--- title: Donald Trump Outdoes Himself In Defiant Phoenix Speech description: The real estate celebrity does not tone it down canonical: https://time.com/3954739/donald-trump-phoenix/ author: Zeke Miller article:opinion: false article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2015-07-12T01:43:06.000Z article:modified_time: 2026-08-19T07:42:29.391Z article:section: Politics og:title: Donald Trump Outdoes Himself In Defiant Phoenix Speech og:description: He cast himself as an ally of the "silent majority" of Americans. og:url: https://time.com/3954739/donald-trump-phoenix/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltd98948739cb7305b/69885a8c35ba6f7997c0e26f/donald_trump.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 og:image:width: 2900 og:image:height: 1631 og:image:alt: Donald Trump og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: Donald Trump Outdoes Himself In Defiant Phoenix Speech twitter:description: He cast himself as an ally of the "silent majority" of Americans. twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltd98948739cb7305b/69885a8c35ba6f7997c0e26f/donald_trump.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  # Donald Trump Outdoes Himself In Defiant Phoenix Speech > Sponsored content. 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Brief is TIME's Washington newsletter, written by senior correspondent Philip Elliott. It explains the politics, personalities and power dynamics behind the headlines, three times a week. It reaches 85,000 subscribers with a 37.0% open rate as of August 2026. #### Where can I get analysis of Washington politics by email? D.C. Brief is TIME's free Washington politics newsletter, available at time.com/newsletters. It is written by a TIME senior correspondent who covers the capital full time. #### Who writes TIME's D.C. Brief? Philip Elliott, a senior correspondent at TIME, writes D.C. Brief. #### Is D.C. Brief free? Yes. D.C. Brief is free at time.com/newsletters. ## Video: Highlights from Donald Trump's Presidential Announcement [Watch (HLS stream): Highlights from Donald Trump's Presidential Announcement](https://cdn.jwplayer.com/manifests/zZCJ6BIH.m3u8) (1:47)  _Published 2015-06-16. Highlights from Donald Trump's announcement to run for president._ by [Zeke Miller](https://time.com/author/zeke-j-miller/) ## Zeke Miller Jul 12, 2015 1:43 AM UTC  Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump finishes up speaking before a crowd of 3,500 Saturday, July 11, 2015, in Phoenix. Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump finishes up speaking before a crowd of 3,500 Saturday, July 11, 2015, in Phoenix. Ross D. Franklin—AP by [Zeke Miller](https://time.com/author/zeke-j-miller/) ## Zeke Miller Jul 12, 2015 1:43 AM UTC Donald Trump is not going anywhere. Casting himself as more than a billionaire real-estate magnate and reality television star on his bid for the White House, Trump claimed Saturday to speak for a “silent majority” of Americans who are frustrated with the direction of the country. Rather that deterred, he appeared energized by the [pushback his candidacy has received](http://time.com/3953881/donald-trump-republican-candidate/) from the Republican Party and his primary opponents after suggesting weeks ago that many who have entered into the U.S. illegally are “rapists.” In a rambling speech to a crowd of thousands in the Phoenix Convention Center, he struck a potent combination of populist and protectionist policies, designed to tap into the undercurrent of unease within American society. “The silent majority is back, and we’re going to take the country back,” he said, referencing former President Richard Nixon’s famous speech reaching out to Americans who were opposed to protests of the Vietnam War. “We’re going to make America great again.” Trump promised to fine Mexico $100,000 for every person crossing into the U.S. illegally, pledged to tax imports by American-owned businesses that have shipped jobs overseas, and said he could destroy the Islamic State of Iraq and Greater Syria \[ISIS\] with overwhelming force. “I would take them out so fast,” he said. He knocked traditional conservatives for not being committed to taking care of the poor. “I know this doesn’t sound very conservative, but we’ve got to take care of everyone, not just the people up there,” he said, motioning to the ceiling, as the crowd roared and whistled. For more than an hour, the speech featured Trump meandering into name-calling of celebrities and businesses that have dissociated with him as he has become embroiled in negative headlines. “Thousands and thousands of people are cutting up their Macy’s credit card,” he claimed, of the department store that dropped his branded clothing line. Trump, who is all-but-certain to make the GOP debate stage on Aug. 6 in Cleveland, indicated he would release his personal financial disclosure this week, which would clear the way for him to face off with his Republican rivals. ### See the 2016 Candidates Looking Very Presidential  Sen. Ted Cruz is surrounded by stars and stripes at the 2014 Values Voter Summit in Washington, D.C. on September 26, 2014. Mark Peterson—Redux  Hillary Clinton Hillary Clinton gazes pensively into the distance at Iowa Senator Tom Harken'a