Trump: ‘The collusion delusion is over’

President Trump on Thursday declared the “collusion delusion is over” at his first campaign rally since special counsel Robert Mueller concluded his investigation into Russian interference in the 2016 election.

“This has been an incredible couple of weeks for America. The economy is roaring. The ISIS caliphate is defeated 100 percent, and after three years of lies and smears and slander, the Russia hoax is finally dead,” Trump said near the start of his remarks in Grand Rapids, Mich.

“The collusion delusion is over,” he added, quipping that he “could’ve told you that two-and-a-half years ago.”

{mosads}Attorney General William Barr said in a four-page summary of Mueller’s main findings that the special counsel’s investigation found no evidence of collusion between the Trump campaign and the Russian government. On the matter of alleged obstruction of justice, Mueller said he had neither exonerated Trump nor concluded that he had committed a crime, according to Barr.

Mueller’s investigation implicated more than two dozen Russian nationals and entities, as well as six former Trump associates. Four have pleaded guilty as part of the probe, former Trump campaign chairman Paul Manafort has been convicted and sentenced and informal adviser Roger Stone is awaiting trial.

Trump has celebrated the special counsel’s findings, and on Thursday told the crowd that it represented a “total exoneration” and “complete vindication.”

He added that Mueller was no longer in favor with the Democrats who he suggested were hoping for a different conclusion.

“Robert Mueller was a god to Democrats, he was a god to them,” he said. “Now they don’t like him much now.”

He pivoted a short time later to attack those who pushed for the investigation and raised allegations of wrongdoing, calling it an “effort to undermine our victory and sabotage the will of the American people.”

Trump slammed the media for its coverage of the investigation, and singled out Rep. Adam Schiff (D-Calif.) for maintaining there was evidence of collusion between the Trump campaign and Russia.

“The Democrats have to now to decide whether they will continue defrauding the public with ridiculous bullshit, partisan investigations, or whether they will apologize to the American people and join us to rebuild our crumbling infrastructure, bring down the cost of health care and prescription drugs… help us fix our broken trade deals,” Trump said.

He repeatedly singled out Democrats including Schiff and House Judiciary Chairman Jerry Nadler (D-N.Y.) for what he called “fraud” as well as certain members of the media for publicizing the Russia investigation, calling them a “group of major losers.”

“Their fraud has been exposed and the credibility of those who pushed this hoax is forever broken and now they’ve got big problems,” he said.

“They tried to divide our country to poison the national debate and to tear up the fabric of our great democracy,” Trump told the crowd. “They did it all because they refused to accept one of the greatest presidential elections, probably No. 1, in our history. … The Russia Witch Hunt was a plot to illegally regain power by framing innocent Americans.”

“Many, many people were badly hurt by this scam,” he continued. “But more importantly our country was hurt. Our country was hurt. And they’re on artificial respirators right now. They’re getting mouth-to-mouth resuscitation.”

-Updated 8:10 p.m.