Speaking in Washington DC for the first time since leaving the White House in the wake of the Jan. 6 capitol riot, former President Donald Trump said in a Tuesday speech that the United States had turned into a “cesspool of crime” under President Joe Biden.
“Our country is now a cesspool of crime. We have blood, death and suffering on a scale once unthinkable because of the Democratic Party’s effort to destroy and dismantle law enforcement,” Trump said to the America First Policy Institute, a think tank where many of his former staffers work.
Trump used the appearance to speak on topics that he will likely use to drive home his message if he takes another shot at the White House in 2024, Yahoo News reported.
Subjects touched upon included cracking down on crime in major cities, completing the wall along the southern border, and dealing with thousands of homeless Americans living in encampments across the country.
Trump, who read off a teleprompter, avoided speaking about the Jan. 6 capitol riot by his supporters or his allegation that the 2020 election was rigged in Biden’s favor.
Trump also touched upon transgender athletes competing in female sports.
“We should not allow men to play in women’s sports,” Trump said.
He spoke about men beating women in swimming events and about a man named “Alice” who easily beat a female weightlifter trying to lift 218 pounds.
On the subject of the House committee investigating Jan. 6, Trump said: “They really want to damage me so I can’t go back to work for you. And I don’t think that’s going to happen.”