President Donald Trump used a Friday night rally in Florida to tout Republican candidates Byron Donalds and Ashley Moody, announce additional hurricane funding for the state and unleash a string of attacks on Democrats, actor Robert De Niro and audience hecklers. Trump has been campaigning for a solid month in hopes of elevating Republican candidates in the midterms. Polls are tight in many states as Democrats hope to take control of the Senate and House.
"We have to win in four days, and it means everybody in our state needs to go out and vote," Donalds told the crowd. "There will be no sharia law here in Florida. We gotta get out and vote.
We gotta get out and win. We gotta keep Florida free." Trump told supporters he recently approved an additional $184 million in FEMA disaster funding for Florida's Panhandle after requests from Donalds and Moody. "Could we get $184 million in additional FEMA hurricane relief funding for the Florida Panhandle?" Trump recalled being asked.
"I love the Panhandle." The declaration covered 15 counties in northwest Florida that suffered damage in Hurricane Isaias. Residents are eligible for federal assistance, including temporary housing, home repairs and other recovery aid. In one of the night's more unexpected detours, Trump claimed entertainment industry figures who have spent years criticizing him are now privately asking for federal help as film and television production increasingly moves overseas.
Trump suggested he may support tax credits aimed at keeping production in the United States. "Guys that have been saying bad crap about me for years are sitting up in my office. 'Sir, it's a great honor to be with you, sir,'" Trump said. He argued that countries including Canada, Australia and the United Kingdom have lured productions away from Hollywood through government incentives.
"Is Robert De Niro a moron? He's a moron," Trump said. "No, there's something wrong with him." Trump went on to say he once liked De Niro's work but now finds him "gross" and criticized some of his more recent performances.
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