What happened at Donald Trump’s Everett rally?
Aug 31, 2016, 5:28 AM | Updated: 5:29 am
Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump shakes hands as he arrives to a campaign rally at Xfinity Arena of Everett, Tuesday in Everett. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)
(AP Photo/Evan Vucci)
If there was one message among the stats and song lyrics read during Donald Trump’s Everett rally Tuesday evening, it was this: “I hate to say it — our country is going to hell,” Trump said. “And we’re not going to let it happen.”
“American values and culture will be cherished and celebrated once again,” he continued. “But we must break free from the bitter failures of the past and reject the insiders and what they tell us because they are lies.”
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The line to get into the rally at the Xfinity Center was still outside, with people trying to get in to hear the Republican nominee for president. Trump claimed that his rally set an all-time attendance record for the facility.
His appearance wasn’t unnoticed by his opposition who organized protests outside the Everett rally. Trump noticed them, too.
“These are quiet protestors,” Trump said. “I will say one thing. When Bernie Sanders had his protestors out, they had a lot more energy. They felt it in the heart.”
Before Trump took the stage, Senator Jeff Sessions, Rudy Giuliani, and RNC Chairman Reince Priebus hyped the crowd.
The Donald Trump Everett rally
Trump began by explaining why he was in Washington state — a state that is expected to favor his rival, and traditionally votes Democratic.
This love affair began about three months ago when I came up here and we had a massive crowd. I was like ‘why don’t Republicans win that state?’
We are going to work hard over the next 70 days and we are going to win this state … We’re gonna win it, that’s why I’m here.
The Seattle area just had the largest number of heroin deaths in 20 years. Not only heroin, they have drugs now pouring across the border that most people have not even heard of. We have to stop the drugs from poisoning our youth and poisoning our community.
Minority vote
Trump focused the first portion of his speech on courting minority votes.
Here in the state of Washington, 65 percent of Latino children and 60 percent of African-American children live in low-income households.
Tonight, I’m asking for the vote from every African-American and Hispanics in this country who want to see real, positive change.
Nobody has been hurt more than African-Americans. There is no better evidence than Hillary Clinton’s immigration policy that brings in illegal immigrants and refugees to take jobs from our hardworking African-American and Hispanic citizens. And they want those jobs. Instead of providing free healthcare and jobs to refugees from around the world — where we have no idea where they come from — we should rebuild our infrastructure and provide jobs to Americans that have been struggling for years and years.
It is the Democratic Party that is the party of slavery, Jim Crow and the party of opposition.
Hillary Clinton vs. Trump
Trump also spent time arguing why his Democratic opponent Hillary Clinton is the wrong person to vote for, and why he is the better option. He said that Clinton and others in the political realm are part of the status quo, and mentioned lobbyists, journalists, and global interests in the same sentence which was greeted with a wave of boos from the crowd.
There is one thing which can no longer be denied. If you keep voting for the same people you will keep getting the same horrible results … Hillary Clinton has been doing this stuff for 35 years and nothing has happened.
What do you have to lose by voting for Donald Trump? I will fix it. I will fix it. I will fight for you as no one has. They don’t fight for you.
Let me tell you what you have to gain: jobs, safety, security, great education and many other things — many other things.
I am the change agent. This is movement.
International stage
To make his point about the United States taking in refugees, Trump read the lyrics of an Al Wilson song, “The Snake.” In short, the song is about a woman who took an injured snake home to nurse it back to health. When the snake was better, it bit her and she died.
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“‘Oh shut up, silly woman,’ said the reptile with a grin,” the song concludes. “You knew damn well I was a snake before you took me in.”
We are going to stop the Syrian refugees from coming to the United States and instead build a safe zone overseas.
The destruction that NAFTA started will be finished off if TPP is approved … we cannot let it happen.
China devalues its currency, they do other things, and suck our blood and we allow it to happen.
We are going to stay out of the Trans-Pacific partnership and we are going to stand up to China … we are not going to be ripped off any longer.
