CHARLOTTE, N.C. _ On the eve of Super Tuesday, President Donald Trump rallied supporters in Charlotte on Monday night, touting his record on trade, terrorism and immigration while ridiculing Democratic candidates.
"We like to go the night before one of their primaries," he told almost 10,000 people at Bojangles' Coliseum. "We like to do a little trolling."
North Carolina is one of 14 states that vote Tuesday, a key day in the Democratic contest.
Trump's appearance came as his administration faces criticism for its response to the novel coronavirus outbreak, which Monday claimed four more American lives. It also came the day Wall Street rebounded from last week's losses that saw the Dow tumble more than 12%.
Trump, who has held rallies before every Democratic presidential primary contest, was in North Charleston, S.C., on Friday, a day before the South Carolina primary changed the Democratic presidential race dramatically.
Since former Vice President Joe Biden's runaway win, three Democrats have dropped out and two of them, Minnesota Sen. Amy Klobuchar and former South Bend, Ind., Mayor Pete Buttigieg, endorsed him Monday.
Trump mocked Biden for a misstatement he made earlier in the day. "Tomorrow in states across the nation (voters) will be heading to the polls for Super Tuesday, not 'Super Thursday,'" the president said.
He dismissed former New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg, who will be on the ballot for the first time Tuesday. "What a mess he is," Trump said. "He's a disaster waiting to happen. He's a mess."
Before leaving for Charlotte, Trump tweeted, "They are staging a coup against Bernie!" Later, he said Democrats have "rigged" the system against Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders, the current leader in delegates. And Trump made a prediction.
"Eight months from now we're going to defeat the radical socialists," Trump said at the rally. "We're going to win the great state of North Carolina by a landslide."
Trump's appearance was his second to Charlotte in a month. He came in early February to headline an "opportunity summit" at Central Piedmont Community College. Supporters, many in red MAGA hats, lined up outside Bojangles' Coliseum for hours Monday, filling the parking lot and chanting "Four more years!"
Earlier, in Washington, a reporter asked the president whether he considered it "safe or appropriate to be holding rallies during a public health crisis" amid an outbreak of a novel coronavirus worldwide.
"Well, these were set up a long time ago. And others are," Trump responded. "I mean, you could ask that to the Democrats because they're having a lot of rallies. They're all having rallies. That's what they're doing. They're campaigning."
As in North Charleston, he accused Democrats of playing politics with the health crisis.
"Washington Democrats are trying to politicize the coronavirus," he said. "The political attacks from some of the Democrats really must stop. We've got to work together on this one."
Trump praised the response of pharmaceutical companies, which he said are working on treatments for the virus. "We will bring these therapies to market as quickly as possible," he said.
The president touted the recent U.S. Mexico Canada trade agreement, which he said would help North Carolina farmers and factories.
And he praised the tentative peace deal with the Taliban, which eventually would allow U.S. forces to leave Afghanistan.
"After years of rebuilding foreign nations we are finally rebuilding our nation," he said. "You know what? We're 8,000 miles away (from Afghanistan). ... We must keep radical Islamic terrorists the hell out of our country."
Trump embraced two Carolinas senators on stage who are up for reelection: Sen. Lindsey Graham of South Carolina and Thom Tillis of North Carolina.
"Thank you for making sure we get President Trump back for four more years," Tillis told the crowd. "Thank you all for helping this man get elected and for standing by him as the Democrats try to tear him apart."
Graham called Trump "the best commander in chief since Ronald Reagan."
"Mr. President," he said, "you're going to kick their ass in November."
Before leaving Washington, Trump retweeted his endorsements of some of North Carolina lawmakers who face primaries Tuesday, including Tillis and Rep. Patrick McHenry.
Lara Trump, the wife of Trump's son Eric and a native North Carolinian, took the stage before her father-in-law.
"Who here is ready for four more years of Donald Trump?" she asked the crowd, to answering cheers. "It is happening, folks. We are in an election year and you can tell it because the Democrats are going crazy."
The crowd broke up the speeches with chants of "USA, USA" and "Four more years."
Donna Mills, from Montgomery County, said she got in line at 6:20 a.m. She waited nearly eight hours to get inside. Mills told The Charlotte Observer she's "ecstatic" about seeing Trump in person. But she also said she's tired of division in the country.
She said she thinks Trump is doing an "awesome" job _ "if we could just get people to unite."
Chip Calhoun of Union, South Carolina, came with his two sons, 11-year-old Colby and 14-year-old Alex.
Calhoun said he's been a Trump supporter since he entered politics, but his sons _ big Trump fans _ are the reason he came to the rally. Alex got into politics after the 2016 election.
"I like that (Trump) puts God first," Alex said. "And that he stands up for what he believes in."
Among those waiting for Trump for hours was Connie Harper of South Carolina. Harper said she didn't really follow politics _ until Trump.
She doesn't like Trump's name-calling, but said Trump himself is attacked by Democrats.
"When you see someone constantly under attack, it makes you want to root for him," Harper said. "It's just not right. But he does stoke the flame ...
"We don't love everything he says," she said. "But we love everything he does."
