Hannibal Lecter, Al Capone and a list of promises. Takeaways from Trump's Mosinee rally
MOSINEE – Former President Donald Trump addressed about 7,000 people in central Wisconsin on Saturday in his fourth Wisconsin rally of the 2024 campaign.
Speaking behind a bulletproof barrier, Trump made a litany of promises — including ending the Russia-Ukraine war before being sworn in to office, abolishing the federal Department of Education and fending off World War III.
The former president was expected to deliver remarks focused on the economy, but his discursive speech bounced from topic to topic following his mindset at any given moment.
Replay: Trump holds campaign rally in Mosinee, brings out Eric Hovde
Democratic Vice Preisdent Kamala Harris and Trump are in a statistical dead heat in Wisconsin, according to the first Marquette University Law School poll measuring the relatively new head-to-head matchup, released about a month ago.
Among registered voters, 50% supported Trump and 49% supported Harris. Among likely voters, 50% supported Harris and 49% supported Trump, according to the poll. When polling for President Joe Biden and Trump, Biden was at 42% and Trump at 47% among registered voters.
Here's what to know about Saturday's rally.
Trump addressed Mosinee crowd guarded by bulletproof barrier
Trump addressed supporters from behind a bulletproof barrier.
Trump was last in Wisconsin a week ago, when he held a town hall event in La Crosse. In July, he accepted the Republican Party's presidential nomination at its national convention in Milwaukee after being wounded in an assassination attempt during a rally in Pennsylvania.
"It's a little tough life. It's not the easiest. You get shot at, other things happen, other routine events happen. But we're going to do it for one reason," Trump said.
"Just a little while ago, a reporter said, 'Sir If you had to do it again, would you do it again?' I said, 'Absolutely, because we're going to make America great again. And that's better than my life.'"
Trump pledges to send education policy to states 'so Ron Johnson can run it'
Trump pledged to, as president, eliminate the U.S. Department of Education and send such policymaking back to the state level.
"We'll send it back to the states so that Ron Johnson can run it," he said, referring to Wisconsin's Republican U.S. senator. "OK, we'll send it back here. Mr. Tiffany, we'll get our congressman (U.S. Rep. Tom) Tiffany involved."
More: Trump surrogates on 'Agenda 47' Milwaukee tour stop downplay talk of Project 2025
Neither Johnson nor Tiffany play a role in state government or the state Department of Instruction, which oversees education in Wisconsin. Jill Underly, a Democrat, was elected to lead DPI in 2021. State education policy is set by that agency and the state Legislature and governor. Wisconsin's governor, Tony Evers, is a Democrat and the former head of DPI.
"No thanks," Evers said in a post on the social media platform X, formerly Twitter.
"If someone in your family said something this bonkers, you’d take the keys away. WI, let’s come together to elect @KamalaHarris & @Tim_Walz so this doesn’t happen. Let’s protect kids, trust our educators, and make the investments to ensure kids can access to a quality education," Underly posted on X.
Trump was at times nonsensical, rambling
The former president often mispronounced the name of his opponent, Vice President Kamala Harris, and referred to her as "Comrade Kamala."
Harris "will be the worst president," Trump said, "And Trump is never wrong. I am never, ever wrong."
His speech, which lasted nearly two hours, followed the whims of Trump's train of thought, rapidly spinning through different topics. Going from criticizing Harris for her lack of action on the southern border, Trump would then switch to blaming the media's portrayal of his rhetoric.
At one point, he brought up Hannibal Lecter, the fictional serial killer from the early 1990s.
"When I say Hannibal Lecter, the press says 'Oh why did he mention that? They say he rambled and started talking about Hannibal Lecter,'" he said. "What does that have to do with this? That's a representative of people that are coming into our country."
He also took time to praise his own performance as a public speaker.
"Not since Franklin Delano Roosevelt has a speech been made so brilliantly or delivered so well," he said of the last State of the Union address he gave as president.
At another point, he spoke about JD Vance, his vice presidential running mate.
"You know, I picked the best athlete," he said. "I could have picked anyone, they would have been great. But JD had an incredible life."
Trump claims he's been more indicted 'more than Al Capone'
"You know, he's the ultimate criminal," Trump said of the late Chicago gangster Al Capone. "I got indicted more than him. My parents are up there. They're great people. They're looking down at me right now: 'I can't believe this has happened to my son. He's been indicted more than Al Capone.'"
Trump has been indicted four times. Capone was indicted at least six times.
"He would take that man sitting right in the front row … Look at him. He's tough as hell. (Capone) would take him out to dinner; if he didn't like him, you were gone. You would never be found again. You'd be in the foundation of a building. You would form the foundation of a building in some place in Wisconsin. Now, Alphonse Capone led a very vicious, violent life, but according to the statistics, I am a much worse person than Alphonse Capone. I don't think so."
More: A new public TV documentary reveals Al Capone's happy place: Wisconsin
Trump claims Ukraine war wouldn't have happened under his watch
"If I were president, attacking Ukraine would have never happened. I knew Putin. I knew him well," Trump said of Russian President Vladimir Putin. "Nobody was tougher on Russia in history than Trump, and the person that knows that better than anyone is President Vladimir Putin. He knows it better than anyone. And I'll tell you what — I will have that war finished and done and settled before I get to the White House as president-elect. I will get that done."
President Volodymyr Zelenskyy aims to present a "victory plan" this month to President Joe Biden.
Trump says RFK Jr. is a ‘meaningful’ endorsement
Trump reveled in Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s endorsement and shared praise for his former opponent for the presidential office. Kennedy dropped out of the race in late August and threw his support behind Trump.
Kennedy this week filed a lawsuit against the Wisconsin Elections Commission seeking to have his name removed from the state's presidential ballot. The suit is part of an effort by Republicans in battleground states to keep Kennedy's name off of the ballot out of concern he could siphon votes from Trump.
Trump said that alongside him, Kennedy would help him take on the corruption at the Food and Drug Administration, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the World Health Organization and other institutions and would find solutions to autism and obesity.
“We will establish a panel of top experts to investigate what is causing the decades-long increase in chronic health problems and childhood diseases,” he said. “And Bobby’s going to be very much involved in that. We’re going to get him involved because that’s what he likes.”
At the end of his speech, Trump again turned to Kennedy.
“We will make America healthy again. Thank you Bobby!” he said.
Trump brought a number of guests on the stage
Trump paused his speech several times, allowing guests to take the stage and share their thoughts.
Gretchen Wilson, who wrote the song "Redneck Woman," serenaded the crowd before Trump arrived and later took the podium. She shared her story of growing up in a small Illinois town, and fighting her way out of poverty.
"My story isn't really all that rare, but the American dream that I have been fortunate enough to find will more most certainly be lost forever if we do not show up and vote for freedom in November," she said. "It is on us. Let's make sure we, the people, do all we can to save our country by voting for President Trump and JD Vance."
Eric Hovde, who is running against Democratic U.S. Sen. Tammy Baldwin, also took the stage alongside Trump to criticize his opponent and encourage voters to cast their ballot for all the Republican candidates in November.
"What they are experts at is lying. Kamala Harris and Tammy Baldwin are expert liars," he said. "We have 59 days. This is the time. We can't go another four years."
Laura Schulte can be reached at [email protected] and on X at @SchulteLaura.
This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Takeaways from Donald Trump's rally in Mosinee, Wisconsin