'Impeach them': Trump accuses Buttigieg and Klobuchar of 'quid pro quo' with Biden
Donald Trump, in signature fashion, tried to accuse his Democratic rivals of a "quid pro quo," just the allegation House Democrats used to impeach him.
The president, however, was not talking about US military aid in return for Ukraine investigating Americans. Rather, he was accusing moderate former Democratic presidential candidates of dropping out of the 2020 race while also endorsing former Vice President Joe Biden and promising him their delegates – in return for promises he would give them Cabinet posts, if the former VP secures the nomination then wins in November.
"They made a deal. ... Quid pro quo," Mr Trump said to loud cheers in Charlotte. "They made a deal. Impeach them."
He was referring to Minnesota Senator Amy Klobuchar and former South Bend, Indiana, Mayor Pete Buttigieg. Both dropped out of the race following losses in South Carolina's Democratic primary on Saturday, which Mr Biden won by a wide margin.
"The Democrat Party has gone crazy," Mr Trump told his supporters in North Carolina, accusing the opposition party of adapting an "extreme left-wing agenda."
He also admitted to "trolling" Democrats by holding campaign rallies in states the day before that party holds nominating primaries, revealing a key part of his re-election strategy.
And the rally brought another false statement: "Mexico's paying for the wall, by the way. They are," he said. They're not. US taxpayers are – and he again plans to take funds from the Pentagon to build more barrier along the US-Mexico border; Mr Trump contends changes to trade policy in a new pact with that country and Canada will bring funds into the US Treasury Department that essentially means America's southern neighbor is indeed financing the wall project.
In a bizarre scene about 40 minutes into the rally, African-American conservative personalities "Diamond" and "Silk" joined Trump on stage and did a bit of a duet that ended with them saying "you've got to be this high to ride this ride." They were referring to New York Mayor Mike Bloomberg, whom the president has mocked over his height.
The president appeared to sense one of the Democratic presidential field's top delegate-holders, Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders and former Vice President Joe Biden, likely will be his general election foe.
"It's true, he does have some enthusiasm. But much less than we have. And a much smaller group of people, too," Mr Trump said of Mr Sanders. "And there's not a lot of enthusiasm for Biden."
He mocked the former vice president for last week misspeaking at a campaign event by telling attendees he was a "candidate for the United States Senate" and on Monday referring to the Super Tuesday primaries as "Super Thursday."
After last week's stock market slide due to coronavirus fears, Mr Trump touted what he called the largest one-day US market recovery in history.
Mr Trump was back in the Carolinas for the second time in four days; he held a rally in North Charleston, South Carolina on Friday evening.
He's also there the night before Super Tuesday primaries in over two dozen states. The president acknowledged last month he is going to primary states the night before Democratic primaries to try disrupting those nominating races. "We do a little trolling," he said in Charlotte.
Mr Trump also is trying to get a head start on securing North Carolina's 15 Electoral College votes for what appears likely to be a close general election.
He was greeted at the Bojangles' Coliseum with a thunderous chant of "U-S-A!"
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