Back in Ohio, Trump attacks foreign meddling, elites, GOP critics, and the media

President Trump gave a typically freewheeling performance at his rally for Republican congressional candidate Troy Balderson in Ohio Saturday night.

Significantly, the president seemed to concede the existence of Russian meddling in the 2016 election and U.S. life more broadly. "We have to stop it. We have to stop meddling and stop everybody from attacking us," he said. "But there are a lot. Russia is there; China is there. We are doing well with North Korea, but they're probably there."

Trump also touched on "the elite" — "I have better everything than they have," he told a cheering crowd — and Republicans who oppose him — "I only destroy their career because they said bad things about me." And he hit on familiar themes like his contempt for the media, declaring MSNBC "so corrupt ... so disgusting" and basking in chants of "CNN sucks!"

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In an attempted swipe at Rep. Mark Sanford (R-S.C.), who lost his 2018 primary race after criticizing Trump, the president said Sanford "likes flamingo [sic] dancers from Argentina," referring to Sanford's infidelity scandal in 2009. The word for which Trump was seeking is "flamenco."

Watch the full speech below. Bonnie Kristian