US President-elect Donald Trump was greeted by thousands of supporters at his first rally speech in Arizona since his election victory in November.
Trump showed his usual aggressiveness, including increasing his threats against Panama and sending a message to billionaire Elon Musk.
Here are some key takeaways from the 75-minute speech:
The elected president speaks of national unity
Trump was relaxed and happy about his victory over Vice President Kamala Harris, especially his victory in the popular vote after failing to receive the most votes in 2016 and 2020.
He even went so far as to speak of national unity, although with a side note of praise for the defeated Democrats.
“We had no riots. We had nothing. “It was nice to see,” Trump said. “They just said, ‘We lost.’ And we want to try to bring everyone together. We’ll try it. We’re really going to try.”
Trump, who likes to say his clear but narrow victory was a landslide, argued: “We have a spirit now that we didn’t have a short while ago.”
Trump adds Panama Canal to his international tough talk
In addition to his motto “Make America Great Again,” Trump’s political brand that resonates with his supporters is “America First.” It summarizes his criticism of foreign aid, certain U.S. military interventions abroad, and his plans to impose sweeping tariffs on imported goods.
On Sunday, he focused on a new target: the Panama Canal and the Panamanian government. Trump suggested he would try to regain control of the canal if Panama does not adjust transit fees, which Trump has called unfair.
He said the U.S. was being “ripped off” and criticized 100-year-old former President Jimmy Carter for “stupidly” giving up control of the canal during his only term in the White House nearly half a century ago.
Within hours, Panama’s conservative President Jose Raul Mulino, elected in May on a pro-business platform, rejected the idea as an attack on his country’s sovereignty.
The move continues a series of Trump attacks on foreign leaders. He recently mocked Canada as a US state and referred to Prime Minister Justin Trudeau as a “governor.”
Trump’s supporters love the audacity and argue that he is simply using leverage and public pressure to benefit the United States. The actual political results remain to be seen.
Trump sends Elon Musk a message
The president-elect drew a line on Sunday by suggesting he would be looking over the shoulder of Elon Musk, the world’s richest man.
Trump mocked recent suggestions from Democrats that he had ceded the presidency to Musk. “No no. “That’s not happening,” Trump said. “He won’t be president.”
Still, the charges circulated unhindered after Musk’s social media posts helped advance a bipartisan budget deal in Congress and brought Washington to the brink of a partial government shutdown.
Trump has also given Musk power by naming him co-chair of a quasi-governmental “efficiency commission” tasked with cutting federal spending.
Trump has long been used to running his businesses, his campaigns and the White House as the clear number one. And he especially doesn’t like being overshadowed by lieutenants. However, in Musk he has chosen an ally who has the same background and approach.
What he didn’t mention – tariffs
Trump didn’t talk much about tariffs – a key part of his economic policy. Since his election victory, Trump has notably refused to promise that widespread tariffs would not lead to higher prices for U.S. consumers. The issue was raised in several sessions at the Turning Point Congress. But not from the president-elect, even as he went through other policy matters.
Trump also failed to acknowledge details of the recent budget dispute in Washington, his involvement in it, and his failure to persuade Republicans in the House of Representatives to raise the federal debt ceiling or the federal debt ceiling, possibly for the duration of his term.
That doesn’t mean Trump isn’t thinking about the fight he’ll wage early in his term when Congress’ short-term deal expires in March.
But it’s notable that he publicly avoided the issue after so explicitly addressing it last week.
Trump celebrates the expanded Republican coalition
The president-elect enjoyed reliving political pundits’ analysis that he had poor voter turnout – in campaign parlance, “ground game.”
He thanked Turning Point and its founder Charlie Kirk for their contributions to winning votes and growing the GOP coalition.
Trump praised young, Hispanic and black voters for their increasing support compared to what he earned from those blocs four years ago.
“They had the grassroots armies of Turning Point,” Trump said. “It’s not my victory, it’s your victory.”
