President Donald Trump touted billions of dollars in manufacturing investments and his administration's efforts to combat crime in Tennessee on Saturday, while calling Iranian leaders "crazy" and floating the idea of a "Trump Ocean" during a wide-ranging rally featuring musician Kid Rock. The president appeared in Clarksville ahead of the Nov. 3 midterm elections, campaigning for Republican Sen. Bill Hagerty and gubernatorial candidate Marsha Blackburn while mixing economic talking points, foreign policy and off-script humor.
Kid Rock opened the event with a religious-themed introduction, praising Trump's leadership while taking aim at the news media. TRUMP TOUTS ‘GOLDEN AGE’ AT OHIO RALLY, URGES VOTERS TO DELIVER GOP MIDTERM WINS "Literally, President Trump could walk across the Cumberland River, and tomorrow the headline would say President Trump refuses to swim," the musician joked. The rocker also condemned Islamist extremism and defended religious freedom, arguing that Americans should not be forced to live under religious laws that override the Constitution.
"We are not, and we will never be, one nation under Mohammed, because we are, and we always will be, one nation under God," Kid Rock told the crowd. Trump later thanked his longtime supporter and friend by his given name, Bob, before turning to an array of domestic and international issues. The president addressed tensions with Iran, calling the country's leaders "crazy" while claiming that Tehran's rhetoric had softened following U.S. military operations.
AFTER 'LAKE AMERICA,' TRUMP SUGGESTS A NEW NAME FOR THE STATE OF NEW MEXICO "They don't talk that way anymore, by the way," Trump said after recounting previous threats from Iranian leaders. Trump described what he characterized as extensive damage to Iran's military capabilities, claiming 159 ships had been sunk and its air force and air-defense systems destroyed. They have no Air force, they have no anti-aircraft equipment," Trump said.
The president then pivoted from the Strait of Hormuz to an unexpected geography lesson, suggesting it could one day be called the "Trump Strait." He also revisited his decision to rename the Gulf of Mexico the Gulf of America before floating additional changes to the map. We need an ocean," Trump said, suggesting the Atlantic or Pacific could become the "Trump Ocean" or "Ocean of the Americas." TRUMP RALLIES NEW YORK CROWD FOR REPUBLICAN BRUCE BLAKEMAN'S BID TO REPLACE GOV KATHY HOCHUL "Before I get out, I think we should have an ocean," he added, without yet announcing any formal renaming plans. On the economy, Trump promoted Korea Zinc's planned investment of more than $6 billion in Tennessee, a project expected to create 740 jobs across Montgomery and Smith counties.
Tennessee officials announced the $6.6 billion project in December, describing it as the largest single private corporate investment in state history. The plans include a new critical-minerals smelter in Clarksville and the reopening of a former mine in Gordonsville. "And your state will soon be home to the first new mineral smelter in the United States, first one built since 1979," Trump said.
Extract — continue reading at the source.
