Thread by @atrupar

During roundtable event in Duluth, Trump tries to explain association health care plans: "We just got association health care approved. So it will be incredible. You associate as companies & as people, you will get great healthcare at a much lower price than you have been paying"

Trump still hasn't figured out that FDR didn't serve 16 years. (He only served 12, but Trump has repeatedly got it wrong.)

Trump brings up his EO, says "you have plenty of problems up here in MN with respect to people coming in..it's probably one of the reasons I almost won MN which hasn't been won by an R in long time..you've seen a big difference already in MN." (ppl have not seen a big difference)

TRUMP on the economy: "I sorta love how they say, 'Obama did the economy, Obama!' If Hillary Clinton got elected, our economy would be a total disaster right now, and our trade deals would have gotten worse instead of better."

.@realDonaldTrump's speech begins at bottom of the hour. Follow me for a video thread.

Here we go

Trump begins with some Minnesota pandering, including a shoutout to the NCAA men's hockey champs University of Minnesota-Duluth Bulldogs

They're trying to set a record for how many white guys they can get on a single stage at a single time

wut

they managed to fit one more white guy on stage!

Trump slams the media as "very dishonest people" and "fake news." Crowd boos lustily, starts chanting "CNN SUCKS! CNN SUCKS!"

Trump touts his agreement with Kim Jong Un, indicates he takes Kim's word that North Korea will actually denuclearize. (No verification procedure is in place.)

Trump says Kim Jong Un will turn will turn North Korea "into a great, successful country."

TRUMP: "And remember I go into big stadiums like this that were packed. And by the way, you are very good at real estate. Did you see the thousands and thousands of people outside that will never be reported by the fake news, but the thousands of people that couldn't get in?"

Trump attacks the media for not showing more shots of the crowd during his rallies

TRUMP: "I think we are now at the most successful level that the country has ever seen. That's how we are doing. I heard a couple of the fakers saying, 'I think it's Obama's economy.' They would have put on more regulations, they would take back the tax cuts, which were massive."

Trump works in a plug for his campaign merch

TRUMP on immigration: "By the way, today I signed an executive order. We will keep families together but the border is going to be just as tough as it has been. Democrats don't care about the impact of uncontrolled migration in your communities."

Crowd chants "BUILD THE WALL!"

Trump falsely claims he's started construction on the wall, mocks a protester who interrupts his rally and gets thrown out

A protester waving a photo of Trump and Jeffrey Epstein interrupts the speech and gets thrown out. Trump says, "was that a man or woman, because he needs a haircut more than I do."

TRUMP says "Democrat policies released violent criminals into our communities. We need safety. They don't bring cameras to interview the angel moms whose children were killed by criminal aliens who should have never been here in the first place."

TRUMP: "We will have the greatest borders, the greatest walls. We have already started."

Trump announces that he'll be allowing "mineral exploration" in one of Minnesota's national forests, reveals he still hasn't figured out that FDR didn't serve 16 years. (He served 12, but Trump always gets it wrong.)

Trump goads the crowd into booing cancer-stricken war hero John McCain for voting against ACA repeal

Trump touts how easy he's made it to fire "sadistic" and "lazy" VA employees

Trump tells a story about the evolution of his thinking about the VA that reveals how simplistic his understanding of policy is

TRUMP on his supporters: "They are the smartest people, they work the hardest, they pay taxes." 👀

Trump brags about how he is "smarter" and "richer" than his political opponents

As Trump brings up the IG report, the crowd starts chanting "Lock her up!" He refers to Mueller probe as "a phony witch hunt" and claims media is focused on immigration because they don't want to cover the IG report.

TRUMP on RUSSIA: "We want to get along with Russia. But Russia is looking out and saying... it would have been much better for Russia" had Hillary won because of Trump's military buildup

Trump touts his "Space Force": "And I think you saw the other day, we're reopening NASA. We're going to be... going to space."

Crowd starts chanting, "SPACE FORCE! SPACE FORCE!"

#IdiocracyIsADocumentary

Trump closes with this: "We will never, ever, stop fighting for our country or for our flag or for our freedom. We are one people, one family & one glorious nation under God. Together, we will make America wealthy again...& we will make America great again. Thank you Minnesota!"

People in my DMs are grilling me with tough questions