Key takeaways from Donald Trump's Coachella rally

Former President Donald Trump came to California's Coachella Valley on Saturday and held a rally that drew thousands of supporters to the solidly blue state.

The rally, held at Calhoun Ranch on the outskirts of Coachella and Indio, offered a glimpse into Trump's campaign strategy to challenge Vice President Kamala Harris in her home country's upcoming election.

Trump took the stage at 5:30 p.m. PST, slightly later than planned, to the familiar strains of Lee Greenwood's “God Bless the USA.”

While Trump campaigned in California, Harris was noticeably absent from her home state. Instead, she visited North Carolina, a key swing state, where she met with black community leaders and helped with hurricane relief efforts.

Trump wasted no time in addressing the excited crowd, which the Riverside County Fire Marshal estimated was up to 15,000 people.

As temperatures rose above 35 degrees, Trump jokingly asked the audience whether he should put on his iconic “Make America Great Again” hat or show off his famous hairstyle. Opting for practicality, he put on the hat and remarked, “The sun is hot!”

Here are some key takeaways from today's rally:

Immigration is the focus

During his speech, Trump touched on several key topics, with immigration and border security taking center stage. He ranked the border as the country's biggest problem, putting it above economic concerns.

Trump criticized the current administration's handling of immigration policy, stating: “I think the border is number one because, you know, there are things we can fix, but what they did to our country at the border is incredible.”

The former president reiterated his controversial “Aurora” mass deportation plan during the rally. Trump, who previously named the plan after Aurora, Colorado, where he claimed the program would begin, vowed to take drastic action on immigration issues if elected in November.

“I will save Coachella and every city that has been invaded and conquered,” Trump told his supporters, repeating his previous statements about Aurora. He called Election Day “Liberation Day in America” and promised quick action on immigration.

The “Aurora” plan outlined by Trump calls for deploying “elite units” from Immigration and Customs Enforcement, Border Patrol and other federal law enforcement agencies to locate and deport undocumented immigrants.

Trump also reiterated his call for tough penalties, including calling for the death penalty for undocumented immigrants convicted of killing American citizens or law enforcement officers.

California's environmental policies under attack

The former president also took aim at California's environmental policies, particularly the state's plan to phase out gas-powered vehicles by 2035.

Trump called it a “crazy electric vehicle mandate” and vowed to block the initiative if elected, but did not specify how he would accomplish that.

He criticized the state's energy infrastructure and asked rhetorically, “Isn't it crazy that there are power outages every weekend and every day?”

While Trump mentioned his friendship with Tesla CEO Elon Musk, he acknowledged his appreciation for electric vehicles but suggested they were intended for a specific market.

False claims about wars and tax cuts

Trump made several inaccurate claims during his speech. He falsely claimed that there were no wars during his time in office, ignoring ongoing conflicts such as Russia's occupation of Ukraine's Donbas region and the deaths of at least 65 active-duty soldiers in hostilities during his presidency.

Additionally, Trump falsely claimed that his administration passed the largest tax cut in American history.

In reality it is Tax Cuts and Jobs Act According to a 2017 analysis by the Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget, Trump's tax cut is considered the eighth-largest tax cut as a percentage of gross domestic product since 1918.

Hollywood support

The rally featured prominent supporters, including actor Dennis Quaid, who received a standing ovation from the crowd of MAGA supporters.

The actor, who recently portrayed former President Ronald Reagan in a new biopic, drew parallels between the two Republican presidents and expressed his support for Trump's policies.

“I’m here to tell you that it’s time to choose a side,” Quaid said. “Will we be a nation that stands up for the Constitution or for TikTok? A nation of law and order or wide open borders?”

He shared that Reagan was his favorite president of the 20th century and Trump was his favorite of the 21st century.

Quaid also touched on immigration, sharing a personal anecdote about his family employing a housekeeper who was an illegal immigrant and feared deportation under Trump. He explained how he became her sponsor: “She has her green card today, but she still wants her citizenship so she can vote for Donald Trump.”

Trump's election chances in California

Despite California's strong Democratic leanings, Trump's performance underscores the state's importance in the electoral landscape.

With 5.5 million registered Republican voters, California remains a valuable source of support and campaign contributions for the GOP.

Recent polls from the University of California at Berkeley show Harris leading Trump by 22 points nationally, with 57 percent of the vote compared to Trump's percentage.

However, the race appears to be much closer in certain regions, including the Inland Empire, where the rally took place. There, Trump is only two points behind and is well within the poll's margin of error.