Former President Donald Trump made his case for the Republican Party nomination on Friday night at the GOP Lincoln Dinner in Iowa.
The former president outlined his previous accomplishments in the White House, arguing that he has a much better track record than his opponents. Trump touted his record on trade, economic issues, and border security to the audience. (RELATED: Republicans Condemn New Charges In Trump Classified Docs Case)
“I created the strongest border in U.S. History, built nearly 500 miles of border wall,” Trump said.
Trump claimed that he had more border wall ready to be built, but the Biden administration refused to continue building it. He argues that this was the first indication that President Joe Biden wanted truly “open borders.”
“Many of those people come out of prisons and mental institutions,” he said, promising to turn the situation around “very fast.”
He also touted the economic achievements he claims his administration made.
“Under my leadership, we created the greatest economy in the history of the world,” the president said, adding that he did it “twice.”
The former president also underlined his trade policy. He pointed out that he gave farmers $28 billion from tariffs he took from China. He highlighted that he ended the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) and replaced it with the United States–Mexico–Canada Agreement (USMCA). He also said that he “got China to buy” billions of dollars worth of “American farm product.”
“I have been an unwavering warrior for Iowa ethanol and I will remain your ethanol champion — very important to your economy. Ron DeSanctus has aggressively fought against ethanol, which I think would be devastating for Iowa,” Trump said.
Trump officially launched his 2024 presidential campaign at Mar-a-Lago in November, and has been the frontrunner in polls since then.