Trump claims US was unified under his presidency before COVID-19: 'Everybody was happy'

• Former President Donald Trump said on Friday that the US was unified during his presidency prior to COVID-19.

• "Everybody was happy," he said during a panel in Las Vegas, Nevada.

• In a speech that came after the panel, Trump went on to describe the US as a "nation in decline."

Former President Donald Trump claimed on Friday that "everybody was happy" during his presidency before the COVID-19 pandemic.

Trump, who critics have often condemned for his divisive rhetoric, made a rare call for national unity while stumping for Nevada Republican gubernatorial candidate Joe Lombardo and senate candidate Adam Laxalt in Las Vegas.

Speaking at a panel on crime and safety at the Treasure Island resort, Trump called on his audience "to stop fighting with each other and unify."

He claimed that Americans had been unified when living through the "greatest period" in history in "many ways, " referring to his presidency before COVID-19 struck.

"It can happen again," he said. "We were more unified just before that. Everybody was happy."

According to the Independent, Trump tried to contrast his presidency with President Joe Biden. He claimed that the Biden administration had allowed a "deadly wave of lawlessness... to sweep the land."

After the panel, Trump made a speech in which he continued to criticize the state of crime and safety in the US.

The Las Vegas Review-Journal reported that Trump called the US a "nation in decline" and a "failing nation." He also said that the "streets are filled with the blood of innocent crime victims," per the local media outlet.

The former president said: "If we are going to make America great again, our first task is to make America safe again," referencing his 2016 campaign slogan.

During the speech, the Las Vegas Review-Journal said that he declined to say whether he would run for election again in 2024.

Trump has teased for months that he'll run for president again. Several news organizations have reported that he could announce a third White House bid this year.

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