Trump slams 'stupid people,' defends economic record in Pennsylvania rally

[BumRushDaShow]

Source: USA Today

Updated Dec. 9, 2025, 10:54 p.m. ET


MOUNT POCONO, Pa. — President Donald Trump said during his first domestic rally in months that critics of his frequent travel abroad are "stupid people" who don't understand the financial windfalls he's securing for Americans. Trump delivered the terse censure at a packed Dec. 9 rally as he seeks to beat back complaints that he hasn't been focused enough on the economy. Between 600 and 700 people attended.

"They said, he shouldn’t be traveling, he should focus on home," Trump said of the complaints coming from some on the right. "What the hell do they think I’m doing?” The president said that it's “the stupid people” saying he shouldn’t be leaving the country. “Yeah, let’s sit around and twiddle our thumbs," he remarked.

The event kicks off nearly a year of stops the White House says Trump will be making across the United States ahead of the 2026 midterms. Republicans' majority in the House and Senate and the term-limited president's legacy is on the line. "This is being covered like all over the world, this is crazy, because I haven't made a speech in a little while," Trump admitted. "You know, when you win, you say, I can now rest."

GOP strategists and top advisers to Trump have warned that without the president on the ballot, his voters are likely to stay at home, leading to losses in areas that depend on a strong Republican turnout. Referring to his chief of staff Susie Wiles as "Susie Trump," the president acknowledged at the rally that she was among the advisers who told him he has to start campaigning again.

Read more: https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/politics/2025/12/09/trump-economy-defense-restarts-rallies/87692787007/

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Trump delivered the terse censure at a packed Dec. 9 rally as he seeks to beat back complaints that he hasn't been focused enough on the economy. Between 600 and 700 people attended.

"Packed"? A number of 600 - 700 is considered "packed"? I guess in a high school auditorium or something.

[OldBaldy1701E]

1. Oh, you can be assured that they will only put him in venues that they can 'pack'.

Or, at least give that impression.

They don't care that those people are there, except for their vote and their delusion. But, they will not let him go to a place that they cannot create the appearance of 'screaming hordes'.

His first term taught them that.

[PatSeg]

22. Exactly

It is so important to his ego that there is the appearance of being "packed". That helps to energize him. He really does love being before a big crowd. It is like a tonic for him.

[Grokenstein]

39. Like a snootful of coke.

Let him cook! He'll keep telling everyone to "make do with less," do the Stupid Dance, go off on increasingly unhinged rants mocking his own supporters, and if we're lucky he'll fall on his face a couple of times and bellow that Biden or Obama moved the planet to trip him up. Weak!

[PatSeg]

43. Oh yes, it is a drug for him

unlike sitting in the Oval Office surrounded by sycophants - that would put anyone to sleep.

And yes he'll keep saying increasingly stupid stuff, stuff that will make for some excellent video clips down the road. Meanwhile one by one, supporters will start to drift away as they realize they've been following a demented old man who has done nothing for them. I wonder what it is like in their brains when it finally clicks that they've been conned.

[Wiz Imp]

34. at 600-700 people, the venue was not near it's capacity.

In other words, calling it "packed" was a lie (surprise, surprise!)

https://pennsnortheast.com/news/article/mount-airy-casino-resort-unveils-40m-luxurious-expansion-in-the-poconos#:~:text=The%2016%2C000%20square%2Dfoot%20meeting,for%20putting%20on%20a%20show.

The 16,000 square-foot meeting and event space can be divided into six rooms and for just about any event- such as a wedding or concert. The entire space can accommodate 750 seated guests or 1,200 attendees for events, allowing for organizations such as the Sherman Theater, who hosts its Summer Stage at Mount Airy, an indoor option for putting on a show.

[Lovie777]

2. Magas must approve of constantly being called stupid, dumb, nasty, ugly, et al.....................

As a proud DEI and Woke individual, I approve of being know for compassion, intelligent, loving, sharing, helping, et al.

[Prairie Gates]

3. He can probably convince some of his cult that they're not paying more

But most people can't lie to themselves in the checkout line.

Trump's is a failed economy.

[sop]

4. And he danced...

Looks like most of those "600 to 700" people were seated behind him. Some rightwing sites are describing the crowd as "HUGE."

[mwmisses4289]

7. He has that "i don't know where i am",

and "i'm going to throw a temper tantrum" look at the same time.
He does look really ill.

I wonder how many of the attendees at this small venue were employees of the site who were told they had to attend? I suspect his venues are going to continue to be small sites, so they can be "packed". And that after a few of these rallies, a fake crisis that needs his attention will cause the rest of the events to be cancelled (can't say it's his health, gods forbid they tell the truth!).

[eppur_se_muova]

24. Shouldn't that be "HUGH !1!" ?

Or has FR finally sunk beneath the waves ?

[twodogsbarking]

5. Coming to a casino near you. Will he go to, well, Atlantic City?

[BumRushDaShow]

8. He's been there, done that, bankrupted 3 of them

The last one that went bye bye (and on to Carl Icahn ) -







Now a Hard Rock Hotel & Casino.

[PatSeg]

23. Oh my god, that is so ugly

Pretty much like everything he creates.

[BumRushDaShow]

28. It was right across the Boardwalk from Steel Pier (and had a skywalk connected to it too)

One of my sisters got a Group-On coupon for something cheap - like $60/night for a weekend in an ocean-front room with her daughter, when that place was going through bankruptcy and was eventually bought out by Carl Icahn.

It's now a Hard Rock Cafe/Casino

[PatSeg]

30. It is even worse from that angle

The man has truly horrible taste.

[ProudMNDemocrat]

6. A few hundred when he would have tens of thousands attending?

What a letdown! Same speech, different day! BLAME the other guy for your mess!

