By Emily Kresse
In his fourth appearance in Iowa since his July nomination, Donald Trump worked to capitalize on a rough week for rival Hillary Clinton.
The GOP presidential nominee told a crowd in Clive on Tuesday that Clinton’s “deplorables” comment was further proof of an aloof, out-of-touch Democratic candidate.
“While my opponent slanders you as deplorable and irredeemable, I call you hard-working American patriots who love your country and want a better future for all of our people,” Trump said.
Former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani, who introduced Trump at the Clive event, embraced the “deplorable” comment.
“I’m proud to be one of you; I’m in the same basket you’re in,” Giuliani said.
Clinton incited outrage among Trump supporters, as well as some undecided voters, at a fundraiser in New York on Sept. 9 when she referred to half of Trump’s supporters as a “basket of deplorables,” calling them “racist, sexist, homophobic, xenophobic, and Islamophobic.”
She has since softened her remark, saying that calling half of his supporters deplorable was an exaggeration.
Trump continued his attack on Clinton’s email scandal, and in light of congressional hearings held Tuesday morning, called out Clinton’s email team for invoking the Fifth Amendment.
The witnesses Trump referred to include two tech specialists from Denver-based Platte River Network, the company that maintained Clinton’s server after she left office. The two declined to testify in a hearing before the Republican-led House Government Oversight and Reform Committee Tuesday morning. One former State Department computer specialist chose to not attend the hearing.
Justin Cooper, a former aide to President Bill Clinton, testified about his involvement with Secretary Clinton’s technology, including his habit of sometimes destroying her old phones with a hammer after backing up the information on them.
“This is a far bigger scandal than Watergate ever was, but with Watergate, we had the Justice Department doing its job — here, we don’t have either,” Trump said to a crowd of more than 1,500 at the Seven Flags Center in Clive.
Trump chose not to talk about Clinton’s recent pneumonia diagnosis, which some have criticized her for not disclosing until she was visibly weak during a 9/11 memorial ceremony and had to leave early.
Instead, Trump focused on his usual talking points, including immigration, national security, and an Iowa favorite — family farms.
The New York business mogul also talked about his plan for education.
Trump said if elected he would get rid of the common core and instead implement school choice so families could choose the “private, public, magnet, or religious school” of their choice. This plan, according to Trump, will lift millions of minority children out of poverty.
He went on to appeal to African-American voters directly, especially those living in dangerous communities.
“What do you have to lose? It can’t get any worse,” Trump said. “I say this to the African-American community, it can’t get any worse. I’ll fix it.”
In anticipation of Trump’s Iowa stop, Hillary for Iowa leaders released a joint statement signed by four millennial Clinton supporters. The four signers deplored Trump for not having a plan to make college more affordable, for not supporting housing laws that would protect the LGBTQ community, and for not supporting a woman’s right to choose.
“Millennials are supporting Hillary Clinton for her lifelong commitment to justice and equality for all Americans and opposing Donald Trump because we know he doesn’t represent our generation or what we stand for,” the statement read.
After the rally Trump attended a private fundraiser in West Des Moines at the Blue Moon Dueling Piano Bar and Restaurant. Tickets started at $1,000, which would get a donor entrance and an entrée, and went up to $50,000 per couple, which included VIP seating and a photo opportunity with the candidate.