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| Trump, Unbowed, Uses Rally to Strike Back Against Impeachment Vote | Trump, Unbowed, Uses Rally to Strike Back Against Impeachment Vote |
| (32 minutes later) | |
| A defiant President Trump sought to grab back the spotlight in front of an arena full of supporters in Battle Creek, Mich., on Wednesday night, after spending the day holed up in the White House as the House of Representatives prepared to cast votes on two articles of impeachment against him. | A defiant President Trump sought to grab back the spotlight in front of an arena full of supporters in Battle Creek, Mich., on Wednesday night, after spending the day holed up in the White House as the House of Representatives prepared to cast votes on two articles of impeachment against him. |
| “It doesn’t really feel like we’re being impeached,” Mr. Trump said in his first public remarks ahead of the historic vote on his impeachment. “The country is doing better than ever before. We did nothing wrong. We have tremendous support in the Republican Party like we’ve never had before.” Vice President Mike Pence, who introduced Mr. Trump at the rally, indicated that the president wanted to wait until after the House vote to take the stage. | “It doesn’t really feel like we’re being impeached,” Mr. Trump said in his first public remarks ahead of the historic vote on his impeachment. “The country is doing better than ever before. We did nothing wrong. We have tremendous support in the Republican Party like we’ve never had before.” Vice President Mike Pence, who introduced Mr. Trump at the rally, indicated that the president wanted to wait until after the House vote to take the stage. |
| “He wanted to wait to see that strong, unified Republican vote on the floor tonight,” Mr. Pence said. But a few minutes later, as Representative Adam B. Schiff, chairman of the House Intelligence Committee, was still delivering remarks, Mr. Trump took the stage to “God Bless the U.S.A.” | “He wanted to wait to see that strong, unified Republican vote on the floor tonight,” Mr. Pence said. But a few minutes later, as Representative Adam B. Schiff, chairman of the House Intelligence Committee, was still delivering remarks, Mr. Trump took the stage to “God Bless the U.S.A.” |
| “Remember when I first started this beautiful trip, this beautiful journey, I just said to the first lady, you’re so lucky I took you on this journey,” the president said, recalling his 2016 campaign. “They want to impeach you, they want to do worse than that.” | “Remember when I first started this beautiful trip, this beautiful journey, I just said to the first lady, you’re so lucky I took you on this journey,” the president said, recalling his 2016 campaign. “They want to impeach you, they want to do worse than that.” |
| His roaring rejoinder created the remarkable image of a combative president — just moments before becoming the third to be impeached — standing unbowed before his core base of supporters heading into a year in which he will be seeking re-election. | His roaring rejoinder created the remarkable image of a combative president — just moments before becoming the third to be impeached — standing unbowed before his core base of supporters heading into a year in which he will be seeking re-election. |
| As the House began its vote on impeachment, Mr. Trump bragged to the crowd about being nominated “Man of the Year” in Michigan. But he said he could not remember who bestowed the honor on him, or what year it was. | |
| Mr. Trump, described by his aides as having been in a frustrated, snappish mood for days, traveled to the rally in an electorally vital state on a day on which he had watched the impeachment debate on television and tweeted or retweeted more than 50 times. | Mr. Trump, described by his aides as having been in a frustrated, snappish mood for days, traveled to the rally in an electorally vital state on a day on which he had watched the impeachment debate on television and tweeted or retweeted more than 50 times. |
| “They want to Impeach me (I’m not worried!),” he wrote in one post on Wednesday morning. “And yet they were all breaking the law in so many ways. How can they do that and yet impeach a very successful (Economy Plus) President of the United States, who has done nothing wrong? These people are Crazy!” | “They want to Impeach me (I’m not worried!),” he wrote in one post on Wednesday morning. “And yet they were all breaking the law in so many ways. How can they do that and yet impeach a very successful (Economy Plus) President of the United States, who has done nothing wrong? These people are Crazy!” |
| The first image of Mr. Trump on Wednesday came as he cut across the South Lawn, alone, dressed in a dark overcoat and prepared to depart for Michigan. Instead of making a beeline for the cameras and microphones gathered outside of the Oval Office, as he typically does, he silently trudged over to a small group of supporters before leaving without taking any questions from reporters. | The first image of Mr. Trump on Wednesday came as he cut across the South Lawn, alone, dressed in a dark overcoat and prepared to depart for Michigan. Instead of making a beeline for the cameras and microphones gathered outside of the Oval Office, as he typically does, he silently trudged over to a small group of supporters before leaving without taking any questions from reporters. |
