Donald Trump's Turning Point Action Speech—Five Key Moments

Former president Donald taunted rival Ron DeSantis during a speech at a conservative gathering on Saturday, telling him to "get home and take care of insurance."

Trump said it was pointless for DeSantis to remain in the race for the Republican presidential nomination during a lengthy speech at the Turning Point Action Conference in West Palm Beach, Florida. Opinion polls show Trump leading the contest by a wide margin.

In the speech, Trump also spoke about the indictments against him, describing them as a "badge of honor," and vowed to bring back his controversial travel ban—and make it even stronger—if he regains the White House.

Newsweek rounds up some key moments from the speech.

'We're Totally Dominating'

Trump accused DeSantis of neglecting his duties as Florida governor since entering the race for the White House, pointing to a recent exodus of insurance companies in the state.

Pointing to the results of opinion polls, Trump said: "We are totally dominating DeSantis right here in the state of Florida. So we want him to get home and take care of insurance because you have the highest insurance in the nation."

He also seized on DeSantis' absence from the conference.

"I don't know why he's not here," he said. "He should be here, he should be here representing himself."

Bryan Griffin, a DeSantis campaign spokesperson, told Newsweek: "Governor DeSantis spent the day with Iowans and spoke to a packed house at the Tennessee GOP Statesman Dinner later that night. This was a day after he delivered the strongest interview at the Family Leadership Summit, which Donald Trump notably skipped. Ron DeSantis is campaigning to win."

A 'Bigger and Stronger' Travel Ban

Trump pledged to introduce a more powerful travel ban if he regains the White House than the much-criticized one his administration first imposed against people from mostly Muslim-majority countries in January 2017.

"When I return to office, the travel ban is coming back even bigger and much stronger than before," he said. "The United States will not be condemned for the same fate as countries like France which are truly going through hell right now."

Trump also claimed he would order that entry to the county be denied to "all communists and Marxists."

Mexico Gave '28,000 Soldiers'

Trump also repeated an unverified claim that Mexico had given 28,000 soldiers to help police the U.S. border.

"I said Mexico is going to pay for [the wall] in some way; they gave us 28,000 soldiers free of charge," he said. "That's more than any wall and they did that for years."

Indictments Are 'Badge of Honor'

Trump said he considers the indictments against him to be a "badge of honor and courage."

"Every time the radical left Democrats, Marxists, communists and fascists indict me, I consider it to be a great badge of honor and courage," he said. "I am doing it for you. I am being indicted for you. Better me then you."

He faces 37 counts for mishandling classified documents at his Florida estate, and has also been charged in New York with 34 felony counts of falsifying business records in connection to a hush money scheme. He has pleaded not guilty to all charges.

Mocks Biden Gaffe

Trump took his opportunity on stage to mock President Joe Biden for mistakenly referring to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky as "Vladimir" during remarks at the NATO summit earlier this week.

However, Trump himself was mocked after he appeared to say "Vladimor" while talking about Russian President Vladimir Putin.

"If you have the right leadership, Russia's not a problem. They would have never done what they did, believe me, they would have never done. And I spoke to Vladimor," he said.

"Did you see the other day, two days ago, he called...[Biden's] talking to the president of Ukraine and he said 'Vladimir.' He meant Zelensky," Trump continued, before appearing to mock Biden's mental fitness with hand gestures.

Update 7/17/23, 4:55 a.m. ET: This article has been updated to add a comment from DeSantis campaign spokesperson Bryan Griffin.