Trump Supporters
Donald Trump and his running mate Mike Pence attracted an overflow crowd to the Hotel Roanoke and Convention Center Monday for their first campaign stop after the Republican National Convention last week. The event attracted people from both sides of the debate over the Republican presidential nominee.
By noon, the line to get in to see Donald Trump extended from the door of the Hotel Roanoke and Convention Center, down Wells Avenue to Williamson Road. That was not problem for Annie Lin. Lin, who lives in Salem, had been in line since 4:45 a.m. - more than ten hours before the candidate was scheduled to speak. Her reason for supporting Trump is simple.
“I’m a Republican.”
Lin says she was born in Taiwan but she became a citizen a long time ago and he’s proud to be an American.
“Also, I am patriotic.”
Nancy Trumps, who said she’d never been to a political event before, drove down from Lexington and was in line at 7 a.m.
“I just thought it was a once in a lifetime opportunity to come down and get to see one of these events in public. And I’ve been a Trump supporter from the very beginning. So yeah, I’m just excited to be here and see what this is like.”
Laura Schrader and her son Jackson came down from Lexington, too. She said she wanted to hear what Trump had to say, but she’s already decided how she’s voting.
“Well, his opponent has convinced me. The last eight years have been horrible in my opinion. They’ve lowered my ability to afford health care. I don’t really feel too much that the national security has improved and the way they’ve treated veterans. I just don’t want four more years of that.”
For Jackson Schrader, the issue seems to be pride.
“I like Trump because I’m a strong believer in American elitism. I’d like to see the majority of people in this country want to see America succeed and view America as the greatest country on earth. It seems like the younger generation, they’re just almost ashamed to be American and Trump, he’s kind of the polar opposite of that attitude.”
Trump Protesters
While Trump and Pence courted a lot of supporters, the town hall meeting was also an opportunity for the Republican front runner’s vocal opposition to voice their grievances.
Roanoker Jill Wickham was clear about why she was among the protestors.
“I think it’s important that Donald Trump does not get elected as the leader of the free world. I think he’s hateful. He’s a narcissist. He’s just dividing and destroying our great nation. He says make America great again. America is already great.”
Emanuel Dodson, with the Roanoke NAACP and Plowshares, was clear about his reasons, too.
“Because I’m very strongly against Donald Trump. He’s make some very racist anti-phobic remarks about different people, misogynist remarks against women. You know, all of us have a mother and we should respect out mothers.”
Neither expected to accomplish much with their protest besides registering their disapproval and supporting other people who are worried about the prospect of a Trump presidency. Trump and his supporters have it all wrong with their Make America Great Again campaign slogan.
“I say make America grateful again, instead of great again. We’re already great.”
A Pro-Trump Protester Protesting Protesters...
In what has become the norm for Trump’s rallies and town hall meetings, the protests against Trump are often met with opposition from Trump’s supporters, and Monday’s meeting was no different.
Paul Gee came from Salem to see and hear Donald Trump at the Hotel Roanoke and Conference Center. When he saw Democrats assembling across the street for a press conference, he joined them, wearing a Veterans for Trump t-shirt and carrying a sign that said, “Defeat Crooked Hillary - Vote Trump.”
The group kept Gee from television cameras, blocking his sign with posters promoting Clinton and attacking Trump. Gee spoke with several reporters after the press conference broke up.
“You know, I believe in the First Amendment as much as I do the Second. I like that one, too. All of a sudden, these liberals just jumped up and started grabbing my sign. They pulled my veteran t-shirt. I told them, I respect you beliefs. Just let me hold up my sign. They wouldn’t go for that.”
Gee isn’t just against Clinton. He’s very much for Trump.
“Yeah, the main reason I’m for Trump is because of the system in general. I don’t think it supports your average American. People have been shafted for a long time in this country right now, the average voters. The economy is lousy right now. We have terrorist attacks every day in this country and around the world. I don’t feel safe going to the movie theater. We need changes. I mean real fast, we need change.”
Trump, he says, is the man who can fix things.
“He’s a man of principal. He started his business with one million dollars. Right now his net worth is around 7.5 billion. That’s a good rate of return. The man has results.”
And, some t-shirts.
In the midst of strong debate, some just find the political process as a great opportunity to sell campaign merchandise from both sides of the aisle.
In the lines outside Donald Trump’s Roanoke event, people wore their politics on their backs - and their fronts and their heads. There were shirts that urged their candidate to build that wall, shirts that called for Hillary Clinton to be jailed and shirts with slogans that are definitely not suitable for polite radio conversation. And there were people with armloads and table loads and wagon loads of more for sale.
“I got hats, shirts, buttons, sometimes flags, all kinds of stuff. I’ve been doing this since day one. Actually, I’ve been doing this since ’92.”
This vender, who didn’t give his name, said those first campaign shirts he sold were Clinton shirts - Bill Clinton shirts.
“I sell both sides. I’m not prejudiced.”
He may not be prejudiced, but he does rank politicians according to the money their supporters spend.
“The Trump side’s been - there’s never been anything like this, during the primaries, anyway. Now, Obama his first term, it was awesome money, too. But I think Trump is going to surpass him.”
Trump, he said, is surpassing everyone.
“Trump has been, I mean, amazing. Nobody has ever brought the money he did before, during the primaries, and it’s only going to get bigger now. Bernie had great crowds, too. Hillary... We miss Bernie. I’m going to see him tomorrow.”
