BOZEMAN, Mont. – Former President Trump delivered a speech at the Brick Breeden Fieldhouse on Friday evening, drawing a large crowd that packed the Fieldhouse and with many more waiting outside.
Political analyst, Mike Dennison said he felt it was a typical Trump speech filled with topics that resonate with his base, especially on immigration. However, Dennison also noted that Trump did make some claims that are not true.
During the speech, Trump covered various policy points, touching upon inflation and energy policies. He blamed current inflation on what he called the Biden-Harris administration’s “stupid energy policies” and vowed to terminate the “Green New Scam” and the Biden-Harris electric vehicle mandate on his first day back in office. He also promised massive tax cuts for workers, including no tax on tips, and to stop outsourcing while making the United States a manufacturing superpower.
Trump declared, “… We’re going to rebuild our cities into beacons of hope and safety and beauty better than they have ever been before and we will end the migrant crime epidemic. Demolish the foreign drug cartels. We are going to demolish those cartels…”
Dennison pointed out that manufacturing has been strong under Joe Biden and mentioned that while violent crime has decreased nationally, crime related to immigration is a different story. Dennison said, “this statement that there’s just this huge wave of immigrant crime in the country: It’s just not true.”
NonStop Local’s Bradley Warren pointed out Trump’s reference to an incident in Bozeman involving an immigrant facing manslaughter charges. Warren verified this with local authorities, noting that while it was a true event, it’s a case specific to the state of Montana involving one individual and not a reflection of everything that is occurring in southern border states.
Trump’s speech seemed to cater primarily to his existing supporters, and opinions varied on whether it would win over independents or moderates. The political implications of his statements will be up to those undecided voters.