annual Steak Fry in Indianola, Iowa on September 14, 2014. Brooks Kraft—Corbis for TIME  Jeb Bush Former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush flashes a power watch before giving his keynote address at the National Summit on Education Reform in Washington on Nov. 20, 2014. Susan Walsh—AP  Bernie Sanders waves to supporters after officially announcing his candidacy for the U.S. presidency during an event at Waterfront Park in Burlington, Vermont, on May 26, 2015. Win McNamee—Getty Images  Chris Christie New Jersey Governor Chris Christie strikes a presidential power stance at the ceremony for the opening of the 206 bypass in Hillsborough, New Jersey on October 28, 2013. Mark Peterson—Redux  Former Hewlett-Packard Co Chief Executive Officer Carly Fiorina listens to her introduction from the side of the stage at the Freedom Summit in Des Moines, Iowa on Jan. 24, 2015. Jim Young—Reuters  Rand Paul Sen. Rand Paul works a crowd during a campaign stop on October 24, 2014 in McDonough, Georgia. Jessica McGowan—Getty Images  Rick Perry Texas Gov. Rick Perry looks powerfully patriotic during the National Anthem before an NCAA college football game on Nov. 27, 2014, in College Station, Texas. David J. Phillip—AP  Bobby Jindal Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal looks to the future during The Family Leadership Summit on Aug. 9, 2014, in Ames, Iowa. Charlie Neibergall—AP  Martin O'Malley Maryland Governor Martin OíMalley ponders decorating ideas in front of his possible future home on CBS's Face the Nation on Feb. 23, 2014. Chris Usher—AP  Marco Rubio Sen. Marco Rubio looks determined the morning after the State of the Union address in Washington, D.C. on January 29, 2014. Melissa Golden—Redux  Ben CarsonBen Carson at the Conservative Political Action Committee annual conference on March 8, 2014. Susan Walsh—AP  Jim Webb Retiring Sen. Jim Webb imitates the presidential wave during a rally in Virginia Beach, Va. on Sept. 27, 2012. Steve Helber—AP  John Kasich Ohio Gov. John Kasich practices his presidential victory pose at the Ohio Republican Party celebration on Tuesday, Nov. 4, 2014, in Columbus, Ohio. Tony Dejak—AP  Rick Santorum Former Pennsylvania Senator Rick Santorum looks resolute at CPAC, the Conservative Political Action Conference on March 7, 2014. Brooks Kraft—Corbis  Scott Walker Wisconsin Republican Gov. Scott Walker practices the presidential point on March 3, 2014 in Milwaukee. Jeffrey Phelps—AP  Mike Huckabee Former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee fine-tunes his presidential oratory at the Conservative Political Action Committee annual conference in National Harbor, Md. on March 7, 2014. Susan Walsh—AP  Lincoln Chafee, Former Rhode Island Governor, poses for a selfie with a student after announcing he will seek the Democratic nomination for president in Arlington, Va. on June 3, 2015. Jonathan Ernst—Reuters  Lindsey Graham Lindsey Graham announced his plans to join the 2016 presidential race. Alex Wong—Getty Images  George Pataki Former New York governor George Pataki listens to a question at the First in the Nation Republican Leadership Conference in Nashua, New Hampshire, in this April 17, 2015 file photo. Brian Snyder—Reuters The speech was rife with Trump’s signature over-the-top flourishes and free-associations. “I went to the Wharton School of Business,” he said at one point.”I’m, like, a really smart person.” “The press are liars. They’re terrible people. Terrible,” he said, pointing at the assembled cameras and scribes. “Not all of them, but many of them.” “ISIS right now is building a hotel in Iraq,” he said. “They’re competing with me.” “How can I be tied with this guy, he’s terrible,” he added of Jeb Bush, referencing recent surveys showing them neck-and-neck among Republican voters. “I’m killing everybody on jobs,” he said of his poll numbers. “I’m killing everybody on leadership.” At one point he bragged about the number of lobbyists he has employed and donations he has made to political candidates of all stripes, but promised he would be incorruptible. “I don’t need money,” he said, adding that if people wanted to donate to his campaign, he wouldn’t turn them away. Trump also warned that Bush would be a poor negotiator on the international stage, and criticized him for his flip-flopping answer on whether he would have invaded Iraq. Trump discussed Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl, the U.S. solider who was held captive by the Taliban for nearly five years after disappearing from his forward operating base and traded for the release of five prisoners at Guantanamo Bay in 2014, saying he would “send him back.” Trump also maintained his aim on the Mexican government, accusing its leaders of being “totally” in control of Spanish-language broadcaster Univision, which ditched broadcasting his Miss Universe pageant amid the furor over his immigration comments. “They’re killing us at the border, and they’re killing us in trade,” he said of Mexico. “They’re killing us” As a small group of protestors scuffled with Trump supporters and security as they tried to hold up a banner, Trump quipped, “I wonder if the Mexican government sent them over here, I think so. 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