President Donald Trump wasted no time before launching an attack Thursday on efforts by Democrats in the U.S. House to impeach him.

"From day one, the wretched Washington swamp has been trying to nullify the results of a truly great and democratic election," he said at Target Center in downtown Minneapolis. "They want to erase your vote like it never existed. They want to erase your voice."

He suggested to a partisan crowd that "corrupt politicians and radical leftists" had vowed to get him and cited the investigation into Russia's efforts to shape the 2016 election outcome.

Trump also predicted "a backlash at the ballot box" next year.

He also criticized the news media. "They are so dishonest and frankly they are so bad for our country," he said.