Donald Trump returned to the campaign podium on Tuesday. Here are five highlights.
The events, first a speech in Grand Rapids where Trump was flanked by law enforcement officials, and then a Green Bay rally were his first public campaign stops since speaking in Ohio on March 16.
Former President Trump returned to the campaign trail Tuesday with appearances in Michigan and Wisconsin.
The events, first a speech in Grand Rapids where Trump was flanked by law-enforcement officials, and then a Green Bay rally were his first public campaign stops since speaking in Ohio on March 16. And they coincided with primaries in Wisconsin, Rhode Island, New York and Connecticut — all won by Trump and President Joe Biden.
Trump drilled down on immigration but avoided discussion of abortion — a topic that has become a paramount issue in his Florida home state. In response to a question in Grand Rapids, Trump said he would make a statement on abortion next week.
His appearances in the two traditional, so-called "blue wall" states came on the heels of polls showing some tight races. A Wall Street Journal survey released Wednesday showed Trump leading handily in Arizona and North Carolina, and in Michigan within the margin of error, while the two are tied in Wisconsin..
Here are five takeaways from Tuesday's Trump events.
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1. Trump decries 'border bloodbath' as he repurposes controversial comment from last month
In Tuesday's appearances, Trump sought to repurpose his Ohio comment about an ensuing "bloodbath" if he is not elected. The comment, embedded in a portion of a March 16 speech in Vandalia about China building cars in Mexico, sparked a firestorm of protest.
On Tuesday, Trump sought to recycle the term or, critics said, gaslight Americans. "I stand before you today to declare that Joe Biden's border bloodbath, and that's what it is, it's a bloodbath," he said. "They tried to use that term on me incorrectly two weeks ago."
The mayhem he now refers to included the murders of two women allegedly by undocumented immigrants. Crimes, particularly murders police say were committed by undocumented immigrants, haves been a surging campaign theme for the former president.
But the Associated Press reported Tuesday that the sister of one of the victims Trump has highlighted, Ruby Garcia in Michigan, has called for an end to the politicizing of her sister’s death, and has asked for privacy, saying she only seeks “justice to be served” and to “be left alone.”
And in an NBC News interview, the father of another victim, Laken Riley, a Georgia nursing student, said he felt anger at how his daughter's death was "being used, somewhat, politically."
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2. Call Election Day on Nov. 5 'Christian Visibility Day'
In Green Bay, Trump again decried the Biden White House's declaration of "Trans Visibility Day" on March 31.
However, that date has been designated for trans people awareness since 2009. But this year it coincided with the Easter celebration, and conservative politicians and media have seized on the conjunction, critics say, to whip up resentment toward the LGBTQ+ community.
"Such total disrespect to Christians," Trump said. "Nov. 5 is going to called something else. Do you know what it's going to be called? Christian Visibility Day, when Christians turn out in numbers that nobody has ever seen before."
3. Trump planned to cut a deal with Cuba? Yes, he said, but didn't explain.
In Wisconsin, Trump accused the Biden administration of unwisely seeking to lift sanctions on Cuba's communist government.
Trump noted that as president he reimposed economic and financial penalties and punishments on the Havana regime. He then said he would have cut a deal with the post-Castro communist regime had he won re-election in 2020.
"Lift sanctions on communist Cuba, that's what he wants to do, so that's the end of the Miami Cuban vote for Crooked Joe Biden, I can tell you that. He wants to lift the sanctions on Cuba," Trump said. "I had sanctions on Cuba to the level that they were willing to make a deal at any time."
He added, "We would have had a deal with Cuba" had he won the 2020 election.
He did not elaborate.
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4. Trump called on cameras to pan crowd size. Conservative network instead showed ad for a Trump knife offer.
During the Green Bay speech, Trump sought to taunt the broadcast media covering his speech. He aired his often repeated grievance that the networks covering his speeches refuse to show what he said are capacity and sold-out crowds.
He then threw down this challenge.
"They never show it. I'll give you an example," he said, then looked straight at the camera at the back of the room. "Cameras, why don't you just turn around and show the extent of this crowd to every corner, from corner to corner. Show it. Show it. But they won't do it. They won't do it."
The feed on One America Network, a Trump friendly ultra-right network, did not pan the crowd but rather showed an ad for a "free" Trump knife offer.
5. Trump calls for 'immediate' death penalty for killing police officers
Trump spoke about attending last week's the wake for New York Police Department Officer Jonathan Diller, who was killed in the line of duty.
"I will ask Congress to send a bill to my desk insuring that anyone that murders a police officer will receive immediately the death penalty," he said to loud cheers.
Trump's praise for law enforcement drew a retort from the Biden-Harris campaign that criticized him for, it said, condoning the violence against police officers at the U.S. Capitol by saluting those who violently "attacked law enforcement," vowing to pardon violent Jan. 6 rioters and calling them "hostages."
"Donald Trump says backing the blue is a priority. In reality, he’s perfectly fine with violence against law enforcement when he thinks it benefits him politically," the campaign said in a statement.
Antonio Fins is a politics and business editor at The Palm Beach Post, part of the USA TODAY Florida Network. You can reach him at afins@pbpost.com. Help support our journalism. Subscribe today.