Donald Trump held a campaign rally at the Albuquerque Convention Center Tuesday evening, hosting over 8,000 supporters while hundreds of protesters picketed outside.
David Chavez, former member of the New Mexico House of Representatives, thanked supporters for coming out to support Trump.
“If you’re here because you want political correctness, you’re in the wrong event. If you think we’re going to sing 'kumbaya,' you’re in the wrong event. If you’re sick and tired of political correctness, you’re at the right event,” Chavez said.
Finally, it was Donald Trump’s turn to take the stage, to mass applause.
“All over the country this is happening. Look at this crowd, this is a lot of people,” he said. “We are going to win this state, we are going to win New Mexico so big.”
Barely five minutes into his speech, Trump ejected a protester as the crowd went wild, chanting “U.S.A.”
“The safest place to be anytime in our country, is at a Trump rally. It’s love, believe me,” Trump said. “We have all night together folks, it’s a love fest.”
The presumptive frontrunner for the Republican nomination ejected several protesters throughout the evening, suggesting they “Go home to mommy."
At one point, Trump supporters yelled, “build a wall” as some protesters holding an “Undocumented/Unafraid” banner were confronted and removed from the rally.
“This is so exciting, isn’t it?” Trump asked the crowd, as one female protester was being dragged down the bleachers by security.
Trump covered many topics and jumped from one to another indiscriminately, starting with his opponents, in particular Hillary Clinton, referring to her as “Obama-lite.”
“You wouldn’t think you could get lighter than Obama but I think she’s even probably a step down,” he said. “If this group ever gets into the White House again, we’re not going to have a country.”
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Trump wasted no time addressing the topic of immigration, naturally a hot button issue in New Mexico, where 47 percent of the state is Hispanic.
He said New Mexico taxpayers spend $1 billion a year to support illegal immigrants and twelve thousand a year to educate illegal immigrant students.
"We want people to come into their country, but we want them to come in legally,” he said. “We’re going to build a wall, don’t worry.”
Trump cited that 16,000 border patrol agents have endorsed his campaign, which has never been done for any candidates, he said.
Trump added that the “wall” would make the convention center ceiling look “low.” Despite recent reports by The New York Times that Trump may be grossly underestimating the cost and logistics of such a project, he is sticking by what has come to symbolize his campaign, for better or for worse.
“It’s going to be a real wall,” he said. “It’s going to get built fast and it’s going to look beautiful because someday they’ll call it the Trump wall.”
Trump also touched about America’s trade deals, including a trade deficit of $58 billion with Mexico.
“We are being ripped off at the border, and you people know it better than anybody, and we are being ripped off in trade,” he said.
Trump promised to remedy these issues as well as build up the U.S. military, keep jobs and companies from going to other countries, have the biggest tax decrease for business and the middle class as well as save social security and Medicare.
“By using intelligence and common sense and being smart and being vigilant, we have a chance to make America greater than ever before,” he said. “I’m going to bring back jobs, we’re going to have a strong border, we’re going to have the wall, we’re going to stop drugs from coming in.”
Where New Mexico is concerned, Trump touted a personal business history of very little debt and tremendous cash flow, methods that, according to Trump, would help states like ours.
“I’m not saying that to brag, folks, I’m saying it because that’s the kind of thinking our country needs,” he said. “I’m a businessman, that’s what I’m supposed to do.”
Trump read off New Mexico statistics that detailed a decline in manufacturing jobs and household income, while there has been an increase in unemployment and food stamps.
On these issues, Trump blamed New Mexico Gov. Susana Martinez.
“We got to get your governor to get going. She’s got to do a better job,” he said, even suggesting that he may run for the seat.
Trump also took care to criticize the media, addressing them as “dishonest slime” and encouraging his supporters to heckle reporters.
“They used to call it the silent majority. Not anymore, we call it the noisy majority because we are not going to take this crap anymore,” he said. “It’s going to be America first from now on, folks.”
Randall Guruoe, a senior at Albuquerque Academy, said he has been a huge Trump supporter for months now.
Guruoe said, with the nation approaching $21 trillion in debt by next election, Trump can help the economy.
“If anyone can help reduce that debt I feel like it’s a successful businessman like Donald Trump,” he said.
Guruoe said he believes Trump is an honest man and would make a good president.
“He says a lot of things like it is and a lot of it is brutally honest but most of it is true, sadly,” he said. “And that hurts a lot of people.”
Guruoe said he believed Trump's idea of a wall at the border could help balance the flow of tax money and who it helps. He implied that the flow of illegal immigrants is a threat to the region.
“There’s too much threats of violence, there’s a lot of drugs coming across the border,” he said. “I think that’s where he’s going to help us the most.”
Kellyann Peck, another Trump supporter at the rally, said she felt Trump commanded unity and boldness when he took the stage.
“I feel it is important to support our last Republican candidate in the Presidential race,” she said.
Peck feels Trump would make a good president due to his strong business background and he would be a good representative for strategically getting our country organized.
Peck believes Trump could help New Mexico as a state as well, she said, including stopping the flow of drugs and possible terrorists across the border.
“I believe Trump is and, with our mayors willing to make it work, hopefully we can build bridges, not so much walls of hatred.”
She said the people at the rally were excited and patriotic.
“There was a strong presence of change as I stood there listening to Trump as well viewing the people,” Peck said. “Last night I felt different as though he desires change like the rest of our nation."
Matthew Reisen is the news editor for the Daily Lobo. He can be reached at news@dailylobo.com or on Twitter @DailyLobo.