People want results, not more platitudes!

[Wiz Imp]

35. The county where this was located is basically a 50-50 county.

Trump won it narrowly in 2024 by 669 votes. Biden won it by 5334 votes in 2020. Hillary Clinton won it by 532 votes in 2016.

[mwb970]

9. All he does is whine, complain and insult everyone.

There are a LOT of doddering old men in America who spend their days whining, complaining and insulting everyone. Now we have one of them as our president. Great.

Trump also laid into Rep. Ilhan Omar, who immigrated to the country from Somalia. Omar, he claimed, “does nothing but b***h.”

He said this in the midst of a torrent of bitching and sobbing about everything that popped into his tiny mind. How long do we have to put up with this?

[liberalgunwilltravel]

10. He's not wrong in blaming stupid people

At the top of the stupid people list is Trump, followed by millions of stupid people who voted for him.

[NoMoreRepugs]

11. 600-700 morons is what, 10 bus loads of the traveling Deplorable horde?

[Playingmantis]

12. Well I refuse to be stoopid!

I believe the economy is great and prices are 1000% lower ..inspite of what those lying prices say!

(he can bullshit all he wants but there is the problem of reality...Still I cant believe what a party of dummies the GOP has become..)

[DeeDeeNY]

13. He calls people stupid because he's big on projection

No one is stupider than him. Except maybe his base.

[lark]

14. Wonder how many of the small number of people were actually paid actors?

Usually its between 500 and 1000 so the entire pea sized crowd there??

[KS Toronado]

15. Proudly one of "the stupid people"

Glad to see him wanting to tour the country for an entire year, a rigorous schedule might kill him.
Plus more people will see first hand how far gone his brain is, and it'll be on video to share.

[bmichaelh]

16. Magical Thinking

One of the problems with Trump is that he engages in magical thinking.

This may go back to his childhood minister, Norman Vincent Peale, known for his "Positive Thinking".

He has exhibited this throughout his life and presidency.

COVID is going away. Wrong, still here.
Solve Ukraine war on first day, Wrong, still ongoing.
Prices will go down on first day. Wrong, rising.

Not to mention the USFL failure of the 1980s and all of his bankruptcies.

No amount of reasoning or empirical evidence will cause Trump to change his mind.

Trump says he does not want to pay for ACA subsidies because he does not wants to enrich insurers.
Unless he advocates for single payer, insurers will eventually get the money, even if you give the money directly to consumers.
Not rational thinking.

Others might say, Trump is just a pathological liar.

[Mr.Bee]

17. Between 600 and 700 'stupid people' attended.

nuff said.

[area51]

25. Or 600-700 paid people attended.

[Solly Mack]

18. Trump is the blob like in the movie, "The Blob".

[orangecrush]

19. The dementia is gaining on him

Even CNN was like "WTF?!"


https://www.cnn.com/2025/12/10/politics/video/trump-slips-back-into-2024-campaign-mode-in-insult-ridden-speech-vrtc-digvid

[usonian]

20. Did you enjoy a lower-price Thanksgiving? Wait for your Cheap Christmas.

[John1956PA]

21. Off point, but years ago I enjoyed a visit to the previous complex at the site.

Back in the 1980s, I visited the Mount Airy Lodge which had been a busy resort for decades. By the 1990s, patronage had fallen off, and it was closed down. It was demolished around 2005. Thereafter, the present Mount Airy Casino was constructed on the site.

Perhaps some DUers from Eastern Pennsylvania have memories of the mostly-now-forgotten Mount Airy Lodge.

[BumRushDaShow]

26. I had posted an image in the earlier "announcement" OP comments

https://www.democraticunderground.com/10143579487

Plus one of the ads that they used to run -



(most of their ads eventually were tiny ones in the Inquirer when the paper was still printed in B&W )

[Wiz Imp]

32. Their commercials ran constantly on NY superstations WOR & WIX in the late 70's

[BumRushDaShow]

41. I don't remember those down in Philly

But then they are probably closer to NY anyway.

(For skiing, I have been to Big Boulder, which is way west of there, and Tamiment, which I think is closer, but have never been there)

[JBTaurus83]

27. I'm not sure how this

Is being covered in other media, but, I live in Philly and the reaction to this rally has not been positive to say the least. Hopefully he keeps this tour going, he will tank the party even more.

[BumRushDaShow]

31. I am in Philly as well

and the report I heard on KYW this morning had the reporter basically including "fact check" type stuff in their report.

[JBTaurus83]

37. Go Birds, fellow Philadelphian!

I watched a couple of different local shows today and it was not a good reaction to this “speech” or more accurately unhinged rant.

[BumRushDaShow]

42. Hopefully the Birds

"get going" 'cause the natives are getting restless.

[karynnj]

29. I have never heard anyone on our side complain he travels overseas too much

I have seen MANY negative comments on his many many trips to play golf at his places.

The ONLY negative comments on foreign travel have been complaints of things he has done and said.

Not to mention, no matter how hard he has worked on his tariffs, they have had a negative impact on the economy. DOES HE WANT A PARTICIPATION TROPHY for all his "work" even if it doesn't work?

[Wiz Imp]

33. 600-700 people woudn't have even filled half of my high school's auditorium

And I didn't go to an overly large high school.

[Blasphemer]

36. It must have taken a truck full of Red Bull to keep him alert. Someone put him out of his misery. nt

[twodogsbarking]

38. The Poconos encompasses a large area. Many if not most of the homes are second ones.

[twodogsbarking]

40. People get drunk and lose their money at casinos. Don't call them stupid.

[Figarosmom]

44. I heard from multiple sources yhere were 200

Last time trump was in I thought USA Today stroked his ego, now I'm sure of it.