In the run-up to an election, a Republican president typically wouldn’t be campaigning in these traditionally red states.
asserted
president → campaign → states
These aren’t normal times, however, and Donald Trump, an unpopular president leading an unpopular party, has held rallies in those states in the last week, seeking to drum up support.
asserted
Trump → lead → support
But a series of eccentric performances from the president means his behavior has been the focus, rather than any of the candidates he is backing.
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he → mean → candidates
Trump, 80, has used his appearances to muse about animals’ opposition to the second amendment, to call one Republican candidate “nerdy”, and to demonstrate a hitherto unexpressed fascination with “asses” – men’s and babies’, in particular.
asserted
Trump → use → asses
Along the way Trump has repeated his lie that 2020 was a rigged election, claimed, falsely, that he has secured $21tn in foreign investment in the US, and issued dark warnings about Democrats.
asserted
he → repeat → Democrats
Let’s take a look.
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’s → let → look
Trump was supposed to be in Syracuse to support Bruce Blakeman, the Republican candidate for New York governor, whom he introduced to the crowd in a confusing way.
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he → suppose → way
Trump told the crowd of Blakeman: “I’ve just known him just for a second.
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I → tell → second
I’ve known him for a long time, years.”
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I → know → time
Aside from his entirely contradictory explanation of his relationship with Blakeman, Trump went on to claim that, in New York: “You can no longer say: ‘Mother – hi, mom’.
uncertain
You → go → Mother
It’s: ‘Hi gestating – hi, gestating
asserted
It → gestate → ?
I love you so much, gestating.’”
asserted
I → love → you
People are still allowed to say mother in New York.
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People → allow → York
Trump continued by talking about one of the things closest to his heart, spending 15 minutes complaining about how he did not win the Nobel peace prize, despite having “settled eight wars”.
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he → continue → wars
I called them up, I said: ‘If you guys don’t stop killing each other I’m going to charge you 250% in tariffs and we’re not going to trade with you.
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we → call → you
They said no, no, no, you cannot do that.
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you → say → that
I said, yes, I can,” Trump said.
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Trump → say → ?
India has repeatedly denied that a ceasefire was reached because of any intervention from Trump.
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ceasefire → deny → Trump
A day later, Trump appeared in Clarksville.
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Trump → appear → Clarksville
There, he adopted a strange method of talking to the audience, saying there was “such love”, before adding: “I mean, it’s amazing.
asserted
it → adopt → audience
When you stand up here, it’s just like… the love.
asserted
it → stand → love
I could say the stupidest things and you clap: “Oh, I love you so … .’”
uncertain
I → say → you
Trump continued: “It’s true.
asserted
It → continue → ?
But we don’t say the stupidest things.
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we → say → things
We say things of common sense.
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We → say → sense
We say things that make sense, and we probably are mostly conservative, but
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we → say → sense
it’s not really conservative.
asserted
it → ’ → ?
It’s things of common sense.”
asserted
It → ’ → sense
Speaking in Ohio, Trump said he had recently learned that Jon Husted, the Republican senator running for re-election in the state, played football at university.
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Husted → speak → university
Trump continued: “I don’t do this with men very often.
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I → continue → men
I started examining [Husted’s] body, because I didn’t know he was a great athlete.
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he → start → body
And I looked and I watched up and down.
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I → look → ?
I looked at his ass and I looked at the whole – and then I looked at his hands.
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I → look → hands
He’s got these, like, claws.
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He → get → claws
Later, Trump praised Husted, 59, for having a good jawline, before turning his attention to insulting immigrants from Somalia.
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Trump → praise → Somalia
Trump claimed that those people “come from a part of the world that only knows how to kill each other” and said that in Somalia people were “low IQ” and “don’t have pants to wear”.
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people → claim → pants
Trump was in Alaska to rally support for Dan Sullivan, the Republican senator.
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Trump → rally → Sullivan
It was revealing that he was there at all: this should be deep red territory.
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this → reveal → ?
Yet the Democratic candidate, Mary Peltola, is running neck and neck against Sullivan, something which prompted Trump to call Peltola, a native American former tribal judge, “a whack job”.
asserted
which → run → Peltola
During a meandering speech, Trump also granted pardons, on stage, to two Alaska auto shop owners, who previously pleaded guilty to violating the Clean Air Act.
asserted
who → grant → Act
…and 36 more, not listed.