'I thought I was finished campaigning': Trump reveals why he's going back on the trail

WASHINGTON, DC: President Donald Trump said he thought his campaigning was over before announcing that he would return to the campaign trail to help Republicans because, he said, “we need the votes.”

Trump tied the decision to immigration, warning that Democrats would reopen the border if Republicans did not have enough support.

He made the remarks during a National Hispanic Heritage Month reception at the White House on Wednesday, September 30.

Trump ties campaign return directly to GOP votes

“I thought I was finished campaigning,” Trump said before explaining why he planned to resume political activity. “But in order to help Republicans, because we need the votes, we have to have the votes.”

He then warned that Democrats would reopen the border if Republicans did not have enough support, saying, “Otherwise, we'll have these lunatics with the open borders.”

Trump also claimed that his administration had stopped people from entering the country illegally during the previous 17 months while allowing people to enter through a legal process.

“We have people coming in, but we have them coming in through a legal process,” he said.

Trump described immigration enforcement as his hardest job, saying he faced criticism regardless of how aggressively or softly he acted. 

“Get tougher, get softer,” he said. “No matter what you do, it's always tough.”

President Trump shifts from White House remarks to campaign politics

The campaign comments came after Trump spent much of the reception discussing foreign policy and his administration’s actions in Iraq, Venezuela and Iran.

He announced that the last American forces were leaving Iraq, calling the departure “a great day for America” and a victory for the United States and Iraq.

Trump also contrasted the Iraq war with his description of a 148-minute war in Venezuela, where he said the United States lost no soldiers. He said the Iraq conflict lasted 23 years and resulted in more than 4,500 American soldiers killed and more than 31,000 injured.

The speech later moved to domestic politics as Trump argued that Republicans need votes to preserve his administration’s approach to immigration.

Trump touts investment and economic record

Trump also used the reception to promote his administration’s economic record, claiming that $21 trillion was being invested in the country in 15 months, compared with what he described as $500 billion during the Biden administration’s four years.

“We have the greatest economy in the history of our country by far,” Trump said.

He acknowledged a problem with communicating those accomplishments, saying, “What we're doing poorly, and we're not getting the word out.”

Trump then returned to the need for Republican votes and described Democrats as people who would allow prisoners from other countries into the United States. 

He claimed that 25 million people had walked across the border into the country.

He said his administration had gotten thousands of violent offenders and criminals out of the country, while people entering legally were still coming in.