Alexa Hone Photo
A large crowd came to the TD Convention Center Monday night to attend a rally for Republican Presidential candidate Donald Trump.
Alexa Hone Photo
Supporters from Georgia attended Greenville's rally for Donald Trump.
The capacity crowd, announced at 4,000, afforded Trump a much friendlier audience than Saturday night’s GOP debate at the Peace Center.
He said ticket distribution to the debate, handled by the Republican National Committee, weighed heavily against him. “It was for donors and special interests,” Trump, a New York billionaire, said. “I am funding my own campaign so I guess that’s why only my family was there.”
Trump was explaining the many boos directed at him during the debate.
Trump stated his philosophy of adding a tax on products made by U.S. companies – such as just announced Carrier and Ford (2015) – who set up manufacturing facilities in other countries because of cheaper labor and products. “We are losing jobs to Mexico, with their products shipped across the border and we are getting nothing out of it,” Trump said. “I would add a (35) percent tax to each air conditioner shipped to the United States. I would tell Ford the same thing.”
Carrier announced it is closing its Indianapolis plant and losing 1,400 jobs to Mexico.
Last year Ford Motor Co., announced a $2.5 billion investment that included a $1.3 expansion to its Chihuahua state plant to build two new diesel engines. $1.2 billion will be for a transmission plant in central Guanajuato state.
The South Carolina Republican Primary is Saturday with voting scheduled 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. The state Democratic Primary is Feb. 27.
There were various reasons people braved the freezing rain and icy roads to hear Trump speak for about an hour.
“I like Trump as a business man, maybe not as a president though,” Tori Gramberg said. “He is famous, and with all the stuff we’ve heard that goes on at these rallies we want be a part of it.”
Sheldon Landgrave, a veteran, said, “This is my fourth campaign rally. I come to see the crowd more than anything. I come to see if (candidates) are down to earth guys, outside of the thirty seconds we all see. I am more conservative than the most conservative candidate out there.”
Landgrave said he’s “not seeing the how” candidates’ policies will be accomplished. “I want to know how (Trump) is going to fulfill all these great promises.”
Making promises is part of campaign rallies. Some supporters take more convincing than others but Kirk Parker, who drove from Georgia, said he wanted to hear Trump’s full speech in person “without media break ups and edits. I was impressed,” he said.
“If someone wants to run the world all they need to do is un-educate the people to make them become a bunch of sheep,” Parker said. “I have been following politics since high school and my advice is to study out, there are so many resources.”
Jamie Osborn was optimistic as they walked into the convention hall, suggesting, “I am hoping that Trump remains positive with no bashing.”