John Locher / Associated Press
Former President Donald Trump gestures before speaking at a campaign event, Saturday, July 8, 2023, in Las Vegas.
Published Saturday, July 8, 2023 | 9:15 p.m.
Updated Saturday, July 8, 2023 | 9:23 p.m.
Donald Trump was in Las Vegas on Saturday touting his 2024 presidential campaign with a similar — and proven — false narrative.
A rigged election system and stolen presidency were common themes throughout Trump’s hour-long speech at Fervent Calvary Chapel, on North Rancho Drive near North Torrey Pines Drive. Another topic focused on attacking Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, also a 2024 Republican presidential candidate.
Trump told the crowd, numbering in the hundreds, that he felt Nevada was a Republican state.
“I endorsed your governor,” Trump said referencing former Clark County Sheriff Joe Lombardo’s 2022 campaign. “Your governor won.”
Trump said he also can win Nevada with the help of voters.
“They can be dishonest,” the former president said about Democrats. “They can lie. They can cheat. They can do whatever they want. The one thing they can’t do, if we get massive numbers of votes, they can only go so far.”
Nevada election officials have said they spent more than 125 hours investigating GOP claims and found no evidence to support claims of widespread election fraud in the state. Barbara Cegavske, the former secretary of state and a Republican, made the ruling — which was supported by court findings.
During Saturday's rally, Trump called to get rid of mail-in-voting options and demanded a one-day voting system that requires voter ID.
“We have to do things properly,” Trump said. “Our nation is a mess.”
Saturday’s crowd was smaller than what Trump has spoken to in the past in Las Vegas, but he said the rally was designed that way. He said it was set up for those in the state who are volunteers and work on the Trump campaign.
In recent months, media has reported smaller crowds at some of Trump’s rallies. Yet, last week The Associated Press estimated between 50,000 to 55,000 at a South Carolina event. During Saturday's event here, Trump claimed 80,000 attended the rally in Pickens, S.C.
The twice-impeached former president's supporters in Las Vegas started lining up early in the morning and waited as the temperature surpassed 100 degrees ahead of the 4:30 p.m. event
Trump announced his 2024 presidential run in November 2022, and he’s seen as the Republican front-runner despite numerous legal troubles. Last month, the Department of Justice unsealed an indictment charging Trump with 37 felony counts related to the mishandling of classified documents.
“We are ready by so much,” Trump said Saturday. “The big battle is going to be we have to beat the Democrats. They started off with an automatic number of votes.”
Trump said he wasn’t concerned about DeSantis, who he claimed couldn’t have become governor without Trump’s support.
“If you don’t mind losing your Social Security or your Medicare, go vote for that guy,” Trump said after noting DeSantis had a record of cutting both.
Yet, others criticize Trump for the same.
“Trump repeatedly proposed billions in cuts to Social Security, Medicare, and Medicaid despite assuring Nevadans he wouldn’t,” U.S. Rep. Dina Titus, D-Nev. said in a release Saturday. “Nearly a quarter of Nevadans rely on Medicaid for health coverage, while more than 500,000 depend on Social Security.”
Akhilesh Bhatti, of Las Vegas, attended Saturday's rally in support of the former president. He said he backed Trump for many reasons, including foreign policy which kept the nation out of war while he was in office. Bhatti also said he respected the former president for how he handled bureaucratic attacks.
“He is still standing strong,” Bhatti said.
Jimmy Morales, the senior pastor at Fervent Cavalry, delivered opening remarks saying the 2024 election would be the most important the country has ever faced.
“We are in a battle for the unborn,” Morales said. “We are in a battle for the church.”
He called upon pastors to unite in support of Trump.
“Donald J. Trump did more for the church and more for the unborn than any other president in history,” Morales said.
While Morales praised Trump, Titus called the former president's record dangerous, partly because he paved the way for the reversal of Roe v. Wade.
On Saturday, Trump stayed true to his belief that he continues to be the best and only option for the nation.
“We have a chance to make America great again,” Trump said. “I believe it is the last chance and if we don’t do it, our country is doomed to a horrible failure.”
