Trump defends tariffs in pre-midterms appearance in battleground Georgia | Donald Trump

Donald Trump forcefully defended his tariffs Thursday, saying “tariffs are my favorite word in the dictionary” and promoting their use to hold American manufacturing accountable at an event in northwest Georgia.

“Without tariffs, this country would be in big trouble right now,” Trump said during his speech at Coosa Steel Corporation, a steel processing and distribution company in Rome, Georgia.

He lamented having to wait for the US Supreme Court to rule on the constitutionality of his trade policy, attributing the lawsuit to “China-oriented” people and Canadian supporters.

“I’m waiting for a decision from the Supreme Court,” he said, complaining that he had to “justify this, because people come from other countries and have been ripping us off for 50 years.”

Trump’s visit to Georgia, a key battleground state in this year’s midterm elections, was apparently aimed at promoting its economy as approval numbers lag. But Trump devoted much of his remarks to his repeated and unverified claims of election fraud.

Trump spoke about Democrats’ reluctance to support the Save America Act, which would reduce mail-in voting, require voters to show a photo ID at the ballot box and require proof of citizenship during registration. The bill passed the House last week, but it is unlikely to pass the Senate without lawmakers first ending the filibuster.

“The Democrats don’t want to give us voter IDs, because they want to cheat…They say they don’t want voter IDs because it’s racist,” Trump said. “We want a voter card and proof of citizenship… they are fighting against this. »

Trump also spoke out against mail-in voting, saying mail-in voting should be reserved for deployed military personnel or people who are sick or away from home: “With mail-in ballots, they cheat. »

Mail-in voting fraud is exceptionally rare, and Trump has provided no evidence that Democrats are using the system to try to fraudulently win elections.

And while addressing the lawsuit stemming from an FBI raid seizing 2020 election materials last month, Trump described the fight to return ballots to Fulton County’s control as harmful.

“Why don’t they want them to see the ballots after all these years? It’s because they cheated,” he said. “They cheated like dogs.”

An affidavit released after the raid revealed that the rationale for the investigation was based on debunked claims by conservative activists who have long denied the results of the 2020 election.

Trump chose contested territory for his visit Thursday: Marjorie Taylor Greene’s former district. The former US representative’s resignation in January left one seat open, with Republicans holding a razor-thin majority in the House. Early voting is underway for the March 10 elections, which are expected to result in a runoff in April between the two leading candidates.

Trump’s visit reinforced his support for Clay Fuller, the Northern Georgia district attorney and former White House staffer who serves as a reserve lieutenant colonel in the Air Force. The president’s support helped narrow the field, which now stands at 18 candidates, including three Democrats. With fewer divides among Democrats, retired Army general and 2024 election candidate Shawn Harris is likely to make a runoff against the Republican primary vote-getter.

Appearing at Thursday’s event, Fuller praised Trump’s approach to the economy and the “war on inflation that President Trump had to inherit from President Biden.” He joked with Trump, asking forgiveness for his child who got in trouble for skipping school to attend the rally.

Trump also praised Lt. Gov. Burt Jones, who is running for governor in a field recently joined by billionaire Jackson Healthcare founder Rick Jackson. Jones “has been with you and with me from the beginning,” Trump said.

Democratic National Committee Chairman Ken Martin issued a statement as Trump spoke, noting that health care premiums would double on average for 1.4 million Georgians this year and that 500,000 would lose health care altogether “because of Trump’s Big Ugly Bill and refusal to expand ACA subsidies.”

Democrats who are “captive” of insurance companies are blocking a Republican initiative to redirect insurance subsidies toward direct payments to beneficiaries, Trump asserted in his remarks, saying: “We are reducing drug prices…we were paying the highest drug prices in the world, and now we are paying the lowest prices in the world.” »

Trump also reiterated comments he made last month about an alleged deal with French Prime Minister Emmanuel Macron to raise drug prices in France, reached after threats of tariffs on French exports. Macron forcefully denied the claim, writing on social media platform