Thousands of people lined up outside the Gastonia Municipal Airport on Saturday to attend one of former President Donald Trump’s final rallies before Election Day.
After waiting in line for hours while listening to music, the crowd was excited to hear from Republican candidates like current North Carolina House Speaker Tim Moore, who took the stage in the hours leading up to the performance. Trump after noon.
Gaston County Republican Party Chairman Robert King said it takes a lot of phone calls, emails and texts to pull together an event like this.
He said that despite the effort it takes to put together a rally, the process went smoothly because Trump’s campaign is “remarkably organized.”
King added that it is an honor to host the meeting here in Gaston County.
“It’s an incredible honor and privilege,” he said. “He represents the best of what America should be.”
Some in the crowd echoed that sentiment.
Jon Robertson, a resident of the neighborhood across from the airport, said he enjoyed seeing so many people in the area, even though he couldn’t attend the meeting itself.
In the sea of red clothing and campaign hats, some rallygoers got a little more unique with their attire, carrying trash bags or trash cans to the event.
Local resident Jeff Miller said he bought a roll of trash bags so he could carry one, referring to a recent recording of President Joe Biden responding to comments by a comedian at another Trump rally.
During an Oct. 27 rally, comedian Tony Hinchcliffe called the U.S. territory of Puerto Rico a “floating island of trash.”
In a phone call with Voto Latino, an organization that works to get Latino voters more involved in politics, Biden responded to the comment by saying, “The only trash I see floating out there is his supporters,” according to a transcript released by the White House. .
Miller said Biden called Trump supporters trash, so he, like many others, carried a trash bag to the rally in reference to the comment.
According to Miller, some of the most important issues for him in this election include the economy, border control, energy policy and men competing in women’s sports, an issue related to transgender men or women participating in sports because they align with the gender of their preference. identity.
Another Gaston County resident, Debbie Hutchins, said closing the border, opening drilling and ending the war are the most important issues for her in this election.
Hutchins believes if Trump can “drill, baby drill,” he can gain control of the energy in the United States, she said.
Every speaker at the rally asked the crowd to get out and vote on Election Day if they hadn’t already done so.
As of Friday, November 1, more than 80,000 Gaston County residents cast their ballots early.
This article originally appeared in The Gaston Gazette: Former President and Republican candidate Donald Trump visits Gastonia
