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Trump Launches 2020 Bid With Vow To ‘Keep America Great’

Published

6 years ago

June 19, 2019

President Donald Trump launched his 2020 reelection campaign on Tuesday much the same way he rode to power in 2016 — with a raucous, nationalist rally stirring fear of illegal immigration and vowing to fight for blue collar workers.

Lashing out at his Democratic opponents as radical leftists fueled by “hatred” and out to “rip your country apart, “Trump promised an “earthquake at the ballot box” next year.

“We did it once and we’re going to do it again,” he promised some 20,000 ecstatic supporters in Orlando, Florida.

“And that is why tonight I stand before you to officially launch my campaign for a second term as president of the United States.”

There were no substantial new ideas or plans for the future in Trump’s nearly 80 minute speech in the Orlando arena, where the crowd formed a sea of Trump campaign red baseball caps, chanting “USA” and “Four More Years.”

Instead, the unconventional Republican made his reelection pitch by touting economic gains, renewing his longstanding vow to build a wall along the Mexican border.

In a speech filled with his customary boasts and rhetorical exaggerations, Trump did say — though giving no detail — that he would oversee cures for cancer and AIDS and pave the way to send US astronauts to Mars.

But the meat of his address aimed at the grievances and fears of the same white working and middle-class voters who underpinned his surprise victory as an utterly inexperienced politician against the seasoned Hillary Clinton in 2016.

Striking a dark note, Trump repeatedly encouraged the crowd to boo journalists covering the event, calling them “fake news.”

Then Trump turned on the Democrats, whom he said have “become more radical, more dangerous, and more unhinged than at any point in the modern history of our country.”

“They want to destroy you and they want to destroy our country as we know it,” he said to roars of boos. “Not acceptable. It’s not going to happen.”

Even if dismal early poll numbers show he faces a difficult race, Trump goes into his fight buoyed by this fiercely loyal right-wing base.

Trump– himself accused by opponents of a slew of serious crimes — told the crowd that together they had formed “a great political movement” that had “stared down a broken and corrupt political establishment.”

“We are going to keep America great again,” Trump told the packed arena in Orlando, Florida. “Oh, we will keep it so great.”

Economy and immigration

Supporters lined Orlando’s downtown sidewalks all day, waiting in tents and chairs overnight to be the first in the door.

“This is a historic event, we would not miss this for anything,” one fan, David Meloney, told AFP.

Florida will be one of the key swing states in 2020 if Trump is to defeat the nominee chosen from a field of 23 Democratic hopefuls.

Trump’s strongest card is the current health of the US economy, which he described as “the envy of the world.”

But Trump said that the “American dream” itself is in peril from illegal immigrants, insisting that his stuttering Mexico wall project would still go ahead.

“Illegal mass migration brings in millions of low wage workers to compete for jobs, wages, and opportunities against the most vulnerable Americans, cutting off their path to the American dream,” he said.

Oddly, he did not mention his announcement earlier in the day that he was ordering the deportation of “millions of illegal aliens.”

The startling threat was announced in a tweet in the morning but quickly was followed by media reports that government officials had no idea what the president was planning.

Hours before the rally, the president had insisted that officials were in fact on board with the project.

“They’re going to start next week,” he told journalists at the White House.

Polls indicate tight race

After more than two drama-filled years at the White House, the fast-talking real estate salesman is betting that Republicans and enough centrist blue collar workers will turn out again in 2020.

But there’s no question that a lengthy probe into Trump’s murky dealings with Russia and his divisive, bruising style have left him wounded.

A wide range of polls showTrumplagging far behind Democratic frontrunner Joe Biden, who is campaigning on a promise to return the country to what he portrays as the calmer, gentler days of Barack Obama, under whom he served as vice president.

Another big Democratic candidate, the left-wing Senator Bernie Sanders, scornedTrumpafter the Florida speech.

“Listening toTrumpmade me feel very much like he is a man living in a parallel universe… and is a man who must be defeated,” Sanders said.

A Quinnipiac University poll released Tuesday showed Biden leading Trump 50-41 percent in Florida, while Senator Bernie Sanders is up 48-42 percent over the president in the state.

Polls so far in advance have limited value and in 2016 they famously failed to predictTrump’s defeat of Democrat Hillary Clinton. If anything, the surveys point to another bitterly fought, tight race.

But in a sign of frayed nerves, Trump has lashed out at what he calls “fake” polling, while multiple US media reports say that his campaign has fired several of its own pollsters.

AFP

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Featured

NELFUND: The Renewed Hope Engine Propelling Nigeria’s Youth into Tomorrow

Published

2 days ago

November 28, 2025

The Gleamer

By Dayo Israel, National Youth Leader, APC

As the National Youth Leader of the All Progressives Congress, I have spent most of my tenure fighting for a Nigeria where every young person, regardless of their ward or local government, family income, or circumstance, can chase dreams without the chains of financial despair.

