Trump touts economy in pitch for Van Drew

President Donald Trump touted the country’s economy in his pitch for second terms for himself and Rep. Jeff Van Drew at a rally in Wildwood Tuesday night.

“Together we’re achieving historic victories for New Jersey families. You see it every day. The New Jersey unemployment rate has reached the lowest of all time,” he said. “More people are working today in the state of New Jersey than ever before, and I have to tell you, more people, almost 160 million, are working in the United States.”

He highlighted the national and state unemployment rates, which have hovered around record or near-record lows for much of the last year.

Gov. Phil Murphy, who largely escaped mention during Trump’s speech, has frequently touted the state’s unemployment rate, even mentioning it during his state of the state speech earlier this month.

Trump’s speech, which went on for more than an hour and touched on topics as wide-ranging as the economy, a military strike that killed Iranian General Qasem Soleimani, drug prices and impeachment proceedings against the president, was delivered to a raucous crowd that left the Wildwood Convention Center with only standing room remaining.

Some Trump supporters were left outside with Democratic protesters, though that number fell far short of the “tens of thousands” Trump claimed could not fit into the venue.

Trump’s trip to South Jersey, a place he repeatedly claimed to love, was made for the benefit of Rep. Jeff Van Drew (R-Dennis), a former Democrat who left the party after losing support among its rank and file over his opposition to impeachment proceedings against Trump.

The president praised Van Drew for his defection, calling the former Democrat “a courageous leader who has left the Democratic Party because he’s had enough of their extremism.”

Van Drew, who gave brief remarks at Tuesday’s rally, returned the favor by praising Trump and adding his own call for Republican turnout to Trump’s.

“This year, this very year, is a flash point election,” Van Drew said. “Are we going to allow ourselves just to be like any other nation in the world or are we going to keep America great.”

Trump spent much of the early portion of his speech railing against the impeachment inquiry into his withholding of roughly $400 million in military aid to Ukraine in exchange for investigations into the son of former Vice President Joe Biden, one of Trump’s chief political opponents.

“The do-nothing democrats, they have spent the last three years, and probably even before I came down on that beautiful escalator with our beautiful future first lady, trying to overthrow the last election,” Trump said. “We will make sure that they face another crushing defeat in the next election.”

Van Drew’s switch, which was responsible for the Tuesday’s rally, pushed David Richter, once the frontrunner for the Republican nod in the second congressional district, out of the race and into the third congressional district’s contest.

There, Richter faces Former Burlington County Freeholder Director Kate Gibbs.

Gibbs has the party line in her home county, but Richter appears to have the support of Trump’s administration.

While Trump did not endorse or even mention Richter during his sometimes-rambling remarks Tuesday, the candidate delivered a speech earlier in the event, giving him minutes in front of thousands of Trump supporters that may vote in the district’s primary.

Bill Stepien, Trump’s former political director, has signed onto Richter’s campaign as a consultant.

Stepien, Kellyanne Conway, Republican State Chairman Doug Steinhardt and State Sens. Michael Testa and Joseph Pennacchio got shout outs from Trump, who suggested he may return to the state in warmer weather.

“We could’ve filled out the Meadowlands Arena two or three times,” Trump said. “Maybe we’ll do it during the summer.”