At a rally in downtown Cincinnati this Thursday, Donald J. Trump cut right to the chase as he admonished global corporations and politicians for giving the short end of the stick to a “forgotten” working class America.
“There is no global anthem, no global currency, no certificate of global citizenship,” he announced. “We pledge allegiance to one flag, and that flag is the American flag.”
His message was met with uproar as thousands of supporters fell into the rhythmic chant: “U.S.A, U.S.A, U.S.A!”
For what is being billed as a “Thank You Tour,” Trump’s message hit many of the same notes of nationalist rhetoric that were the mainstays of his campaign, with cameos from slogans like “America first”, “build that wall”, and the now iconic Trump-ista refrain, “Lock her up” referring to his opponent Hillary Clinton.
“Global is wonderful,” said Trump, “but right now we wanna focus on our national community,” he said. “Never again will anyone’s interests come before the interests of American people. It’s not going to happen again.”
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His speech focalized those global forces through Ohio, a state Trump won by a surprising 8-point margin. Explaining everything from a decline in local manufacturing to this week’s shooting at Ohio State University, Trump deployed the image of an oblivious America that had been manipulated by globalized forces.
“Your state has just experienced another violent atrocity at the great Ohio State University, and that is a great place, that further demonstrates the security threats created, stupidly created, by our stupid politicians’ refugee programs,” he remonstrated.
The atrocity he is referring to occurred Monday, when an 18-year old university student drove his car into a crowd of people and injured 11 with a kitchen knife. The student, Razik Ali Artan, came to the United States in 2014 from Pakistan. He was originally born in Somalia.
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Trump’s speech reaffirmed his campaign promises that he would suspend immigration from countries that could not “be safely processed.” He pointed to the San Bernardino shooting, to Orlando, and to 9/11 as his proof of the ramifications of porous refugee vetting.
“We don’t need another World Trade Center. Look what’s happening to Germany, we don’t need that folks. We have enough problems, believe me,” he said confidently.
In response to economic threats of globalism — such as the outsourcing of manufacturing jobs — Trump posited his recent deal with Carrier, an Indiana-based air conditioner company, as a symbolic example of his administration’s America-first approach.
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“We’re gonna do that all over the country,” he said to roaring applause. ”Thank you, Carrier.”
The deal cut the company $7 million in tax breaks in exchange for keeping on 800 workers on at its Indianapolis location. Now, the company will only outsource 600 jobs to Monterey, Mexico, rather than the 1,400 it had initially proposed. Moreover, Trump’s estimate that his deal would save 1,100 jobs was bolstered by about 300 white-collar jobs that weren't leaving the Indiana factory in the first place.
In the streets of Cincinnati, protesters gathered holding signs that read “Immigrants Make America Great,” while chanting “Education not Deportation” and “Love Trumps Hate.” One protester, Miranda McGee, told CNN she was afraid for “anyone who looks different.”
But inside the arena, concerns of divisiveness didn’t seem to be shared by the President-elect.
“I’ve always brought people together,” he added. “I know you find that hard to believe.”
You can watch a full speech of the event here.