Trump at Ohio rally says Biden is 'destroying' the country, declares: 'I told you'

Former President Donald Trump at an Ohio rally on Saturday slammed the Biden administration for its brief track record thus far, claiming the U.S. under President Joe Biden has been wracked by crime, "left-wing indoctrination" and other debilitations.

"Gas prices are spiking, inflation is skyrocketing, and China, Russia and Iran are humiliating our country," he said, declaring that "Joe Biden is destryoing our nation right before our very eyes."

"I told you," the former president said to the crowd of Biden's alleged failures. 

Trump aggressively targeted what he said was Biden's poor showing on immigration, claiming Biden's "policy is to make illegal immigration as easy as possible,” that Biden had re-instituted the controversial "catch-and-release" immigration program, and that his administration had "crippled" Immigration and Customs Enforcement. 

He pointed to the surge of young illegal immigrants at the southern U.S. border, whom he described as “just wonderful kids” but many of which, he claimed, have been put on “suicide watch” while in U.S. custody, something reported recently by various news outlets.

The rally was meant as a bolstering event for Max Miller as he attempts to unseat Ohio Rep. Anthony Gonzalez, who was among the 10 Republicans who voted for Trump's impeachment following the Jan. 6 riot at the U.S. Capitol.

Trump earlier this year gave Miller his "complete and total endorsement" in Miller's bid for Ohio's 16th Congressional district seat. At the rally he called Miller "a trusted aide of mine in the White House" and touted Miller’s work in international relations under the Trump administration.

“In Congress Max will be tough on illegal immigration," he told the crowd. "...He will stand up to China, and he will protect Ohio jobs." 

The event also functioned as a return to form for the former president, whose freewheeling rallies helped propel his dark horse candidacy to victory in 2016 and established him as a high-spirited, pull-no-punches candidate who regularly captivated crowds with his freeform political style. 

Trump's future in the Republican party has been somewhat uncertain since his departure from the White House in January. The GOP had struggled for years with internecine squabbling over whether the party should stick to its relatively seasoned status quo or if it should follow Trump's more aggressive, no-holds-barred style of confrontational politics. 

The Jan. 6 Capitol riot—what many commentators and politicians have described as an "insurrection"—further deepened those divisions, with numerous Republicans breaking ranks to impeach Trump and vote for his conviction. 

Yet Trump remains broadly popular among Republicans, according to recent polling, and Saturday's rally is likely just the first of many, with the former president virtually guaranteed to remain a fixture on the Republican circuit in the months and years ahead.

How well he is received in that environment will likely determine his probability of running again in 2024; Trump himself has not ruled out another bid at the White House.