President-elect Donald Trump dismissed claims that he is ceding the presidency to Elon Musk during a wide-ranging speech celebrating his election victory and sharing his plans for his second term.
Trump spoke at Turning Point USA’s AmFest in Phoenix, Arizona, in his first rally-style speech since the election. During an address that lasted over an hour, Trump discussed many topics, including his work with Musk on the Department of Government Efficiency. At one point, the president-elect referred to claims from the left that he had ceded the presidency to Musk in large part due to the billionaire Tesla CEO leading the opposition to a proposed continuing resolution.
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“He’s not going to take over the presidency,” Trump told the crowd on Sunday. “I like having wise people. You know, they are in a new stage. Russia, Russia, Russia, Ukraine, Ukraine, Ukraine, all kinds of deceptions. And the news is: “President Trump has handed over the presidency to Elon Musk. ” No, no, that’s not happening, but Elon has done a job. Isn’t it great to have other wise people we can count on?
Trump then praised Musk’s work with Starlink and SpaceX before joking that he didn’t have to worry about the South African billionaire becoming president.
“So we want to thank him, but no, he’s not going to be president, that I can tell you,” Trump said. “And I’m safe. You know why he can’t be? He wasn’t born in this country.”
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Trump also took a victory lap in his election victory, where he swept seven key states, Arizona, and touted gains among several key demographics, Latinos, blacks and young voters.
“We had the highest percentage of the young vote of any Republican in history, and we had wonderful people. You know, my son Barron said, “Dad, you have to see this one. ” “This one,” Trump said, referring to his son’s influence on the podcasts he gave the impression of during the campaign.
“He said he really liked Joe Rogan, too. He said, ‘You’ve got to see Joe Rogan, Dad. ‘ You have to do an interview with those people. And it has some meaning for young people. I guess it’s a smart thing to do when you’re young. But he has that feeling, and it’s incredible,” said the president. Elect continued.
Trump also previewed strong action on the border with his second administration, bringing out Patty Morin, the mother of Rachel Morin, who was killed while on a jog. The man who was arrested for the crime is an illegal immigrant.
“She went through hell. Who wouldn’t be?I mean, there’s so many people, so many, that I call them angel moms, and they are. They’re going through hell and a lot of them say it’s not getting better, but we have to hope that the situation gets better,” Trump said after Morin spoke to the crowd.
He also discussed the Panama Canal, a topic he posted about on Saturday, saying that if Panama does not treat the U.S. “fairly” with passage through, then he would ensure “the Panama Canal be returned to the United States of America in full, quickly and without question.”
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Trump praised his picks as a “star cabinet,” calling them “some of the most fearless, determined and brilliant Americans who have ever run for public office. ”
The president-elect will return in less than a month, with an inauguration ceremony on January 20 on the steps of the Capitol, where he will be sworn in as the 47th president.