President Trump brushed aside the California security scare that shadowed his West Coast swing Wednesday, rallying a packed Las Vegas crowd with a victory lap on tax cuts before tearing into Democrats over the border, crime and culture.
Speaking to cheering supporters at the Red Rock Casino Resort and Spa, Trump declared working Americans are finally keeping more of their hard-earned cash, touting his fulfilled campaign promise to eliminate taxes on tips.
“If you’re a waiter, a waitress, a bartender, a bellhop, a caddy, a valet, a hotel worker, taxi driver in Las Vegas or anywhere else you pay zero taxes on your tipped income,” he said.
Trump said the idea was sparked by a young Las Vegas waitress who told him taxes on tips were making life harder.
He argued the proposal also helped power his 3.10% victory over former Vice President Kamala Harris in Nevada, making him the first Republican to carry the Silver State since George W. Bush in 2004.
The president also rattled off a string of tax victories, saying 150,000 Nevada workers saved an average of more than $3,000 through the elimination of taxes on overtime pay, while roughly 500,000 seniors in the state no longer pay taxes on their Social Security benefits.
He touted a new tax deduction for auto loan interest on vehicles built in the United States and praised what he called the “Great Big Beautiful Bill,” calling it the largest tax cut in American history.
Trump then shifted to the economy, arguing tariffs have supercharged the nation’s finances.
“The tariffs have made us rich,” he declared.
He claimed the US has reached record export levels, more Americans are working than ever before, Nevada has added 40,000 jobs and 100,000 residents have come off food stamps.
Trump also took a swipe at former President Joe Biden, claiming “Sleepy Joe” brought in just $1 trillion in investment over four years while his administration landed $19.2 trillion in a single year.
The rally quickly turned into a full-throated broadside against Democrats, with Trump accusing the Biden administration of allowing “25 million people” to cross the southern border.
“25 million people poured through our southern border,” Trump said. “And they came from jails, and they were drug dealers and they were people from mental institutions.”
“Can’t have a country without a border,” he added.
The president also blasted Democrats over crime, criticized men competing in women’s sports, took aim at Canada’s leadership, claimed fentanyl entering the US by sea has dropped 97% under his administration and closed by branding Democrat-run cities “filthy” and “dirty.”
The rally came days after federal authorities arrested Jeanine John Taele, 38, who is accused of scouting security operations ahead of Trump’s visit to Trump National Golf Club Los Angeles.
Hundreds of supporters packed the casino, with lines snaking past slot machines before Trump took the stage.
UFC president Dana White and boxing legend Mike Tyson were among those in attendance.
