President Donald Trump returned to the rally circuit in Mount Pocono, Pennsylvania, on Tuesday night, demonstrating once again his inability—or unwillingness—to let go of his chief political rival, President Joe Biden. Ditching his usual milder nicknames like “Sleepy Joe” or “Crooked Joe,” Trump introduced an aggressively profane new moniker for the sitting President while addressing an estimated crowd of 20,000 supporters.

The rally, held in a district facing high political stakes, was ostensibly organized to reassure voters battling rising costs. Yet, Trump’s speech frequently veered off message, returning again and again to his signature themes of immigration and personal grievances, often ignoring the carefully crafted remarks on the teleprompter.

New Nickname, Old Habits
While boasting about his popularity in Pennsylvania, Trump slipped into a profanity-laced, free-form monologue about his own political polling methodology.

“Historically, when I’ve done polls, you know, from people, you know, I do my own polls. I go to a big arena. We have 20,000 people. I say, which do you like? Sleepy Joe, crooked Joe, and I learned that I saved millions of dollars. I don’t have to do any polling. Okay?” Trump told the enthusiastic crowd. He then delivered the aggressive new nickname: “Typically, crooked Joe wins. I’m surprised, because to me, he’s a sleepy son of a b—h.”

Targeting Opponents with Discriminatory Slurs
Trump also took aim at political rivals using deeply personal and often discriminatory language. He specifically targeted Democratic Representative Ilhan Omar, a Muslim, who was born in Somalia. While discussing her background, Trump made comments about her appearance, referencing her “little turban,” repeated the long-debunked rumor that she married her brother, and described her home country as a “hell hole.”

Later in the speech, the President glanced at a chart meant to illustrate immigration policy achievements, claiming it looked like “s—t” compared to an immigration chart he had previously credited with saving his life during an assassination attempt in Butler, Pennsylvania.

“This is crazy because I haven’t made a speech in a little while,” Trump admitted to the crowd, surveying the atmosphere. He reflected on the constant demand of his campaign, adding: “You know, when you win, when you win, you say, ‘I can now rest.’”

Chief of Staff and the Indian Name Controversy
The former President continued his spontaneous address by crediting his Chief of Staff, Susie Wiles, for pushing him to resume holding large-scale rally appearances. He jokingly referred to her as “Susie Trump,” and then addressed her title directly.

“Do you know Susie Trump, sometimes referred to as Susie Wiles? Susie Trump. She’s a great chief of staff,” he said, before launching into a brief, unrelated aside: ”They don’t use the word chief of staff anymore because the Indians got extremely upset. But now the Indians actually want their name used. Which is true. They never didn’t want it used.” He concluded by adding: “But the chief of staff and she’s fantastic.”

The Economy and The Tariff Debate
Trump’s appearance came amid multiple surveys showing voters growing increasingly skeptical of his economic leadership. Republicans also recently suffered disappointing outcomes in off-cycle elections, leading the current White House to argue that the economy is stabilizing and that ongoing inflation concerns are unrelated to President Biden’s policies.

Trump, however, continued his insistence that Biden is to blame for “historically high inflation.” This claim comes even though price increases moderated in 2022 before rising again after Trump announced his sweeping “Liberation Day” tariffs in April. Economists and businesses have consistently warned that these import taxes could push prices higher for American consumers—a prediction that has largely come true. Trump, however, continues to insist the opposite.

He reiterated this counter-claim at the White House on Monday, stating: “We’re bringing prices way down. You can call it ‘affordability’ or anything you want — but the Democrats caused the affordability problem, and we’re the ones that are fixing it.” This rhetoric is complicated by the fact that Trump now frequently calls the word “affordability”—a signature message of the 2024 campaign—a “Democrat hoax.”

The rally took place in the swing district of Republican Rep. Rob Bresnahan, who won his 2024 race by a mere 1.5 percentage points and is considered a top target for Democrats, with Scranton Mayor Paige Cognetti running for the Democratic nomination to challenge him. The Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee launched digital ads during Trump’s visit, attacking Bresnahan over his stock trading and accusing the former administration of failing to address corruption in Washington.

Before Trump took the stage, Bresnahan told supporters that the administration was working to lower costs, noting that voters “aren’t asking for partisan arguments — they’re asking for results.”

About an hour into the event, with his speech running far longer than expected, Trump acknowledged his lack of adherence to the prepared text.

“I haven’t read practically anything off the stupid teleprompter,” he said. He concluded with a laugh: “And then my speechwriters, they’re getting awards for some of the finest speeches, and I haven’t even read them.” His entire address ultimately ran for one hour and 36 minutes.