During a media event celebrating his administration's effort in rolling back regulations, President Donald Trump's rhetoric veered into the 2020 race, bashing presumptive opponent Joe Biden and protesters calling for police reform and an end to systemic racism.
Trump began his speech by claiming that his administration had eliminated eight government regulations for every new regulation implemented, fulfilling a 2016 campaign promise. He said deregulation helped the U.S.'s response to the coronavirus, allowing for the creation of personal protective equipment and ventilators.
He also claimed that his slashing of environmental regulations has allowed the agency to return to its "core mission."
Later, Trump's speech moved from White House event into a campaign-style speech, hitting Biden for signing a coalition agreement with Bernie Sanders that includes climate change and social justice reforms.
Trump also made the claim that protesters who have been calling for the removal of statues of Americans with racist pasts want to "destroy our country" — harkening back to a speech that he made at Mt. Rushmore on July 3.
Trump's event comes as new polling shows that the president continues to trail behind presumptive Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden. Trump demoted his campaign manager, Brad Parscale, on Wednesday evening.
The event also comes as deaths linked to the novel coronavirus near the 140,000 mark in the U.S. Several states have paused reopening efforts, and several major retailers will soon require masks in stores to help prevent the spread of the virus.
Watch Trump's speech in the live video below.
