At a campaign-style rally in Iowa on Wednesday evening, President Trump praised recent GOP special election victories and his administration's accomplishments to date, while criticizing the media and Democrats.
Early in the speech, held at the U.S. Cellular Center in Cedar Rapids, Trump congratulated Karen Handel and Ralph Norman for winning special elections on Tuesday night.
Norman won Mick Mulvaney's seat in South Carolina's 5th District. The Republican was expected to win, though the race was closer than anticipated.
Karen Handel staved off a challenge from Democrat Jon Ossoff, even though Democrats funneled a record-breaking $23 million into the election.
In his speech, which lasted over an hour, Trump mocked Ossoff and the blow for Democrats, blaming the "Democratic" media for being biased against Handel.
Most of the "Making America Great Again" rally was spent praising the Trump administration's work in his five months as president. The president roused the crowd on issues such as crime, jobs, immigration, infrastructure and terrorism.
He assured his supporters that the promised border wall with Mexico would still be built and expressed confidence in the new GOP healthcare bill. The latest attempt to repeal the Affordable Care Act is set to be revealed on Thursday.
"I think healthcare's gonna happen," he said, despite the attempts of "obstructionist" Democrats.
The president also praised his administration's succession from the Paris climate accord, job growth, new policy on Cuba, and appointment of Supreme Court Justice Neil Gorsuch, while criticizing the "fake news" outlets for not giving him credit for his accomplishments.
He addressed the wealth of his advisors, saying he did not want "poor people" in those positions.
Though a new poll by CBS found Trump's approval rating has dropped to 36 percent, the president remained optimistic throughout the rally.
"We are making progress like no one can believe," he said.
