President Donald Trump returned to Las Vegas on Saturday for his first rally since retaking the presidency, touting his first week in office and describing his return to the White House as “liberation day.”
Speaking to a crowd of roughly 2,000 people at the Circa Resort & Casino in downtown Las Vegas, Trump championed his proposal to end taxes on tipped wages, his pardoning of criminal defendants from the Jan. 6 insurrection and his efforts to bring prosperity back to America.
It was Trump’s first trip to Nevada since winning the state in the 2024 election, becoming the first Republican to do so since George W. Bush in 2004.
The event capped off the first week of Trump’s second term, during which he pardoned about 1,500 people charged with crimes at the Jan. 6 insurrection, and issued a (since-blocked) order to end birthright citizenship, a right established by the 14th Amendment of the U.S. Constitution.
He also took drastic measures to overhaul the federal workforce by effectively ending all diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives and firing at least 15 independent government watchdogs, and targeted transgender Americans by affirming the U.S. government will recognize only two genders, opening the door to once again ban transgender people from serving in the military.
Looking forward, Trump pledged that the economy in his second term would be better than the first, which was marked by moderate growth and low inflation before the pandemic sent unemployment surging.
And with typical Trump bravado, he discussed his margin of victory in Nevada, the TV ratings during his inauguration and the number of executive orders he signed in his first week.
Attendees appeared hopeful Saturday in interviews with The Nevada Independent, crediting Trump as the only person who could bring back sanity and success to America.
They were particularly supportive of his immediate crackdown on illegal immigration (he declared a national emergency at the southern border).
This was the third time that Lisa Folkestad, 64, attended a Trump rally. She said she is “just so happy” with Trump’s victory and first week in office.
She particularly liked his pardon of the Jan. 6 defendants — saying of their convictions “that was such a travesty” — and his immigration actions. She also wanted Kevin McMahill, the Clark County sheriff, to be ousted after he said this week that his officers will not partake in “roundups” of undocumented immigrants.
“That’s what we voted for,” the self-employed Las Vegas resident said. “He’s supposed to protect us.”
Taxes
Trump also repeated the campaign promise that he said he suspected pushed him over the top in Nevada — to end taxation on tips, the theme of Saturday’s rally, with “No Tax on Tips” emblazoned behind him. He said the policy would be included in the tax bill that Republicans in Congress are in the process of negotiating to extend expiring provisions of the 2017 Tax Cuts and Jobs Act.
“I know you didn’t hear anything about this, and I’m sure it had no influence on the state, the fact that we won this crazy, massive majority, the state that hadn’t been won by a Republican in decades,” Trump said. “But I’m sure you haven’t heard. We’re going to get it for you — no tax on tips.”
In a statement sent during the speech, Culinary Workers Union Local 226 Secretary-Treasurer Ted Pappageorge said the union supports the policy but that Republicans should work with Democrats to go beyond ending taxation on tips, including raising the subminimum wage for service workers and addressing corporate greed.
Crafting a tax bill that can earn the support of enough Republicans will be an uphill battle — in the House, Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) is currently operating with a one-seat majority, meaning each House Republican would need to support the bill. When Trump’s original 2017 tax bill passed 13 House Republicans voted against it.
In order to pass the Senate, where Republicans can bypass the 60-vote filibuster through a process called budget reconciliation, the ultimate bill can only include spending policies and have no deficit impact beyond the next 10 years.
Trump joked that the government would be going after Nevada restaurant workers who did not disclose their tipped income on tax forms, before repeating a story he told frequently on the campaign about a “young, beautiful waitress” in Las Vegas who gave him the policy idea.
Ralph Macias, a 41-year-old banker, said he was especially supportive of Trump’s proposals to end taxes on tips, Social Security and overtime, citing how beneficial it could be to his two children.
“I wish there’d be no tax period, but we can’t have it,” he said.
When a supporter yelled from the audience asking the president to end federal taxation wholesale, Trump said that such a policy could be possible if the tariffs he plans to impose — which have greatly worried business leaders and economists — generate enough revenue.
The never-ending 2024 campaign
At times invoking familiar digs at his old rival former President Joe Biden and at other junctures focused on future legislative plans, Trump alternated between the campaign rhetoric he deployed throughout 2024 and the forward-looking vision he plans to implement as president.
“They put America last, they put you last,” Trump said. “Bad things were happening, and now there is light.”
But despite the election being over, Trump did not resist opportunities to attack his political opponents, saying the former president “didn’t know he was alive” and that special counsel Jack Smith was “deranged.” At no point did he mention former Vice President Kamala Harris, the candidate he actually beat to win the presidency.
Borrowing rhetoric from his campaign speeches, Trump criticized Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY) and detailed failures of the Biden administration, including alleging that Biden was slow to return phone calls from world leaders.
“[World leaders] were so starved for love from the United States, [now] I can’t get them off the phone,” Trump said, eliciting laughter. “For years, they haven’t spoken. They didn’t even know we had a president.”
Thanking Nevada
His visit in Las Vegas on Saturday came at the end of Trump’s trip to the West. He visited Los Angeles on Friday to tour the recent wildfire damage, during which he said he was considering “getting rid” of the Federal Emergency Management Agency, and suggested that aid to California could be conditioned on the implementation of voter ID and getting water flowing throughout the state.
But instead of flying over Sin City, he said he wanted to return to “pay respects” to Nevadans who delivered the Silver State for him. Trump won Nevada by 3.1 percentage points — and predicted further Republican success in the state.
“I think Republicans are going to start winning this state,” he said. “Typically, they don’t necessarily do so good. We did really well. That’s why I’m here.”
Trump also recognized an attendee whose presence was rare on the campaign trail — Republican Gov. Joe Lombardo. Lombardo, who will be up for re-election in 2026, skipped most of Trump’s rallies in the Silver State throughout the election. But he greeted Trump at Harry Reid International Airport Friday and was the first supporter the president recognized at Circa, telling the governor he was “looking good.”
His Las Vegas corporate support was evident as well. Trump shouted out longtime supporters such as Phil Ruffin, who owns numerous properties on the Strip. And American Hotel and Lodging Association President Rosanna Maietta, the leader of a trade group that has significant influence in Nevada, spoke onstage about her support for no tax on tips and Trump’s overall tax policy.
This post was originally published on here
