Trump's sons at Freedom Fest in NKY: 'This family will never ... stop fighting'

MORNING VIEW, Ky. −The sons of former President Donald Trump savaged the FBI, President Joe Biden, Democrats and the media Saturday night, promising to "get these bastards."

Eric Trump, Donald Trump Jr., and a host of Trump disciples drew thousands of fans to the second annual Freedom Fest, a Northern Kentucky gathering organized by self-described "legal outlaw," talk show host and Kentucky Republican gubernatorial candidate Eric Deters.

Eric Trump told the crowd that when he found out the FBI was raiding Mar-a-Lago last month, he said he immediately thought: ‘What the hell are 30 FBI agents doing outside our gate?’ "

“Shouldn’t they be standing outside of Hunter Biden’s house?” he asked. The crowd roared and Eric Trump continued, firing back at Biden for suggesting some Trump supporters are fascists.

“He’s using the FBI to protect his son while raiding his political opponents' house. Tell me what’s fascism,” Eric Trump said.

Hunter Biden has been under federal investigation for tax issues since 2018. FBI Director Christopher Wray was nominated by former president Trump.

Donald Trump Jr. criticized the FBI’s handling of the documents confiscated from Mar-a-Lago, noting the release of photos of the documents to news organizations.

“Trump was [allegedly] hiding all sorts of FBI documents at Mar-a-Lago, but it didn't stop them from leaking a staged photograph of those documents to the Washington Post,” he said.

The Justice Department released photos of some documents, sometimes obscured, to news organizations.

The criticism of the FBI comes a month after an armed man attempted to breach the Cincinnati FBI building, a few miles north of the rally. The attacker was killed after a standoff with police.

Donald Trump's sons: No Ukraine war, no equipment left in Afghanistan if our father were in White House

Among the issues addressed were Ukraine, mainstream media, and the 2020 presidential election, and the second amendment.

He said the media’s coverage of the Trump presidency was a sign it could not be trusted, saying, “You have no choice but to assume the mainstream media is the enemy of the people.”

Trump Jr. was also critical of the military withdrawal from Afghanistan, noting the roughly $7 billion worth of U.S. military equipment left in Afghanistan.

“We can disagree on things but honestly, as a sentient being, if you were watching that and you didn't think it was a low point in American history, there's something wrong with you,” he said.

Both Trumps said nearly everything about the nation would be better if their father was still president.

“You think that Russia would have invaded Ukraine [if Trump were still president]?" Eric Trump said. "No way, no way. You know why? Because Trump would have called up Putin and said, ‘Listen, don't play games. We're not going to do this. Don't play games.’"

Russia has had strained relationships with post-Soviet countries and invaded Ukraine’s Crimea region in 2014. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said in an interview this summer that he doesn’t know whether Trump could have stopped the war, but American support of Ukraine is essential regardless of political party.

Eric Trump vowed to the crowd that the Trump family would continue to stand for Republican values and fight the Democrats in elections for years to come.

“This family will never ever, ever stop fighting. We're going to fight in 2022, and we're going to fight like hell in 2024, and we are going to get these bastards. I promise you, Kentucky."

Freedom Fest draws conservative big-hitters

Other prominent conservatives, like Babylon Bee CEO Seth Dillon and TV news personality Kimberly Guilfoyle also spoke at the event, along with influencer Candace Owens in her first public appearance since maternity leave.

The Trumps and their allies were welcomed to the area with supporters who sold "Let’s Go Brandon" T-shirts, gave away gourmet hot dogs in exchange for donations to Deters’ gubernatorial campaign, and a giant 16-by-10 foot flag declaring "Trump Won."

Flag bearer Adam Radogna drove in from Columbus, and said he’d spent over $1,000 on a half dozen or so custom flags to show his support for former president Trump.

Holly and Thomas Wald, from Highland Heights, said they came to Freedom Fest to feel a sense of community with other like-minded people and to support Christian Republican candidates.

“You kind of feel alone,” she said about watching the news and feeling like it portrays the majority of people in the country as Democrats. That's not her experience living in Northern Kentucky, where Trump easily won the state in 2016 and 2020.

But being around people with the same values reminds her there are others in her community who have the same opinions about important issues, such as election integrity and anti-abortion legislation.

“It’s such a relief. It’s such a breath of fresh air,” she said.

This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: Freedom Fest: Donald Trump Jr., Eric Trump speak at Kentucky event