Thousands of people packed The Ziegler Building at the Washington County Fair Park on Tuesday and gave a rousing yet sweaty welcome when Donald Trump finally took the stage. The Republican presidential candidate arrived more than an hour behind schedule as he raced from an appearance in Milwaukee.
Once in the heart of Washington County Trump spoke about restoring law and order, all lives matter and all Americans matter, and the first duty of government is to keep the innocent safe.
Bullet points from the rally:
- Rep. Bob Gannon (R-Slinger) and Rep. Dan Knodl (R-Germantown) took the stage following an invocation by Pastor Jeff Hesse from St. John’s Lutheran in West Bend. Gannon taked about being a blunt lawmaker and then he thunked a shoe on the podium and said “in order to get Trump elected it’ll take shoes on the ground.”
- Jim Geldreich, 5th District GOP Delegate with the Washington County Republican Party, led the rally in the Pledge of Allegiance and Hannah Mrozak from Richfield sang a powerful rendition of the National Anthem.
- Congressman Glenn Grothman and Congressman Sean Duffy addressed the crowd. Grothman said, “In all my years in Washington County I can’t remember seeing such a big political rally.” Duffy followed by saying, “We need a big change in America.”
Then there was a rather extended intermission where the main past time was sweating. The air conditioning was on inside The Ziegler Building but because the crowd topped 3,000 the body heat stopped air circulation in its tracks.
Quite a few people stepped outdoors for some fresh air and those inside spent time crafting fans out of political posters, texting and messaging friends for water, and there was a rather heated discussion of Benghazi.
- Vendors on site were asking $20 for Trump t-shirts. Trump buttons were going for $2 – $3 and water and soda was going for $1 – $3. One young girl was covering a booth when a secret service agent asked for a soda. They dug through a cooler full of ice and he sifted through the water and vitamin water and diet soda and then he held up a Mike’s Hard Lemonade. The girl said, “Oh…. that’s my moms.”
Trump arrived a little before 9 p.m. as the crowd was starting to get a little restless. Two people were taken out of the building by safety crews because of heat-related illness.
A number of guest speakers picked up the rally prior to Trump taking the stage including former
N.Y. Mayor Rudy Giuliani, RNC Chairman Reince Priebus, and then Gov. Scott Walker introduced Trump who spoke at length about ending the attacks on law enforcement and putting an end to lawlessness.
“His speech was AMAZING and he covered in a nutshell all his plans on policy’s and issues. No doubt, I’m voting for Trump,” said Chris Werner of West Bend.
Photo courtesy Chris Werner and Paula Becker
Hi Judy
You interviewed me. I read your article. I think you neglected to note the support of the crowd who did indeed feel the heat in the building but none were willing to leave because Mr. TRUMP is worth the wait. His speech was inspiring to me. As a recovering Democrat, I am seeing reality and the condition the party I have voted for my entire life has gotten our county into. Poverty, no jobs, drugs, lawlessness, fear, insecurity, distrust. Masses of people on welfare for generations. A sense of entitlement that my hard earned money from my hard earned education somehow should be handed over to people who hate me but don’t even know me. People who do not think I am a human and that my life does not matter. I was raised differently, I believe all lives matter. Our society has lost something. We are not cohesive. Mr. Trump’s message to me as a voter and a citizen, is to Make Our Country Great again. We all need to be safe in our homes. We need to respect and support our police. Yesterday, when the police arrived to assist with security at the event, the supporters gathered gave them a standing ovation of appreciation. Spontaneously. Not scripted. I am proud to be an American. I am proud to support Donald Trump for President.
Sincerely,
Carol McDougal, West Bend, Wi
We were on our way up to Black River Falls, WI. Was spending the night at the Dells. My 18 year old son is a proud supporter of Mr. Trump so said there is going to be rally in West Bend. We drove over and got in rather early. He waited until Mr. Trump come out. It was a good rally and my son was pleased. This is his first time voting in Arkansas and he has been more then pleased to see the Trump yard signs on our way to our destination. He will be leaving in a few weeks for San Diego USMC boot camp. Mr. Trump has made it clear he supports those. We know if we have 4 more years of what is in, it will be a true nightmare. #TRUMP2016
Proud supporter
Tina McCasland
Jonesboro, AR