Trump calls Dems 'treasonous' and 'un-American' while touting tax law in Cincinnati

President Trump called Democrats "un-American" and "treasonous" Monday for failing to stand and applaud his economic policies during his State of the Union address last week.

Speaking to a cheering crowd at a suburban Cincinnati factory, Trump mocked Democrats for voting against his new tax law in December and for staying glued to their seats at the State of the Union while he took credit for low unemployment rates and other economic successes.

He said Democrats would pay a price in the 2018 midterm elections and in the 2020 presidential election for not getting behind his policies.

"They would rather see Trump do badly than our country do well," the president said of Democrats' response to his speech last week. "They were like death. And un-American. Somebody said treasonous. I mean, yeah. I guess. Why not?"

"Can we call that treason?" he asked the crowd. "Why not? They certainly didn't seem to love our country very much."

Several prominent Ohio Republicans, including Sen. Rob Portman and U.S. Rep. Jim Renacci, attended the speech in Blue Ash but were not immediately available to comment on Trump's remarks about their Democratic colleagues in Washington.

CEOs from several large companies, including Fifth Third Bank's Greg Carmichael, also attended the speech.

Read the full transcript: Text of President Trump's remarks in Blue Ash Feb. 5

The crowd responded to Trump's remarks about Democrats with some laughter and a collective shrug.

Cincinnati City Councilwoman Amy Murray said she thought Trump was just joking around after hearing someone in the audience use the word treason. Councilman Jeff Pastor said he disagreed with Trump's word choice, regardless of what prompted it.

"It's not something I would say," said Pastor, a Republican. "I think it's American to be able to disagree."

'Your paychecks are going way up'

The remarks came in the middle of a speech pitching the new tax law as a boon for the nation's economy and American workers.

Standing next to a red, white and blue banner that proclaimed "Open for Business," the president told the crowd at Sheffer Corp. in Blue Ash that the tax law would increase wages and bring back millions of jobs.

"I wanted to give something very big back," Trump told the crowd of employees and supporters. "Your paychecks are going way up. Your taxes are going way down. America is once again open for business."

Trump also pushed back against Democrats and economists who have said the economy has been recovering for years and is not suddenly on the rebound because of his presidency.

"I am non-braggadocious," Trump said before citing his leadership as crucial to the nation's economic success.

"It's amazing what people with good ideas can do," he said. "Wait til you see GDP over the next few years. Wait til you see what we're going to do."

Trump said he chose to visit Sheffer Corp because it's a big beneficiary of the tax law he signed in December after Republicans passed it with little public debate and no Democratic support. The law slashed the corporate tax rate from 35 percent to 21 percent and also reduced individual rates for most Americans.

The individual cuts, however, are temporary and will begin expiring in 2025, at which point they are scheduled to return to previous levels and, in some cases, exceed them.

For taxpayers at or near the median household income in Ohio and Hamilton County – roughly $50,000 – the tax savings this year could range from about $600 for a single person with no kids to about $1,400 for a married couple with two kids. Those estimates are based on a survey of several tax calculators now available to the public.

You can find some of those calculators here and here.

While Trump and the GOP call the new law a boon for taxpayers and the economy, opponents describe it as a giveaway to corporations that ultimately will be paid for by working-class Americans.

Trump greeted by protesters, supporters

Outside the factory and along his motorcade route to Blue Ash, the president was greeted by both supporters and protesters. At times, pro- and anti-Trump activists carrying signs and bullhorns shouted over one another.

"We need a leader, not a creepy tweeter!" protesters shouted.

"He's your president! Accept it!" shouted counter-protesters.

While partisan divisions remain deep across the country, polls show the nation has warmed to the tax law since Republicans approved it in December. But Trump still has some work to do. A majority of Americans remain skeptical the tax overhaul will help them or the broader economy, recent polls say.

The effort to turn public opinion is crucial because Trump and the GOP have made the law the cornerstone of their campaign to hold on to power after the November midterm elections.

The GOP has a razor-thin 51-49 majority in the Senate, and both parties are bracing for a dogfight for control of the House.

To drive home his point that the tax law will benefit the working class, Trump invited some factory employees to the stage Monday to share stories about what the law means for them. One employee, Deana Spoleti, said the $1,000 bonus she got this year will help her and her husband buy a house and put her two kids through college.

"It will be an ongoing bonus in our paycheck," she said. "And it will just help us make ends meet."

The CEOs from Fifth Third, Jergens Inc. and e-Cycle all said before the speech that they attended because they, too, gave workers a $1,000 bonus during the past month because of the tax cut they received under the new law.

Carmichael, the Fifth Third CEO, would not comment on Trump's remarks about treason and the Democrats. In a statement, he said only that he attended the speech Monday to support the tax law.

Democrats denounced the remark as an affront to free speech and accused Trump of "emulating autocrats."

"When Vladimir Putin does his yearly news conference, he generally demands applause and supplication from those in attendance, but it's beyond bizarre for an American president to demand the same from free-thinking citizens in a democratic republic," said Ohio Democratic Party Chairman David Pepper.

The official White House transcript noted "laughter" and "applause" followed Trump's remarks.

Though the president's speech focused on the economy and the tax law, he veered off to discuss topics that proved popular with his core supporters during and after the presidential campaign.

He mocked House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi and Ohio Sen. Sherrod Brown, who could be running for reelection against a Trump favorite in November if Renacci wins the GOP primary this spring.

Trump also referred to journalists covering the event as "fake news media," cheered the fact no players knelt during the national anthem at the Super Bowl and vowed to build the wall he's promised along the Mexican border.

Scott Wartman, Monroe Trombly, Gregory Korte, Jason Williams and Alex Coolidge contributed to this report

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