President Donald Trump formally launched his 2020 re-election campaign on Tuesday by presenting himself as the same political insurgent who shook up the Washington establishment four years ago.
At a packed rally at an arena in Orlando, Florida, Trump made clear he would run for re-election as an outsider, just as he did in 2016. He revisited campaign themes from four years ago, decrying illegal immigration, "fake news" and his 2016 Democratic opponent, Hillary Clinton.
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"Together we stared down a broken political establishment and we restored government by and for the people," Trump said. "As long as you keep this team in place, we have a tremendous way to go. Our future has never looked brighter or sharper."
Trump said his Democratic challengers would radically change the United States and seek to legalize migrants coming across the southern border so they could vote and boost the Democratic political base.
Democrats "want to destroy our country as we know it" and it's "not going to happen," Trump said.
"We believe our country should be a sanctuary for law-abiding citizens, not for criminal aliens," he said in defense of the US administration's current immigration policy.
Two dozen Democrats are competing for their party's nomination to face off against Trump in the November 2020 election. Many of the top Democrats lead Trump in opinion polls in some states.
Trump called his opponents a "radical left-wing mob" who would bring socialism to the United States.
"A vote for any Democrat in 2020 is a vote for the rise of radical socialism and the destruction of the American dream. … Tonight I stand before you to officially launch my campaign for a second term as president of the United States. I promise you I will never ever let you down," he said.
During his speech, Trump blasted the media as "fake news," praised the strong economy, said he was putting the heat on China on trade, promoted his proposal for a "space force," vowed to protect Americans' rights to own guns and said he wanted to launch a space mission to Mars.
Trump also declared himself a victim of Special Counsel Robert Mueller's investigation into Russian interference in the 2016 election. The probe found insufficient evidence to establish that the Trump campaign engaged in a criminal conspiracy with Moscow.
"We went through the biggest witch hunt in political history," said Trump. "It was all an illegal attempt to overturn the results of the election."
Two-and-a-half years into his tenure, Trump sees plenty of positive factors, led by a growing economy with low unemployment.
