Republican candidate Donald Trump spoke to a large crowd at the Oklahoma State Fair last Friday. Though scheduled to speak at six, Trump did not arrive until 6:30 pm.
Oklahoma Senator Ralph Shortey gave an opening speech which garnered little applause. Then, to kill time until the presidential hopeful arrived, a young Oklahoma fiddle player came on stage. After playing the Devil Went Down to Georgia, the fiddler played songs on broken violins to show that beauty can be found even in something that is broken. The crowd groaned every time the fiddler started a new song on his broken violins.
Finally Trump walked on stage to massive applause. Phones went up everywhere as the crowd tried to get a picture of the candidate.
Trump began his speech with “Unbelievable. Unbelievable. This is incredible. We’re going to make this country great again.”
He then stirred up his own “Trump, Trump, Trump” chant.
In typical Trump fashion, he went on the offense, attacking everyone from Mexico to the other presidential candidates.
Trump said, “Our biggest difficulty is our politicians are all talk and no action. All talk and no action.”
“We have people running who are pathetic…These people are not going to take you to the promised land. We need tough negotiators.”
Trump called Senator Rubio a “lightweight” and a “dope.” He also accused Rubio of not voting and not being able to pay his own credit card bills.
He followed the last comment by suppressing the crowd’s Boos and saying, “No, no, you have to be respectful. See, I’m respectful.”
A few sentences later Trump called Hillary the “ultimate lightweight.”
Trump also attacked the press by accusing them of distorting the truth. He said journalists “are terrible people.”
Convinced the press would underplay the number of people who showed up to hear his speech, Trump directly addressed journalists who were recording his speech on a media platform.”
“Do me a favor, take the cameras off me and pan the crowd. Be honest. Be honest. You’re not panning it. Pan it. No, no, turn (the cameras) all the way back there.”
The crowd jumped in, booing the journalists for not panning their video equipment to record the crowd.
Trump paused in his attacks long enough to say “I’m leading every poll nationwide…we’re smashing everyone.”
“We’re going to take our country back. We’re going to make it so amazing.”
According to Trump, if he becomes president the infestation of Mexican gang members will “be out of here.”
Part of his plan to keep illegal immigrants out is to build a wall on the Mexican border.
“We need a border. We need a wall, but we don’t need a wall where you walk to (the store) and get a ladder…No, much higher. The kind where if you make it to the top you don’t come down.”
He referenced an incident where a truck full of drugs drove over a border wall with the aid of a ramp to demonstrate the United State’s need for a higher wall.
A higher wall would also prevent the occurrence of when a “woman is pregnant…they bring her over past the border…they have the baby in the US and we have to pay for that baby for 80 years.”
Trump’s inflammatory stance on illegal immigrants, and his tendency to paint Mexicans as criminals, was the main reason for a political protest staged on the edge of the fair. During his speech he gave no less than three examples of people who were murdered by illegal immigrants.
Signs at the protest read, “I am not a drug dealer,” and protesters chanted, “One country one heart, say no to Donald Trump!”
Donald mentioned the protest briefly. He later stated, “I’m not politically correct. I don’t want to be politically correct. I don’t have time to be politically correct,” which garnered a large cheer from the crowd.
On women’s health issues, Trump stated, “I want to help women with women’s health issues. No one can do (women’s health issues) like me.”
On the Iran deal Trump said, “This is one of the dumbest contracts I’ve seen at any time. This was done by extremely stupid people…Did you ever see a negotiation that’s lasted this long?
Trump would have handled negotiations with Iran differently. He would have told them, “So do us a favor, let these four (prisoners) go…we’re going to kick your ass if you don’t.”
Trump emphasized that he is a strong negotiator, and a self-funder. “I’ll turn down my salary (as president). I don’t even know what the salary is.”
On why he is running for president, Trump mentioned McCain, saying he “choked” at the end of his presidential campaign. Trump then mimed McCain choking, complete with his hands clasped around his neck.
“I backed him, and he lost. And this time I thought I’m not taking a chance, I’m (running for president) myself.”
Trump declined to describe his foreign policy plans, which he insisted do exist, because he doesn’t want the enemy knowing what he is going to do.
He did, however, describe himself as “the most militant person here. I’m the most militaristic person you will ever meet.”
Perhaps the largest cheer during his speech came after Trump said, “You’re going to be so proud. Obamacare will be over.”
Trump ended his hour long speech with, “You are going to be so proud of your country and hopefully of your president.”
