Trump claims US was unified under his presidency before Covid: ‘Everybody was happy’

Donald Trump has claimed that “everybody was happy” under his presidency before the coronavirus pandemic arrived.

Speaking at a campaign event in Las Vegas on Friday night, the former president said the Biden administration had allowed a “deadly wave of lawlessness ... to sweep the land” while painting a far rosier picture of his own term in office.

“We have to stop fighting with each other and unify. That was happening during the greatest period I believe in our country’s history in many ways. Just before Covid came in from China,” he said.

“It can happen again. We were more unified just before that, everybody was happy.”

Mr Trump delivered the remarks at a panel on crime and safety with Nevada Republican gubernatorial candidate Joe Lombardo and senate candidate Adam Laxalt.

In a typically freewheeling speech, Mr Trump claimed that “civilisation itself is right now under siege” and the US had been “knocked to its knees”.

Mr Trump also said that his former attorney, Rudy Giuliani, was being treated for a heart condition in hospital that he said was the result of what the political left has “put him through”.

Mr Lombardo won the Republican primary last month and is aiming to unseat Democratic incumbent Gov. Steve Sisolak in November.

Mr Laxalt will face Democrat Catherine Cortez Masto in a crucial Senate race.