An awkward kiss and a promise of mass deportations: 5 takeaways from Trump's Arizona stop

Contributing sentiments towards policy:

74% : Despite keeping the spotlight on himself, Trump did squeeze in some praise for Phoenix, most of the state's Republicans in Congress and Arizona's top 2024 GOP candidates.
66% : Other than remarks from Turning Point co-founder Charlie Kirk long before Trump came on stage, the event belonged to the man at the top of the ticket for Republicans this year.
65% : In earlier rallies, Trump invited the recipients of his coveted endorsements to speak.
62% : But I kissed him," Trump said to laughter from the crowd.
57% : Peggy Neely, a former Vice Mayor of Phoenix, introduced herself as a "lifetime Republican" and said Trump caused her to become an independent.
52% : The format kept the focus on Trump and lent an all-business feel to an event that lacked the carnival quality that some of his earlier visits have had.
51% : "They come up with this order," Trump said of Biden's executive action.
50% : Maybe the biggest difference between the town hall and earlier Trump events was the near-total focus on Trump.
50% : 'Latinos for Lake': Candidate attempts to reach essential Arizona voting bloc in US Senate raceOn Thursday, Trump quickly dispensed with shout-outs to most of the state's congressional delegation and two of his preferred candidates, Kari Lake for the U.S. Senate and Abe Hamadeh for Congress.
45% : "You got to elect Kari Lake," Trump said early on in his remarks.
40% : In office, Trump granted his first presidential pardon to Arpaio, who had been convicted of misdemeanor contempt of court in connection with the continued practice of racial profiling by his agency.
40% : He made no mention of the state's other two GOP House members, U.S. Reps. Juan Ciscomani and David Schweikert.Trump also praised his endorsed congressional candidate Hamadeh, who is running for the seat being vacated by Lesko, who is retiring and running for the Maricopa County Board of Supervisors.
39% : Trump spent most of the town hall discussing immigration.
39% : "That comes after reports that Trump has cooled on Lake, who is the Republican front-runner in the U.S. Senate race.
36% : Trump peppered his address with coy remarks and jibes.
36% : No pol shared the stage with Trump except for the one man Trump summoned: former Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpaio, an early ally and a personal friend.
28% : It was made up, fabricated stuff," Trump said minutes into his speech at the conservative-aligned Dream City Church in northern Phoenix.
27% : "President Joe Biden's campaign has reminded voters that Turning Point Action, the conservative organization hosting Trump on Thursday, sent seven buses of students to Washington to participate in the "Stop the Steal" rally that preceded the violent attack on the U.S. Capitol.
21% : Arizona Democratic Party Chair Yolanda Bejarano cast Trump as "unhinged" and a threat to U.S. democracy.
20% : "We know that Donald Trump and MAGA Republicans see Arizona as a testing ground for election conspiracy theories and denialism," Bajarano said.
18% : Trump wasted no time in calling his New York trial a "rigged" case and said his only crime was winning the 2016 election over Democrat Hillary Clinton.
16% : "Every time that Trump comes to the microphone, he lies.
3% : After Trump's appearance, Kevin Munoz, a Biden campaign spokesperson, said: "Donald Trump is exactly what Americans hate about politicians.
1% : Trump summoned Arpaio to the stage for an awkward peck on the cheek as Trump continued to lament what has become of Arizona under Biden.

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