JOHNSTOWN, Pa. _ In the same arena where the 1977 film "Slap Shot" once satirized the violence of hockey, Republican Donald Trump gave a typically bare-fisted speech, taking on his rivals, the media and President Barack Obama.
"The world hates our president. The world hates us," said Trump before a crowd of at least 4,000 people at the Cambria County War Memorial Arena.
He decried trade deals and public officials and U.S. policy in the Middle East. "We have spent now $6 trillion in the Middle East, and we are in far worse shape than we were 15 years ago," he said, calling the situation there "a total and complete mess."
Trump sprinkled references to Johnstown, which he called "one of the great places on Earth," in his 45-minute speech. He name-dropped once-mighty businesses such as the Cambria Iron Works and Bethlehem Steel. But for the most part, his speech revisited familiar themes _ like blaming trade deals for the decline in American manufacturing jobs and characterizing Syrian refugees as "the great Trojan horse of our era" _ while only occasionally offering specifics.
"Our political system failed the workers of Johnstown and gave your jobs to foreign producers," he said. "We got the poverty, they got the factories, the jobs and the wealth."
He called previous leaders "stupid people," later adding: "Your government betrayed you, and I'm going to make it right."
Two days after a debate appearance in which he declined to say whether he would recognize election results as valid, Trump dialed down his direct criticism of the election process. He did, however, note reports that political consultants allied with Democrats had discussed efforts to send demonstrators to Trump rallies in hopes of spurring violence. Trump also referred generally to "a rigged system," pledging, "with your help, we're going to beat the system and we're going to unrig the system."
He also asserted that "a big part of the rigging are these dishonest people in the media." That generated full-throated boos, as Trump's attacks on reporters almost invariably do.
Trump did not overtly refer to the media story that has vexed him most in recent days _ woman who claim he groped or otherwise accosted them. About the closest he may have come was observing "I especially love the pink signs," a reference to "Women for Trump" signs waved by those in the crowd.
The crowd responded to his speech boisterously, frequently picking up familiar lines and echoing them. Chants of "lock her up," which were introduced at the Republican National Convention, greeted not just Trump's characterization of Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton as "a corrupt globalist," but to his references to policy differences.
The audience even cheered his proposed Constitutional Amendment to impose term limits on congressional representatives _ a potentially ironic response, given the fact that Johnstown's economy relies at least in part by defense-industry jobs secured with the help of the late John Murtha, who served in Congress for more than three decades.
"For the rest of your life," you're going to remember this day," Trump pledged as his speech wrapped up. "The change you've been waiting for will finally arrive."
