President Trump Attacks Media, McCain, Flake, Others At Phoenix Campaign Rally

PHOENIX, AZ — President Trump went to Phoenix on Tuesday where he delivered a strident attack on the media that was filled with false statements and inaccurate representations of his own previous comments. He attacked the usual suspects — The New York Times, The Washington Post and CNN — and accused reporters of not loving their country.

The venue was a "Make America Great Again" campaign rally on Tuesday night at the Phoenix Convention Center. Watch a replay of the live stream of the event at the bottom of this article.

Trump started by saying "there aren't too many people outside protesting" despite the fact there were more than 2,000, according to reporters on the scene. (For more local news, subscribe to the Phoenix Patch to receive daily newsletters and breaking news alerts. For more information and updates on this and other political stories, subscribe to the White House Patch.)

The president quickly pivoted to one of his favorite topics — the 2016 campaign.

"I will never forget Arizona," he said as he talked about having his first major rally in Arizona.

He then launched into an attack on the media's coverage of his comments about the incident two weeks ago in Charlottesville, Virginia. Trump has come under criticism in the past two weeks for his reaction to the violence at a white supremacist rally there. He did not initially condemn the neo-Nazis, KKK and other white supremacists who attended, and later said there were good people on both sides of the protests.

He read the statements he made on Saturday, Sunday and Tuesday, arguing that he was consistent in his opposition to white supremacists when reacting to the events that led to the death of a young woman who was killed protesting racism and hatred. The president left out the fact that he appeared to equate the racist, neo-Nazi marchers and those who were protesting what those marchers stood for. He also left out the fact that he shared the blame on "both sides."

The president also falsely said that the media did not report his comments condemning hatred. Those comments received extensive coverage, including on Patch.

Trump spent roughly 30 minutes talking about Charlottesville in a speech that lasted more than an hour.

He then turned to the topic of disgraced former sheriff Joe Arpaio, who was recently convicted of contempt of court. Trump said he has been considering pardoning Arpaio.

"I can tell you that there will be no discussion of that today at any point, and no action will be taken on that front at any point today," Press Secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders told reporters Tuesday afternoon aboard Air Force One. But Trump, apparently, couldn't let the subject go completely.

After asking the crowd if people liked Arpaio, Trump assured them that the convicted sheriff "will be OK."

He continued: "I won't do it tonight, but Sheriff Joe can feel good."

Trump Once Again Hints He Might Pardon Former Sheriff Joe Arpaio

He then attacked Democrats as "obstructionists" and said their goal "is total socialism and maybe a step beyond socialism from what I can see."

Trump also said that he was more popular in Arizona now then when he was elected, despite recent polls suggesting the opposite.

Secretary of Housing and Urban Development Ben Carson attended the rally, giving remarks ahead of the president's speech.

Absent from the rally were Arizona's two senators — both Republicans — John McCain and Jeff Flake. Trump has attacked both recently and has given shoutouts on Twitter to Kelli Ward, who is challenging Flake in next year's primary. While he didn't mention either by the name, he did continue his attacks on the state's senators.

The mayor of Phoenix, Greg Stanton, had asked Trump to delay the rally given the events in Charlottesville and the nation's need to heal. At the least, he said, the president should apologize for his response.

Earlier in the day, the president visited Yuma, where he had stops at a Border Patrol facility where he saw equipment such as a Predator drone.

The trip to Arizona came one day after Trump gave a scripted speech in Arlington, Virginia, about the path forward in Afghanistan, which will involve additional American troops. Many observers noted Trump's subdued tone as he read from the prepared remarks Monday, a stark contrast with his animated and rambling speech Tuesday night.

After the speech, police and protesters clashed outside the convention center.

"People in the crowd have begun throwing rocks and bottles at police," said Phoenix Police Sgt. Jonathan Howard. "They also dispersed some gas in the area. Police have responded with pepper balls and spray in an attempt to disperse the crowd and stop the assaults."

Watch a replay of the rally here.

Photo by Justin Merriman/Getty Images