Former president Donald J. Trump gave the keynote address at the Alabama GOP Dinner in Montgomery, Alabama. This speech was hours after his August 4 arraignment in D.C. on conspiracy and fraud charges brought by Special Counsel Jack Smith.

Former President Donald Trump on Friday night made his first public appearance in Alabama since declaring his campaign to return to the White House, speaking for almost an hour at a sold-out fundraising dinner hosted by the state Republican Party in Montgomery.

This GOP State Dinner is the party’s summer meeting, and the dinner was a sold-out event with 2,000 people standing in line and wending through security. Organizers said that it was the largest event of its kind, breaking records for other GOP state dinners that were held in the past. Right Side Broadcasting Network reported that President Trump had gained the endorsement of the entire Alabama Republican House delegation as well as five other state elected officials.

Trump drew a massive high energy crowd in Alabama. The American people love Trump. Given the excitement in the room and Trump’s epic, “I’m coming after you” post on Truth, tonight’s speech will be special.
pic.twitter.com/r5TdYYfJ89

— Charles R Downs (@TheCharlesDowns) August 5, 2023

Trump led with the current indictment, joking that, “Every time they file an indictment, we go way up in the polls. We need one more indictment and this election is closed out—no one even has a chance.”

Trump highlighted his victory in 2016 over Hillary Clinton, and summarized the high points of his administration despite the attacks.

The fact is, it’s not fair, and it’s probably not legal what they are doing.

[…]

The fake charges put forth in their sham indictment are an outrageous criminalization of political speech, that’s all it is. […] They’re trying to make it illegal to question the results of a bad election. It was a very bad election, everybody knows that. But only a party that cheats in elections would try to make it illegal, because if you have nothing to hide, why would you do that? And why would you be afraid to have those results come out?

Trump then moved to the legacy media, claiming that it was no longer a free press, but a corrupt one. Trump reaffirmed that he is a fighter and reiterated his commitment to fight and destroy the Deep State. “The Deep State is destroying our nation, but the tables are turned,” Trump stated. He delved into his foreign policy wins, poll numbers, and his issues with Florida Governor Ron DeSantis, but soon pivoted back to his achievements of tax cuts, energy independence, and the federal judges and Supreme Court justices that were appointed under his presidency.

Trump rounded out his speech by making a powerful statement about SCOTUS overturning Roe v. Wade, and how Republicans must learn how to talk about pro-life gains.

You have to learn how to talk about that decision, because you don’t know how to talk about it. Pro-lifers have a tremendous power now with that termination to negotiate. They had none. They didn’t have any before that ruling, they had no power whatsoever. They could kill babies at any time they wanted, including after what we would call birth, they could kill babies. Now they have tremendous power to negotiate because they don’t have Roe v. Wade. This moves the issue back to the states where all legal scholars felt it should be. Out of the federal government and back to the states. That’s a big deal, both sides felt that it should be.

Trump affirmed the three exceptions of rape, incest, and the life of the mother.

In terms of running, you have to go with what you want, you have to go with your heart. But remember the Democrats are the radicals on this issue. We’re not the radicals on this issue. The Democrats are the radicals because they are willing to kill babies in the seventh, and eighth, and ninth month, and even after birth.

Trump ended the speech with what a second Trump term as 47 would look like. Trump used “I,” but insisted that this would be done by “we.”

• “Obliterate” the Deep State.
• Say NO to 87,000 IRS agents.
• End “Bidenomics”
• Cancel every Biden regulation that his harming every worker across the United States.
• Preserve and strengthen Medicare.
• The War between Russia and Ukraine settled.
• Strengthen the border once again.

And his most grandiose claim, to “prevent World War III. And don’t kid yourself, we’re a lot closer to it than you think. A lot closer.”