An estimated 8,000 Arizonans and a large police presence descended on the Phoenix Convention Center this afternoon to hear Republican Presidential Nominee Donald Trump speak.
Daily Wildcat reporter Randall Eck was denied press credentials by the Trump campaign, but covered the rally from the crowd. This is the second time the Trump campaign has denied the Wildcat credentials to a campaign rally.
Trump’s visit follows a campaign event featuring his son, Donald Trump Jr. earlier in the week. Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders and First Lady Michelle Obama both recently campaigned for Hillary Clinton in the state.
Clinton is expected to appear in Arizona this Wednesday as Arizona’s electoral votes remain in contention for both parties. FiveThirtyEight, a statistical journalism website, gives Trump a slight advantage forecasting he has a 51.3 percent chance of winning the state.
Sheriff Joe Arpaio spoke before Trump took the stage. The sheriff called for everyone in attendance to find 10 people and get them to vote for Trump. “He won’t forget Arizona,” Arpaio said.
Former Arizona Governor Jan Brewer called on the crowd to defeat Clinton and led a chant of “Build that Wall” as she recounted fighting with Obama over border security.
Governor Doug Ducey declined to attend Trump’s seventh rally in the state. Sen. John McCain recently retracted his endorsement and Sen. Jeff Flake has refused to endorse Trump’s candidacy leading up to the Nov. 8 election.
Jeff DeWit, Arizona state treasurer, claimed he was the first elected official to endorse Trump and is now a member of his campaign.
“Trump will protect the second amendment,” DeWit said while firing a t-shirt cannon at the crowd. DeWit ended his remarks by introducing Trump to the stage.
The candidate led the crowd in a series of boos aimed at the media for not panning their camera to show the size of the crowd. Trump’s criticism of the media has been a staple of his rallies.
Trump then immediately promised to stop the madness of Obamacare, a theme that was introduced by State House candidate David Cook, who spoke at the beginning of the rally. Trump said Obamacare will increase Arizona health care premiums by 116 percent.
“We will have so many plans you do not even know it yet. There will be so much competition and no borders,” Trump said.
Along with the crowd’s votes, Trump asked for their help in getting rid of the corruption in Washington. The crowd began chanting “Drain the Swamp”, a slogan which was the staple of Trump Jr.’s rally earlier this week.
Trump turned from promising to fix America if elected to attacking his opponent. Clinton’s mounting legal difficulties are worse than Watergate, according to Trump.
“She set up a server to shield her criminal activity from the public,” Trump said. “She put our national security and your children at risk.”
“Lock her up” chants began as Trump laid out all the details of the Clinton email scandal as he sees them.
”Hillary would put the Oval Office up for sale,” Trump said, recounting the multiple Wikileaks’ releases of Clinton campaign emails.
Trump, continuing to paint Clinton as a corrupt member of the establishment, accused the Department of Justice of protecting Clinton and that people feel that Attorney General Loretta Lynch was bribed with a reappointment by Bill Clinton on the Arizona tarmac.
“When the powerful can get away with anything because they have the money to rig the system, people loss hope in our system,” Trump said.
America has lost 70,000 factories since China entered the WTO and even more from NAFTA, Trump alleged.
“We do not build anything anymore,” Trump said. “We will release the full power of American energy. We will become a rich nation once again.”
China and Mexico can get away with murder, Trump said to the crowd.
“I love our country and we weren’t going to have a country left,” Trump said.
“We will secure and defend the borders of the U.S.,” Trump said, contrasting what he sees as eight plus years of failed U.S. foreign policy and spending.
“The only way we are going to beat the crooks is we have to show up to vote,” Trump said.
“We are the movement of the future, I will never let you down,” Trump said before walking off stage. “We are a divided nation we will not be divided any longer. We will make America great again.”
UA students, who are registered to vote, can cast their ballots this election early from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. until Nov. 4 in the ASUA offices located on the third floor of the Student Union Memorial Center. Arizona is officially a battleground state and both presidential candidates agree—the most important thing Arizonans can do in their new found status is to vote.
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