West Palm Seashore, Florida — Former President Donald Trump Friday night time celebrated his 78th birthday in a packed Palm Seashore Conference Heart full of supporters — together with Republican Sen. Marco Rubio — whereas he continued his acquainted assault traces on President Biden concerning immigration and international coverage.
“Below my management, we had no wars,” Trump declared. “As an alternative of a globalist warmonger within the White Home, you had a peacemaker at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue.”
The presumptive Republican presidential nominee seized on the arrests this week of eight Tajik nationals accused of getting hyperlinks to ISIS. Previous to their arrests, the boys had crossed the U.S.-Mexico border with out correct paperwork and got notices to look in immigration courtroom, in response to a senior Division of Homeland Safety official.
“Our nation has by no means been in peril prefer it’s in peril proper now. Simply this week, ISIS arrested not one, not two, however eight suspected terrorists on the highest stage of terrorism,” Trump mentioned.
The birthday bash was hosted by Membership 47, a Palm Seashore-based Trump fan membership. Tickets to the celebration — which had been priced between $25 and $60 — bought out a number of days prior.
Earlier than his speech, Trump was introduced with a six-tiered cake adorned with photographs of Trump and topped with a purple MAGA hat in fondant.
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It was a present of loyalty from Florida supporters and congressional allies for Trump about two weeks after he was discovered responsible in his Manhattan “hush cash” legal trial of 34 felony counts of falsifying enterprise information.
Additionally in attendance Friday was Rubio — who has been amongst these named as attainable operating mate for Trump, sources beforehand instructed CBS Information. Rubio delivered a speech earlier than Trump took to stage, additionally attacking Mr. Biden in regards to the border.
“We now have terrorists, criminals and medicines getting into our nation throughout the open border, and he invited them to enter the US,” Rubio mentioned.
Final week, nonetheless, the president issued an govt order which makes it simpler for U.S. immigration officers to deport massive numbers of migrants with out processing their asylum claims.
This was Rubio’s first time showing on the 2024 marketing campaign path alongside Trump. It additionally got here two days after the senator — in an interview with Telemundo — defended earlier controversial feedback from Trump during which he mentioned that immigrants are “poisoning the blood of our nation.”
JIM WATSON/AFP by way of Getty Photographs
In Wednesday’s interview, Rubio claimed Trump’s remark was probably not about race.
“That is a saying that he makes use of, but it surely has nothing to do with race, as a result of ultimately, he is speaking in regards to the nation, not the inhabitants,” Rubio mentioned. “The nation is threatened by this inflow of individuals, which we now know even contains criminals and terrorists.”
Trump may face authorized boundaries in deciding on Rubio as his operating mate, as each declare residency in Florida. The twelfth Modification of the Structure stipulates that, below the Electoral Faculty, “The Electors shall meet of their respective States, and vote by Poll for 2 Individuals, of whom one a minimum of shall not be an Inhabitant of the identical State with themselves.”
The birthday celebration comes as considerations in regards to the ages of Trump and Mr. Biden persist amongst voters. In 2016, Trump was on the time the oldest individual elected to the presidency on the age of 70, a mark which was surpassed by Mr. Biden when he was inaugurated in January 2021 on the age of 78. If he had been to be re-elected, Trump would surpass Mr. Biden because the oldest individual inaugurated as president.
In the meantime, Mr. Biden can be 82 if he had been re-elected, and 86 years outdated by the top of a second time period.
Trump appears to carry an edge over Mr. Biden amongst Individuals involved in regards to the cognitive skills of each, in response to current CBS Information polling. Solely a 3rd of voters assume Mr. Biden has the cognitive skill to serve, whereas half of voters assume Trump does.