Update: Local news station KFVS is reporting that President Donald Trump has canceled his Thursday rally in Cape Girardeau.
President Donald Trump is scheduled to appear at the Show Me Center in Cape Girardeau on Thursday, September 13, rallying for Missouri Attorney General Josh Hawley, the Republican candidate running against Senator Claire McCaskill in November’s midterm election. It will be President Trump’s fifth visit to the Show Me State in two years, which begs the question. President Trump, in the words of Mean Girl Regina George, Why are you so obsessed with us? Below, we take a look at Trump’s other Missouri visits and their noteworthy moments.
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August 30, 2017: Springfield, Loren Cook Company
The agenda: Talking about is tax plan and sharing his four principles for reform
Also on the agenda: Dinging the North American Free Trade Agreement, which allows Mexico, the U.S., and Canada to swap goods freely, and which the president famously hates. Here he called it, “the horrible, terrible NAFTA deal that took so much business out of your state and out of your cities and towns.”
Notable moment: Some, like the St. Louis Post-Dispatch, noticed that Hawley, who was only considering a run for Senate at the time, was absent. Former Senator John Danforth, Hawley’s mentor, had recently published an essay calling for the Republican party to abandon the president.
Most Missouri moment: Tie between asking “Can I say Missouri, or should I say Missouruh?” and reminiscing about Springfield’s “Main Street of America”–Route 66 History
November 29, 2017: St. Charles, St. Charles Convention Center
The agenda: Tax plan again, which he said was going to cost him “a fortune”
Also on the agenda: Knocking both Puerto Rico after Hurricane Maria (“Puerto Rico has been a very tough situation because of the fact that it was in very, very bad shape before the storms ever hit”) and McCaskill (“She wants your taxes to go up. She’s weak on crime, she’s weak on borders, she’s weak on illegal immigrations, and she’s weak on the military. Other than that, I think she’s doing a fantastic job”).
Notable moment: Humble-bragging like only Trump can: “I will tell you this in a non-braggadocious way, there has never been a 10-month president that has accomplished what we have accomplished.”
Most Missouri moment: Admitting he’s a little lost when it comes to our state’s history, i.e., that the Lewis and Clark expedition departed from St. Charles. “I have to say, I didn’t really know that until two days ago,” the president told the audience to laughter.
March 14, 2018: St. Louis, Boeing
The agenda: Touring a Boeing facility and talking with employees, Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin in tow
Also on the agenda: Reminding everyone that he passed his tax plan—and that “unfortunately we didn’t have one Democrat vote”
Notable moment: Trump called the F-18 “a work of art” during a roundtable. But as CNBC pointed out, after one of the St. Louis–manufactured planes crashed in 2016, he told The Washington Post, “Never liked that plane, structurally.”
Most Missouri moment: Talking about how he asked Congress to fund 24 new planes, Trump turned to Boeing CEO Dennis Muilenburg. “Maybe we can work out a good price,” he said. “Otherwise, we’re gonna buy them from … somebody else.”
July 24, 2018: Kansas City, Missouri, National Convention of the Veterans of Foreign Wars
The agenda: Veterans’ health care
Also on the agenda: Stumping for Hawley. Trump called him up on stage, where the attorney general rallied the audience by stating, “When I think about President Trump, there’s one word that comes to mind. That word is courage, do you agree? … There’s one guy who had the guts to actually fulfill his promises. The guts to move our embassy to Jerusalem. The guts to actually stand up to our enemies overseas. The guts to put conservatives on the Supreme Court of the United States.”
Notable moment: Briefly touting the Space Force, a new, sixth branch of the military Trump says he directed the Pentagon to spearhead. “A lot of very important things are going to be taking place in space,” he said.
Most Missouri moment: Called out retired Royals player George Brett. “I said, ‘George, how many years?’ ‘Twenty.’ ‘What was your batting average?’ ‘.305.’ I said, ‘That’s pretty good—.305 for 20 years.’ Special guy.”
