Beto: "Safe not because of walls but in spite of walls. Secure because we treat one another with dignity and respect."
There was a counter-rally starting with a march at 7pm ET located across from the Trump venue. It was meant to be a contrast to the Trump rally (9pm ET).
Beto O’Rourke spoke at the same time as Individual-1. His crowd was bigger.
“There is no bargain in which we can sacrifice our humanity to gain a little security...we will lose both!”
Former El Paso Congressman Beto O'Rourke is holding a competing rally with President Trump's in El Paso, Texas Monday night as the rumored 2020 contender is expected to lead thousands in a "March for Truth." O'Rourke will organize just before Mr. Trump takes the stage at his own rally in support of his long-promised border wall.
Troll-bots claim “thousands” wait in line for an arena with 6,500 capacity.
Daniel Dale fact-checking begins in this thread
- Trump calls the Rio Grande "legendary." He says they started wall construction there today. (Not sure, but I know they were planning to starting building their first new fencing of Trump's tenure, in the Rio Grande Valley, by this week.)
- Trump usually says that the many cameras on him at rallies is like the Academy Awards. This time, he said it's like the Academy Awards "used to be."
- Trump says he's "1 for 1" in elections, and now he's going to be "2 for 0."
- Trump says Beto O'Rourke "has very little going for himself except he's got a great first name." He says there are 10,000 people at his rally in an arena that holds 8,000 people, but "tens of thousands of people are watching screens outside." (Anybody out there to check?)
- Trump says he has 35,000 people at his rally and O'Rourke has 200 or 300. Those extremely do not seem like the correct numbers, but I will update you later.
- Trump again lies that, after "40 years" of failed efforts, he got Veterans Choice passed. The program was signed into law by Obama in 2014. Trump signed a law that significantly modifies the Choice program. That was the 57th time he said this.
- There is a Build That Wall chant. Trump says it should be Finish That Wall, lying that "we've built a lot of it."
- Trump adds some more to his usual line about a protester going home to mommy, this time saying the protester will be "punished" by mommy.
- Trump: "Democrats have to stop being so angry."
(Really regretting my decision to watch this rather than the Raptors game)
- "No president should have to go what we've gone through," Trump says, referring to the Russia investigation, which he calls "a hoax."
- Trump lies that "the real collusion" was with Hillary Clinton. This is, as always, simple nonsense. There is a Lock Her Up chant. Trump adds that "there's also collusion between the Democrats and the fake news right here." There is a CNN Sucks chant.
- Trump attacks the Green New Deal, saying it'd cause economic ruin, and that it is "crazy" for a Hawaii senator to support it, because you can't get to Hawaii on a train.
- Trump: "Where are the fact-checkers? You know, some of the most dishonest people in media are the so-called fact-checkers."
- Trump's current campaign argument: the Democrats are radical, far out of the mainstream, and would cause economic, social and health disruption with their foolish left-wing schemes.
- Trump says he could have stayed in Washington and learned about the progress in border negotiations, but he chose "my people from Texas" instead. He often says things like this at rallies - he could have not come see these people, but he chose them, consciously.
- Trump pre-criticizes the media for not noting how much bigger his crowd is than O'Rourke's. He says, of the media's reaction to his own success (I think), "it's driving them crazy. It's driving them crazy."
- Trump falsely: "Our unemployment rate: real unemployment, 3.6, 3.7, and going down." He then says, "It went up to 4...you know how low 4 is?...It went up from 3.7 to 4 just quickly." He says it's because of "a little blip" with the shutdown.
- Trump lying about human traffickers again: "Do you think they come in through the ports of entry?" Many of them do.
- Ah, the "three women tied up in the backseat of a car" have returned. Trump this time says the traffickers "make a left" to get into the country with the gagged women, a departure from the frequent "make a right."
- Trump: "How about the word caravan? CARAVAN? I think that was one of mine." He is saying various things.
- Trump lies that only "2%" of people show up for their immigration court hearings. (Even anti-immigration groups say it's well over half; for asylum seekers, it's been near-90%.) Then he insults the people who do follow the law, saying, "Only the dumbest people show back up."
- Trump dismisses people who note that the El Paso fencing didn't make a big difference on crime, saying, "I spoke to people who've been here a long time." He adds, "They're full of crap when they say it hasn't made a big difference."
- The part of Trump's El Paso comments that has been most criticized is a part he didn't mention tonight: the claim that El Paso used to be very dangerous pre-fencing. That's flat false. The impact of the fencing is more debatable.
- Trump mocks unnamed "rich liberals" who supposedly advocate "open borders" - congressional Dems do not - while living behind walls. Adds: "I'm guilty. I'm guilty. I also live behind walls...me too...because I want to be safe. And I want to make America safe, if you don't mind."
- "Almost 40,000 people were murdered in Mexico," Trump says. He first tweeted the correct number, 33,341, then made it "38,000" in his remarks at the White House, then tonight made it "almost 40,000."
- Trump: "By the way, there is nothing better than a good old-fashioned German shepherd. It's hard to believe. It's true."
- !!! Trump: "Certain types of dogs. You do love your dogs, don't you? I wouldn't mind having one, honestly, but I don't have any time. How would I look walking a dog on the White House lawn?...Feels a little phony to me...That's not the relationship I have with my people."
- Trump says he's been advised to get a dog because it's good politically, but "that's not the relationship I have with my people," his base.
- Trump on getting a dog, in summary:
- - I wouldn't mind one but I don't have any time
- - It would look phony for me to walk a dog
- - My base doesn't need to see me with a dog
- Trump on the House Dems on the new NAFTA deal: "They would rather have Trump have a loss than get something that's so good for our country."
- Sir Alert/Tears Alert! Trump says a crying guy so big "he's like a monster, like this monster football player, big strong guy," said to him, as he was coming out, "Thank you very much...you've saved our country."
- I'm being kicked out of a building so I'm going to end on the crying monster. Good night everyone