| Earlier, Kellyanne Conway, a counselor to the president, stood in the White House briefing room and said Mr. Trump was in good spirits. “The president is fine,” Ms. Conway said, “his mood is good.” | Earlier, Kellyanne Conway, a counselor to the president, stood in the White House briefing room and said Mr. Trump was in good spirits. “The president is fine,” Ms. Conway said, “his mood is good.” |
| Trump campaign aides and White House officials like Ms. Conway have been projecting confidence that the impeachment inquiry has only served as fuel for the president’s campaign, bolstering its fund-raising efforts as well as its volunteer recruitment. But privately, people who know him said, Mr. Trump has been aware of the historic nature of a charge of “high crimes and misdemeanors” and has been aggrieved at what he views as a stain on his legacy, a desire by Democrats to harm him personally and what he sees as the failure of Republicans to state with more conviction that he did nothing wrong. | Trump campaign aides and White House officials like Ms. Conway have been projecting confidence that the impeachment inquiry has only served as fuel for the president’s campaign, bolstering its fund-raising efforts as well as its volunteer recruitment. But privately, people who know him said, Mr. Trump has been aware of the historic nature of a charge of “high crimes and misdemeanors” and has been aggrieved at what he views as a stain on his legacy, a desire by Democrats to harm him personally and what he sees as the failure of Republicans to state with more conviction that he did nothing wrong. |
| Some of that anger played out online on Wednesday as Mr. Trump watched cable news coverage of the impeachment debate. “SUCH ATROCIOUS LIES BY THE RADICAL LEFT, DO NOTHING DEMOCRATS. THIS IS AN ASSAULT ON AMERICA, AND AN ASSAULT ON THE REPUBLICAN PARTY!!!!” he wrote on Twitter. | Some of that anger played out online on Wednesday as Mr. Trump watched cable news coverage of the impeachment debate. “SUCH ATROCIOUS LIES BY THE RADICAL LEFT, DO NOTHING DEMOCRATS. THIS IS AN ASSAULT ON AMERICA, AND AN ASSAULT ON THE REPUBLICAN PARTY!!!!” he wrote on Twitter. |
| His all-caps burst of online frustration came minutes after the White House press secretary, Stephanie Grisham, tried to convey a sense of business as usual in the West Wing, saying in a statement that the president would be “working all day” and catching some of the impeachment proceedings “between meetings.” | His all-caps burst of online frustration came minutes after the White House press secretary, Stephanie Grisham, tried to convey a sense of business as usual in the West Wing, saying in a statement that the president would be “working all day” and catching some of the impeachment proceedings “between meetings.” |
| Other aides were also committed to a “just another Wednesday” narrative, noting that legislative affairs officials were busy on Capitol Hill working on the revised trade agreement with Mexico and Canada as well as two spending bills. | Other aides were also committed to a “just another Wednesday” narrative, noting that legislative affairs officials were busy on Capitol Hill working on the revised trade agreement with Mexico and Canada as well as two spending bills. |
| But Mr. Trump’s grievance-infused state of mind was laid out clearly in a six-page letter the White House sent on Tuesday to Speaker Nancy Pelosi. | But Mr. Trump’s grievance-infused state of mind was laid out clearly in a six-page letter the White House sent on Tuesday to Speaker Nancy Pelosi. |
| “You have cheapened the importance of the very ugly word, impeachment!” he wrote. “By proceeding with your invalid impeachment, you are violating your oaths of office, you are breaking your allegiance to the Constitution, and you are declaring open war on American Democracy.” | “You have cheapened the importance of the very ugly word, impeachment!” he wrote. “By proceeding with your invalid impeachment, you are violating your oaths of office, you are breaking your allegiance to the Constitution, and you are declaring open war on American Democracy.” |
| Mr. Trump drafted the letter with the help of three aides: Stephen Miller, his top policy adviser; Eric Ueland, his legislative affairs director; and Mike Williams, a counselor to the acting chief of staff. | Mr. Trump drafted the letter with the help of three aides: Stephen Miller, his top policy adviser; Eric Ueland, his legislative affairs director; and Mike Williams, a counselor to the acting chief of staff. |