Today, that fight feels like victory, thanks to the Nigerian Education Loan Fund (NELFUND). Launched as a cornerstone of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda, this initiative isn’t just a policy tweak; it’s a revolution. And under the steady, visionary hand of Managing Director Akintunde Sawyerr, NELFUND has transformed from a bold promise into a roaring engine of opportunity, disbursing over ₦116 billion to more than 396,000 students and shattering barriers for over a million applicants.

Let’s be clear: NELFUND was always destined to be a game-changer. Signed into law by President Tinubu on April 3, 2024, it repealed the outdated 2023 Student Loan Act, replacing it with a modern, inclusive framework that covers tuition, upkeep allowances, and even vocational training—ensuring no Nigerian youth is left on the sidelines of progress.

But what elevates it from groundbreaking to generational? Leadership. Enter Akintunde Sawyerr, the diplomat-turned-executioner whose career reads like a blueprint for results-driven governance. From co-founding the Agricultural Fresh Produce Growers and Exporters Association of Nigeria (AFGEAN) in 2012—backed by icons like former President Olusegun Obasanjo and Dr. Akinwumi Adesina—to steering global logistics at DHL across 21 countries, Sawyerr brings a rare alchemy: strategic foresight fused with unyielding accountability.

As NELFUND’s pioneer MD, he’s turned a fledgling fund into a finely tuned machine, processing over 1 million applications since May 2024 and disbursing ₦116 billion—₦61.33 billion in institutional fees and ₦46.35 billion in upkeep—to students in 231 tertiary institutions nationwide. That’s not bureaucracy; that’s brilliance.

Sawyerr’s touch is everywhere in NELFUND’s ascent. Since the portal’s launch, he’s overseen a digital ecosystem that’s as transparent as it is efficient—seamless verification, BVN-linked tracking, and real-time dashboards that have quashed misinformation and built trust. In just 18 months, the fund has empowered 396,252 students with interest-free loans, many first-generation learners who might otherwise have dropped out.

Sensitization drives in places like Ekiti and Ogun have spiked applications — 12,000 in a single day in one instance, while expansions to vocational centers in Enugu pilot the next wave of skills-based funding. And amid challenges like data mismatches and fee hikes, Sawyerr’s team has iterated relentlessly: aligning disbursements with academic calendars, resuming backlogged upkeep payments for over 3,600 students, and even probing institutional compliance to safeguard every kobo. This isn’t management; it’s mastery—a man who doesn’t just lead but launches futures.

Yet, none of this happens in a vacuum. President Tinubu’s alliance with trailblazers like Sawyerr is the secret sauce securing Nigeria’s tomorrow. The President’s Renewed Hope Agenda isn’t rhetoric; it’s resources—₦100 billion seed capital channeled into a system that prioritizes equity over elitism. Together, they’ve forged a partnership where vision meets velocity: Tinubu’s bold repeal of barriers meets Sawyerr’s boots-on-the-ground execution, turning abstract policy into tangible triumphs. It’s a synergy that’s non-discriminatory by design—Christians, Muslims, every tribe and tongue united in access—fostering national cohesion through classrooms, not courtrooms.

As Sawyerr himself notes, this is “visionary leadership” in action, where the President’s political will ignites reforms that ripple across generations.

Why does this matter to us, Nigeria’s youth? Because NELFUND isn’t handing out handouts—it’s handing out horizons. In a country where 53% of us grapple with unemployment, these loans aren’t just funds; they’re fuel for innovation, entrepreneurship, and endurance.

Picture it: A first-generation polytechnic student in Maiduguri, once sidelined by fees, now graduates debt-free (repayments start two years post-NYSC, employer-deducted for ease) and launches a tech startup. Or a vocational trainee in Enugu, equipped with skills funding, revolutionizing local agriculture. This is quality education that endures—not fleeting certificates, but lifelong launchpads. Sawyerr’s focus on human-centered design ensures loans cover not just books, but bread—upkeep stipends of ₦20,000 monthly keeping hunger at bay so minds can soar. Under his watch, NELFUND has debunked doubts, refuted fraud claims, and delivered results that scream sustainability: Over ₦99.5 billion to 510,000 students by September, with 228 institutions on board.

As youth leaders, we see NELFUND for what it is: A covenant with our future. President Tinubu and MD Sawyerr aren’t just allies; they’re architects of an educated, empowered Nigeria—one where poverty’s grip loosens with every approved application, and innovation blooms from every funded desk. This isn’t charity; it’s an investment in the 70 million of us who will lead tomorrow.

We’ve crossed one million applications not because of luck, but leadership—a duo that’s turning “access denied” into “future unlocked.”

To President Tinubu: Thank you for daring to dream big and backing it with action.

To Akintunde Sawyerr: You’re the executor we needed, proving that one steady hand can steady a nation.

And to every Nigerian youth: Apply. Graduate. Conquer.

Because with NELFUND, your generation isn’t just surviving—it’s thriving, enduring, and eternal.

The Renewed Hope isn’t a slogan; it’s our story, now written in scholarships and success. Let’s keep turning the page.

Dayo Israel is the National Youth Leader of the All Progressives Congress (APC).

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