Hundreds turned out for the Arizona Republican Party’s (AZGOP) Salute to the Legislature in Mesa Saturday evening. Dr. Mehmet Oz, who serves as Administrator of the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services in the Trump administration, gave the keynote speech. The gala was emceed by actor Rob Schneider, who now lives in Scottsdale.
AZGOP Chair Sergio Arellano said the Salute to the Legislature used to take place annually, but had been halted the last 12 years. He revived it because the legislature was doing an excellent job and deserved the recognition. Arellano cited their efforts to incorporate aspects of President Donald Trump’s Big Beautiful Bill, particularly the tax breaks, into state law.
Joking about the recent rash of assassination attempts on Trump, Schneider said he was wearing a bulletproof vest. He said he fled California in part because when you drop your child off at school, they return to you in the afternoon as another gender.
Schneider addressed the influx of illegal immigrants and others who come into the country on questionable grounds, stating, ‘Somalia isn’t sending us their best people,’ echoing President Trump’s famous 2015 comments about immigration from Mexico. He said Democrats “are trying to turn this country into a hellhole and they have their sights on Arizona next.” When he ran into the Democratic actor Robert DeNiro recently, he said DeNiro called him a “schmuck” for supporting Trump.
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