia "is a good thing"
President Trump just mentioned his upcoming one-on-one meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin.
Trump is scheduled to meet with Putin on July 16 in Helsinki, Finland.
Trump says he'll tell NATO: "You've got to start paying your bills"
President Trump is going to a NATO meeting in Brussels, Belgium, next week.
Tonight, he told his supporters what he’s planning to do at the meeting.
Trump sent letters to the leaders of NATO allies, including Germany, Belgium, Norway and Canada, demanding that they increase their defense spending and threatening to alter the US global military presence if they do not, according to a report in theNew York Times on Monday.
The letters were sent last month, according to the Times, before a NATO summit in Brussels, Belgium, next week.
Trump tells crowd to tune in Monday night for Supreme Court pick
President Trump teased his Supreme Court pick announcement at tonight’s rally in Montana.
“And they are all great. They are all great,” Trump said referring to his list of candidates.
Trump again thanked retiring Supreme Court Justice Anthony Kennedy for his service, saying the jurist “had confidence in me.”
“He left because he said, ‘You’re going to pick somebody great and so nice, so nice,’” Trump said. “A great man, a great gentleman.”
President Trump urges supporters to vote against Democratic Sen. Jon Tester
President Trump stood alongside Republican state auditor Matt Rosendale, who’s running against Democratic Sen. Jon Tester.
Trump is backing Rosendale, whom he called “a real Montana fighter.”
“It’s time to retire liberal Democrat Jon Tester,” Trump said.
He continued: “A vote for Jon Tester is a vote for Chuck Schumer, Nancy Pelosi and the new leader of the Democrat party, Maxine Waters.”
Trump says he'll announce his Supreme Court pick Monday night
President Trump told reporters he’d narrowed his list of possible Supreme Court justices and his final announcement will come at 9 p.m. ET on Monday.
Trump is working to fill the Supreme Court vacancy created by Justice Anthony Kennedy’s retirement.
“I think I have it down to four people and I think of the four people, I have it down to three or two,” Trump told reporters aboard Air Force One as he traveled to Montana for tonight’s rally.
He said he was “interviewing some extraordinarily talented and brilliant people and I’m very, very happy with them and we will pick somebody who will be outstanding, hopefully for many years to come.”
He declined to name the individuals on the shortlist, but said he’d make a decision by Sunday.
Trump will speak hours after EPA chief Scott Pruitt resigned
President Donald Trump’s speech tonight comes hours after Trump announced on Twitter that he had accepted the resignation of Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Scott Pruitt, an embattled member of his Cabinet who had been plagued by a near-constant stream of controversy and scandal.
The trip, one of many the President has taken to stump for Republicans across the country this year, will position him squarely against Democratic Sen. Jon Tester, the vulnerable incumbent who is running against Republican Matt Rosendale.
Trump is set to tout Rosendale as the best candidate to carry on his brand of conservatism, while Tester has been trying for months to advertise his own work with a President popular in the state.
Tester highlighted his work with the President in this tweet:
5 things Trump could bring up at his rally
The next 11 days will be busy for President Trump, as he prepares to meet Russian President Vladimir Putin, greet Queen Elizabeth II and pick a Supreme Court nominee to replace retiring Justice Anthony Kennedy.
Trump’s likely to talk about the Supreme Court and more at his rally in Montana tonight. Here are a few subjects he could bring up:
- His Supreme Court pick: The President has made clear that he will select a nominee next Monday. The President has already interviewed several candidates from a list drawn up with the blessing of the conservative Federalist Society.
- Trump’s trip to Britain: Trump will finally make his first visit as President to Britain on July 13. His arrival is expected to spark mass protests in London. Trump is expected to see Queen Elizabeth II at Windsor Castle for the most keenly awaited photo-op of the visit.
- A summit with Putin: Trump will meet with the Russian leader on July 16 for their summit in Helsinki, Finland, according to a person familiar with the plans.
- His thoughts on NATO: The NATO summit in Brussels on Wednesday and next Thursday. Trump will call on NATO leaders to live up to the alliance’s target of 2% of their gross domestic product for defense spending, after sending letters to some governments warning of a reassessment of US priorities in Europe if they fail to do so.
- Scott Pruitt’s resignation: The President tweeted today that Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Scott Pruitt resigned after months of ethics controversies.
President Trump is holding a campaign rally in Montana tonight
President Trump is speaking at a rally in Great Falls, Montana, tonight in an effort to sink the re-election campaign of Democratic Sen. Jon Tester.
He will rally his voters in support of Republican state auditor Matt Rosendale, who won a June primary with 33% of the vote for the nomination to face Tester.
Tester, who is the top Democrat on the Senate Veteran Affairs’ Committee, infuriated Trump with his fervent criticism of Ronny Jackson, who was briefly Trump’s nominee to be secretary of veterans affairs – making Tester a top target for Trump’s trolling on Twitter.
Though Jackson ultimately withdrew from consideration as a result of allegations of misconduct and poor administration of the White House medical office, the President called for Tester to resign, claiming that Tester made false claims against Jackson, who was the President’s personal physician.
Here’s a look at some of Trump’s attacks on Tester:
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