On Feb. 11, 2016, fresh off his triumph in New Hampshire, Republican candidate, Donald Trump, paid a visit to Baton Rouge for a political rally at the River Center. Now, I have seen and heard all about Donald Trump. I've heard about his crazy tirades, how he mocks other candidates and his brash views on immigration. The thing is, I'd only heard about these things in the media, but I'd never actually witnessed them myself. So, I'm here to explain just exactly what Donald Trump was like in person.
Trump entered the crowded venue to the song "Revolution" by the Beatles. Wasn't exactly what I was expecting, but the song definitely got a message across. After basking in the applause and cheers, Trump started applauding Baton Rouge for its city, and most importantly, the LSU Tigers. Trump even incited an LSU chant throughout the crowd. The chant wasn't just for show though, it was actually a perfect segueway into his views. Trump explained: "You people know about winning, and this country doesn't know how to win anymore." Then began the rally, I think officially. By that, I mean Trump went right into the issues the country is facing and what he would do to fix them. Trump had a lot of anecdotes about friends who told him stories and how he came to his conclusions and views on the issues. And what I felt was his greatest strength was how Trump worked with the crowd and talked with them as if he were having a conversation with a friend. Trump hit a lot of the issues, and they were as follows:
On the military:
"Build our military so strong, so powerful that no one will want to mess with us."
On the country's current politicians:
"If you can't get rich with politicians you aren't doing well." He also consistently referred to them as "bloodsuckers" and said if he were elected, he would strike up deals instead of bleeding the country dry.
On veterans:
"We'll be taking care of our vets better than they've ever been taken care of now."
On Jeb Bush:
"Don't fall asleep when I say the name." Now, the first mention of Jeb Bush may have poked a little fun towards the man, but it had a purpose. Trump used Jeb as segueway to speak about how he did not agree with George W. Bush's decision for the war on Iraq, and how he did not agree with how Obama handled the situation. It was an antedote. The next few times he spoke of Jeb and referred to him as "a child" were not. He just made fun of the man.
On Obama's golf game:
"You should only play golf with people who can help you, like China and congressman, not with your friends. With people who can help out this country."
On the stock market:
"We're in a big, fat beautiful bubble. Watch what happens folks, it's not going to be pretty."
On why he is running for president:
"I backed McCain, he lost. I backed Romney, he lost. I thought, dammit, this time it's going to be me."
On education:
"Common Core is dead."
On his endorsers:
"I'd like to thank a friend of yours, Willie Robertson from 'Duck Dynasty.'"
On immigration:
"I said we gotta build a wall, and everyone was like, 'that's crazy.' But we will build a wall, and who's going to pay for it?"
*crowd screams "Mexico"
On eminent domain:
"You need it. We wouldn't have pipelines. We wouldn't have highways. We don't love it, we need it."
On whether or not he's actually a conservative:
"I'm the guy with common sense who's going to make us a fortune."
On why you should vote for him:
"[The United States] needs a few things. One of those things we need is unpredictability—well, you need Trump."
And finally he closed by saying:
"It is so important you get out and vote. We truly have a movement going on. But it's not a movement if we don't win."
Now, I'm not saying I'm voting for Donald Trump. I'm not saying I'm not voting for Donald Trump. All I'm saying is that he was not the screeching psychopath that I was led to believe he was.
