Takeaways from Trump’s first rally speech as President-elect

President-elect Trump rallies supporters, targets Panama, and dismisses Elon Musk presidency rumors in Arizona speech.

President-elect Donald Trump came to Arizona on Sunday (December 22, 2024) for his first rally speech since winning the November election.

He was greeted by thousands of adoring supporters who confirmed his popularity across the conservative base. Mr. Trump attempted in his 75-minutes on stage to go beyond his core supporters. But he also employed his usual aggressiveness, including ratcheting up threats against Panama and sending a message to billionaire Elon Musk. Here are some takeaways from the speech:

Mr. Trump spoke for about 75 minutes, much of it a typical Donald Trump speech – plenty of quips about the U.S. being “ripped off” and more false assertions that he, not Democrat Joe Biden, won the 2020 presidential election. But Mr. Trump was nonetheless relaxed, relishing his victory over Vice-President Kamala Harris in November, especially prevailing in the popular vote after not getting the most votes in 2016 or 2020. He went so far as to offer talk of national unity — though with a sideways compliment to vanquished Democrats.

“We had no riots. We had no anything. It was a beautiful thing to watch,” Mr. Trump said. “They just said, ‘We lost.’ And we want to try bringing everybody together. We’re going to try. We’re going to really give it a shot.”

Mr. Trump, who likes to say that his clear but close victory was a landslide, argued: “There’s a spirit that we have now that we didn’t have just a short while ago.”

Besides his “Make America Great Again” motto, Mr. Trump’s policy brand that resonates so strongly with his supporters is “America First.” It encapsulates his criticisms of foreign aid, certain U.S. military interventions overseas and his plans to impose sweeping tariffs on imported goods.

He focused on a new target Sunday (December 22, 2024): the Panama Canal and Panama's government. Mr. Trump suggested he would try to regain control of the canal if Panama does not adjust passage fees that Mr. Trump insists are unfair. He said the U.S. is being “ripped off” and took a shot at 100-year-old former President Jimmy Carter for “foolishly” ceding control of canal during his one White House term almost a half century ago.