Donald Trump used a Tuesday speech to House Republicans to boast of his successes and the recent military operation in Venezuela, while mocking transgender weightlifters in a lengthy address marked by off-teleprompter rants and vulgar asides. The president appeared unfazed by the party's razor-thin majority in the lower chamber, reduced to 218 seats following the resignation of Marjorie Taylor Greene and the death of Doug LaMalfa.
Speaking at the House GOP Conference's annual retreat at The Kennedy Center, Trump claimed the party had maintained a “unified majority” delivering “12 months of unprecedented success.” He predicted an “epic midterm victory,” dismissing the historical trend of a president's party losing House seats midway through a term—a fate avoided only by George W. Bush in 2002, after the September 11 attacks.
Expressing incredulity that voters might switch allegiance, Trump suggested the tendency was “something psychological.” He noted his past wins in every swing state and the popular vote, adding: “I wish you could explain to me what the hell's going on with the mind of the public.”
The president took a brief solemn turn to eulogise LaMalfa, praising his party-line voting record, and offered well-wishes to Indiana's Jim Baird, who is recovering from a car accident. He then endorsed House Speaker Mike Johnson and Majority Leader Steve Scalise, recalling the 2017 shooting at a Republican baseball practice and repeating a joke about Scalise's wife.
During the nearly 90-minute speech, Trump appeared to confuse Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer with deposed Venezuelan leader Nicolás Maduro, calling Schumer “such a bad guy” before boasting of Maduro's capture in Caracas. He also claimed Maduro had imitated his dance, and repeated a vulgar story about a transgender weightlifter, noting that his wife, Melania Trump, finds the routine “so unpresidential” and also dislikes his dancing.
