Trump’s friendly chat with Carlson inspires supporters at Arizona rally

Former President Donald Trump spent Halloween night in Arizona, passing up the opportunity to participate in a meandering live segment with former Fox News host Tucker Carlson.

Both Trump and Vice President Kamala Harris visited Arizona on Thursday, making their latest pitch to voters in the swing state as polls show the race locked in by a razor-thin margin days before Election Day.

Seated on leather chairs against a backdrop of American flags, Carlson, a former Fox News commentator, peppered Trump with softball questions as he covered decades of familiar material in rambling stories for about 90 minutes. The overall theme has shown himself to be someone who will return to the White House with a record of past success.

“We defeated ISIS, we had no wars,” Trump said of his four years in office. “We had the best economy in the history of our country.”

If he wins next week, it will be “the biggest event in the history of the country,” he said. While he considered himself the clear favorite, he also expressed concern about Democratic “fraud.”

The excited fans who filled Desert Diamond Arena in Glendale seemed to enjoy the show, although some left before it ended. The stadium seats about 18,000 people for events like this, and most of the seats seemed to be filled.

Trump spent a lot of time talking about immigration and border control, calling it the biggest problem of all. He said countries around the world are sending prisoners and street gangs to the United States.

“We will have to do a very large-scale deportation,” he said. “It’s impossible to bear.”

He moved seamlessly from immigration, to trans women in sports, to SpaceX rockets and the mustache of his former national security adviser, John Bolton. He peppered his comments with casual anger, calling Harris, Bolton and others “stupid.”

Trump called Liz Cheney, a former Wyoming congresswoman and frequent Trump critic, “dumb.” He then added: “She’s a radical militant hawk. Let’s put it where the rifle is, and it’s being shot with nine barrels. FINE? Let’s see how she feels about this. You know, with guns pointed at her face.

RFK Jr. Promotes “Make America Healthy Again”

Performers, including Utah comedian Jason Hewlett, opened the event, which began at approximately 6:30 p.m. But the pre-show soon took on a serious tone, with warnings of a conspiracy to infect Americans with disease and obesity as a new priority along with the economy or the border.

Robert F. Kennedy Jr., the former Democratic and independent presidential candidate who defected from his party and endorsed Trump in August, added a health aspect to those evenings, but with a strong conspiratorial bent.

“We are being poisoned massively by Big Pharma and Big Food,” he said, adding that the media is covering up the corruption that leads to many chronic diseases such as diabetes. The arena crowd applauded and supported him when he said his health regimen included 30 minutes of prayer every day.

Trump has promised to put him in charge of health and medical issues if he is elected, he said.

RFK Jr.’s former ally Nicole Shanahan also spoke at the event, calling Trump an ally for supporting vaccine skepticism and saying it was her first time voting for Trump.

Trump said during his speech that he supported the former Democrat as a possible Cabinet member but said Kennedy would have to embrace his administration’s pro-oil stance.

Carlson pumps Trump up with crowd before speech

Carlson warmed up the crowd before Trump gave a lengthy explanation of why government bureaucrats and profiteers dislike the former president. Federal investigators and officials view Trump as a “deadly threat” because he “tells the truth” and exposes crooks who profit from bad government, Carlson said.

“They think they have a right to be in power,” he said of the unnamed enemies.

Carlson’s speech, like Trump’s, often wandered through a wide range of topics and anecdotes. He took a moment to mention that Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y., has the same last name as the conquistador and that “masculinity is still an irreplaceable thing.”

Trump is a “brave man” who America needs “because it’s a tough world,” and Trump proved himself by showing an “instinct” of leadership after he was shot.

Halloween event brings costumes

Most of the crowd was dressed in typical Trump rally attire, with Trump branding and lots of red, white and blue colors, but some were dressed in costume for the Oct. 31 event.

Some wore life jackets, posing as garbage collectors. following President Joe Biden’s apparent claim that Trump supporters are “trash.” Others carried garbage bags.

Teresa Hilding of Chino Valley, wearing a sash toga promoting Kennedy’s “Make America Healthy Again” theme.

The Glendale event was a Trump event. third trip to the state in October. He rallied supporters in Prescott Valley on Oct. 13 and returned for a rally at Arizona State University last week.

Trump made national news during his rally in Tempe when he compared the country to a “garbage bin” for the rest of the world when it comes to illegal immigration.

Thursday’s event is also the last stop on Carlson’s nationwide tour and is billed as relief for people affected by recent hurricanes on the East Coast.

(This story has been updated with new information.)