Trump says pandemic is 'God testing him', vows to have a third term because his campaign was spied upon
President Donald Trump took on leading politicians of the Democratic Party on Monday, August 17, ahead of the inauguration of the latter’s four-day virtual convention. The president, who addressed a few hundred supporters in an airport hanger in Mankato, Minnesota, called his opponents “fascists” and “radicals” and described the coronavirus pandemic as being tested by God. He also joked that the test might have been a punishment for him building the ‘greatest economy’ before it happened.
The Covid-19 pandemic has affected 5.4 million people in the US and claimed more than 170,000 lives. The Trump administration has been left fighting two severe impacts -- in terms of health and economy -- and the repercussions have now seriously challenged the prospects of the Republican returning to the White House for a second term.
“We built the greatest economy in the history of the world and now I have to do it again. Now you know what that is? That's God testing me,” Trump said, adding: “He said, 'you know, you did it once' and I said: ‘Did I do a great job God? I'm the only one that can do it’.” He suggested that he had a conversation with God who told him: “You shouldn't say that. Now we're going to have you do it again.”
Trump said he told God: '”OK, I agree, you got me.' But I did it once and now I'm doing it again.” The crowd laughed and cheered.
As more and more numbers have shown him trailing Biden -- his presumptive Democratic presidential nominee -- Trump has increased his attack. In Mankato, he slammed the former vice president saying: “Joe Biden is the puppet of left-wing extremists trying to erase our borders, eliminate our police … vilify our heroes, take away our energy.” A few days ago, a video made by the president’s campaign also accused the Democrat along the same lines.
Trump looks at four more years and beyond!
Trump did not stop there. The mini-rally in Mankato was the second stop for the president during his brisk campaigning through the states of Minnesota and Wisconsin aimed at countering the Dems’ convention in Milwaukee. In Oshkosh, Wisconsin, Trump even told his energetic supporters that he would serve for “four more years” and beyond. He even predicted that the media networks would be hit if he lost to Biden.
“When I do leave, in let's say 16, 20 years … when we leave, you're going out of business,” the 74-year-old president said. The maverick president, who the opponents fear might not accept an adverse election result this November defended his logic saying his campaign deserved a “redo” alleging the previous Barack Obama administration spied on it.
He got spontaneous applause of “Four More Years!” from his supporters, including the elderly ones, as he spoke on the economic program that he would like to continue. “And then after that we'll go for another four years. You know what, they spied on my campaign so we should get a redo,” the president said.
No president barring FDR has served more than two presidential terms in the history of the US. FDR, the war-time president, was in office between 1931 and 1945 but could not complete his fourth term because of failing health and died in office. The 22nd Amendment, which was ratified in 1951, limited presidential terms to two years.
Trump’s first stop was at Minneapolis airport where he met small business owners whose operations have been seriously hampered by the violent protests that broke out in the wake of the brutal death of George Floyd in police custody in May. He assured them that his administration would bring back law and order immediately.
At all the stops that he made during his quick campaigning, Trump accused the Democrats of destroying the Second Amendment and attacking America’s ‘right to life’.