DES MOINES, Iowa—Donald Trump coined (and literally owns) the phrase, “Make America great again!”
On Tuesday evening at the elegant Hoyt Sherman Place in Iowa’s capital city, Trump laid out his plans to do just that—this time as a freshly announced presidential candidate.
The plan that Trump laid out focuses on building up the military, taking care of veterans, and repealing and replacing Obamacare.
After numerous guest speakers—including enthusiastic fifth-grader Shay Doyle, 10, of Waverly—Trump, clad in a navy blue suit and red tie, was met by a standing crowd.
“This has been a really wild day,” Trump declared to the audience of 1,000 or so, after flying in from his official 2016 campaign launch in New York City.
Upon landing in Iowa, Trump quickly tried to win over the crowd.
“It’s a vibrant area,” Trump said. “These are people that make the country great. This is where it begins.”
Trump, a billionaire businessman, trumpeted his leadership skills.
“Politicians are all talk, no action,” Trump said. “It’s terrible what’s happening. We have leadership that’s incompetent.”
“We can make our country great again,” Trump reiterated, while standing in front of a backdrop with six American flags and four Iowa state flags.
Trump also talked tough on how he would try to defeat the terrorist group ISIS.
If he wins, Trump said, he will take back the oil hubs that ISIS controls in Iraq and Syria.
“[I will] blast the hell out of that oil,” Trump said, and “kill the devil at its head.”
Trump tried to draw laughs around sensitive subjects.
Referencing how much money ISIS has, Trump joked, “Even for Trump that’s a lot of money.”
The billionaire businessman also spoke aggressively on how he would confront China.
Trump respects China, he said, but “I’ve made a fortune beating China. I’ve beaten them. They’re very beatable.”
Continuing his call for stronger border security to stop illegal immigration, Trump proposed he would build a bigger, stronger wall that would be done “under budget and ahead of schedule.”
And Trump even attempted to show his humble side.
“I give up a lot,” Trump said in reference to him not continuing to host his show, “The Celebrity Apprentice,” during his campaign for president.
Trump’s Iowa appearance ended with a question from the audience.
“How do you beat Hillary?” the questionnaire asked.
“There’s nobody that’s gonna beat her except Donald Trump,” Trump said.