United States President Donald Trump has boasted about the loyalty of his supporters, saying they would applaud him even if he made what he described as “the stupidest” remarks.
Trump made the comments on Saturday while addressing supporters at F&M Bank Arena in Clarksville, Tennessee, about 50 miles northwest of Nashville, as Republicans intensify their campaigns ahead of the US midterm elections.
According to the Republican National Committee, the rally was organised to energise supporters of the Make America Great Again (MAGA) movement ahead of the elections.
During the event, Trump questioned why he needed to campaign in Tennessee, arguing that he had repeatedly won the state by significant margins.
“What am I doing in Tennessee? I don’t have to campaign here. I’ve won your state by many, many, many points. Some ridiculous number. All the time,” he said.
The president also repeated his unsubstantiated claim that the 2020 presidential election was rigged against him, insisting that he had won the election three times.
“So, three times I won the election, the big election three times. I got screwed the second time because they cheated. They cheated. We cannot let that happen again,” Trump said.
He explained that his visit was intended to show appreciation to voters who had supported him in previous elections.
“But, I said, ‘You know, sometimes it’s nice to go to a place where you don’t have to be, but you are there to say thank you to the great people that elected you three separate times,” he said, drawing applause from the audience.
Trump later recalled a conversation with a friend who reportedly struggled with stage fright and wanted to know how he managed to speak before large crowds.
“I said, ‘You know, for me it’s easy because there is such love in these rooms,” he said, prompting cheers and chants of “Trump, Trump, Trump” from supporters.
As members of the crowd shouted, “We love you,” Trump went on to describe the enthusiastic reception he receives at his political rallies.
“I could say the stupidest things, and you’d clap. ‘Oh, I love you so — it’s true,” he said.
However, Trump maintained that his comments were not foolish, arguing that his political message was based on common sense and conservative principles.
“But we don’t say the stupidest things; we say things of common sense. We say things that make sense, and probably are mostly conservative. But it’s not really conservative; it’s the things of common sense,” he added.
He pointed to border security, low taxes and a strong military as examples of policies he believes reflect common sense.
Towards the end of the rally, Trump invited Republican candidates contesting various positions to join him on stage and urged supporters to vote for them.
“I’m on the ballot — just pretend I’m on the ballot,” he told the crowd, repeating a request he has made at other campaign events.
The rally came as Republicans stepped up efforts to mobilise their supporters ahead of the US midterm elections, during which voters will decide contests for seats in Congress and other political offices.
