The former president, who is currently at the center of multiple criminal investigations into his business practices as well as a House investigation into his involvement in the Jan. 6 Capitol riot, took the stage in Anchorage Saturday night to drop his weight on the Republican candidates ahead. of state qualifiers next month. At one point, Mr. Trump made a strange story about one time where he said he traveled to Iraq and spoke to generals about defeating ISIS. He said one of the generals told him it would take years, while a second vowed to “hit them at the heart of it.” “I would hit them on the left. I would hit them on the right. I would hit them in the center … Right,” Trump said. His stupidity seemed to delight the crowd who erupted into loud cheers at the time. Seconds later, the crowd started chanting “USA! USA!” As the cheers grew louder, Mr. Trump paused and smiled, looking around the crowd. “I like Alaska,” he said. His story about his trip to Iraq came amid a strange speech in which he ranted about Elon Musk, told police officers they “look like Tom Cruise” and refused to say the word “vaccine” after coming under fire from his supporters in the past for urging them to take the shot. At one point, Mr. Trump also name-dropped newly appointed Supreme Court Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson and celebrated climate change as a boon that would lead to “a little more waterfront property.” “That’s not the worst thing in the world,” he argued. The former president also repeatedly pushed back on the long-standing and debunked his “Big Lie” that the 2020 presidential election was “stolen” from him. Donald Trump speaks during a rally in Anchorage, Alaska, on July 9 (AFP via Getty Images) Meanwhile, he rallied behind Senate candidate Kelly Tshibaka and House candidate Sarah Palin, calling the latter “a true warrior for your state and for the country.” Trump’s appearance at the GOP rally comes ahead of two more public hearings this week by the House committee investigating his involvement in the January 6 riot at the US Capitol, which attempted to subvert democracy and overturn legitimate 2020 presidential election results. The first hearing will be held on Tuesday, examining evidence of how the crowd that stormed the Capitol was assembled, including a focus on far-right extremist groups such as the Proud Boys and the Oath Keepers. A second session is also scheduled for Thursday. On Friday, former White House counsel Pat Cipollone met with the committee for an eight-hour interview.
