PALM BEACH COUNTY, Fla. – Former President Donald Trump addressed an energized crowd at his Mar-a-Lago resort in Palm Beach Tuesday, as he intensified his campaign efforts just a week before Election Day.
Supporters began arriving around 6 a.m. for the event, originally planned as a press conference but that evolved into a lively rally.
Trump took the stage shortly after 11 a.m., speaking to more than 200 attendees in a packed ballroom.
“The election itself is going very well. We are leading in all 7 swing states,” Trump told the crowd, prompting cheers from attendees.
The event came on the heels of Trump’s recent rally at Madison Square Garden, which stirred controversy after comedian Tony Hinchcliffe made a racially insensitive remark about Puerto Rico. Although Trump referenced the rally, he did not address the comment directly, instead calling the event one “filled with love.”
A spokesperson for Trump later issued a statement distancing him and his campaign from the controversial joke.
Trump directed strong criticism at Democratic presidential nominee Kamala Harris, claiming she is responsible for what he described as deteriorating border conditions.
“Kamala intends to conflict and keep this misery going as long as she can because that’s the only way she can get elected,” Trump said. He accused Harris of “obliterating borders,” saying, “Our borders are the worst in the history of the world.”
“No person has caused so much destruction and death at home and abroad should never be allowed to be the president of the United States,” Trump added.
The former president also played a video highlighting a story of a mother whose daughter was killed by two undocumented immigrants, underscoring his focus on immigration and crime as key campaign issues.
“I always say in third-world countries, banana republics, they’d fight him away with sticks and stones if they had to,” Trump said. “We let them come in, come on in.”
Trump is set to continue his campaign with a stop in Pennsylvania, where he’ll discuss Medicare and Social Security at a roundtable with seniors, followed by a rally in Allentown. With battleground states polling at a statistical tie, both Trump and Harris are pushing hard in the final days of their campaigns.