| The president purposefully did not consult with the White House counsel, Pat Cipollone, according to people involved with drafting the letter because he did not want to be told what he could and could not say — he simply wanted to vent. | The president purposefully did not consult with the White House counsel, Pat Cipollone, according to people involved with drafting the letter because he did not want to be told what he could and could not say — he simply wanted to vent. |
| In the audience in Battle Creek, Mr. Trump’s supporters were finally expressing the sentiments he had been wanting to hear more forcefully from Republican lawmakers. | In the audience in Battle Creek, Mr. Trump’s supporters were finally expressing the sentiments he had been wanting to hear more forcefully from Republican lawmakers. |
| “How they even have a right to say he did something wrong is baffling,” said Jonathan Anderson, a resident of nearby Portage. | “How they even have a right to say he did something wrong is baffling,” said Jonathan Anderson, a resident of nearby Portage. |
| The unbowed posture struck by Mr. Trump also had historical echoes. When President Bill Clinton was impeached on Dec. 19, 1998, dozens of Democratic lawmakers piled into buses and joined him in the Rose Garden, along with Vice President Al Gore and the first lady, Hillary Clinton, to create a tableau of a president who had not been abandoned by his party or his family. | The unbowed posture struck by Mr. Trump also had historical echoes. When President Bill Clinton was impeached on Dec. 19, 1998, dozens of Democratic lawmakers piled into buses and joined him in the Rose Garden, along with Vice President Al Gore and the first lady, Hillary Clinton, to create a tableau of a president who had not been abandoned by his party or his family. |
| Mr. Trump’s trip to this small industrial city in the state’s southwest was announced before the schedule for an impeachment vote had been finished, but his campaign welcomed the timing. Michigan promises to be crucial to Mr. Trump’s re-election fortunes, and will probably be tightly contested. Mr. Trump unexpectedly won Michigan by a fraction of a percentage point in 2016, or just over 10,000 votes more than Hillary Clinton. His final 2016 campaign stop, late at night, was in Grand Rapids. | Mr. Trump’s trip to this small industrial city in the state’s southwest was announced before the schedule for an impeachment vote had been finished, but his campaign welcomed the timing. Michigan promises to be crucial to Mr. Trump’s re-election fortunes, and will probably be tightly contested. Mr. Trump unexpectedly won Michigan by a fraction of a percentage point in 2016, or just over 10,000 votes more than Hillary Clinton. His final 2016 campaign stop, late at night, was in Grand Rapids. |
| On Wednesday, Mr. Pence traveled to Saginaw, near the thumb-shaped part of the state, for a speech before the rally here, where he joined Mr. Trump. | On Wednesday, Mr. Pence traveled to Saginaw, near the thumb-shaped part of the state, for a speech before the rally here, where he joined Mr. Trump. |
| Battle Creek, a city of just over 50,000, is the hub of a county that voted for Mr. Trump but is surrounded by more liberal cities, including Kalamazoo and East Lansing. Residents still consider it an industrial town, even as empty storefronts dot the downtown. | Battle Creek, a city of just over 50,000, is the hub of a county that voted for Mr. Trump but is surrounded by more liberal cities, including Kalamazoo and East Lansing. Residents still consider it an industrial town, even as empty storefronts dot the downtown. |
| “Michigan has been through stuff that the rest of the country seems to go through a little later on. The auto industry and the steel industry hit Michigan hard,” said Tom Smith, an owner of Cereal City Tattoo and Piercing. | “Michigan has been through stuff that the rest of the country seems to go through a little later on. The auto industry and the steel industry hit Michigan hard,” said Tom Smith, an owner of Cereal City Tattoo and Piercing. |
| Local officials said the arena would hold around 6,500 people. On Wednesday morning, a large screen in a plaza outside the building cycled through clips featuring Mr. Trump’s family, including his daughter-in-law Lara Trump, who interviewed Diamond and Silk, two pro-Trump internet personalities. Parka and scarf-wearing rally attendees lined up early in the morning, huddling in a parking garage to keep warm. | Local officials said the arena would hold around 6,500 people. On Wednesday morning, a large screen in a plaza outside the building cycled through clips featuring Mr. Trump’s family, including his daughter-in-law Lara Trump, who interviewed Diamond and Silk, two pro-Trump internet personalities. Parka and scarf-wearing rally attendees lined up early in the morning, huddling in a parking garage to keep warm. |
| Annie Karni reported from Washington, Maggie Haberman from New York, and Michael Crowley and Noah Weiland from Battle Creek, Mich. | Annie Karni reported from Washington, Maggie Haberman from New York, and Michael Crowley and Noah Weiland from Battle Creek, Mich. |