Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump rallied supporters in Charlotte on Friday, October 14th in an attempt to stage a comeback in North Carolina. According to the most recent Real Clear Politics average, he trails Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton by three points. Despite recent sexual assault allegations and unrest within the GOP in regards to supporting Trump, the Republican nominee continues to hit the campaign trails and challenge Clinton in the swing state. Many have viewed North Carolina as a must-win for both candidates, with President Barack Obama recently visiting Greensboro last Monday.
After brief speeches by a multitude of speakers, most notably Former Mayor of New York City Rudy Giuliani and Lieutenant Governor Dan Forest, Trump took the stage. Early on, Trump spent a few minutes responding to the sexual assault accusations, denouncing them, saying “these allegations are one hundred percent false.” After a quick shot at People Magazine, he promptly shifted focus, and did not return to the subject the rest of the night.
Much of Trump’s address on Friday night concerned the economy. He claimed that his tax plan, which he called “the biggest tax decrease since Ronald Reagan,” would bring jobs back to North Carolina. He also stated that he would prevent businesses from leaving the country by increasing taxes on imports for businesses outside the U.S.
Trump was very critical of Obamacare, attacking both President Obama and Hillary Clinton for the healthcare act he described as a “ridiculous healthcare plan.” Trump was not shy in his criticism of the president’s campaign efforts supporting Clinton, claiming “All he does is campaign for crooked Hillary.” As he has said before, Trump stated “We are going to repeal and replace Obamacare.” if he assumes the presidency
More interestingly, at one point during his speech, Trump announced that his teleprompter was not working. He later stated “You know what? I like it better without the teleprompter,” much to the pleasure of his audience.
Trump even knocked one teleprompter over and went on to joke that he would not pay the teleprompter operators, claiming the country should do the same thing when projects do not get completed on time or on budget.
Trump also touched on the issues of border security, problems in the inner cities, and support for the military and the 2nd Amendment during the event.
Enthusiasm for Trump was quite evident at the event, even among women, despite Trump’s recent controversies. Susan Brazzell, an attendee of the rally, stated, “At the end of the day, all that matters is that he is going to save America,” when asked for a response on why she supports Trump despite the recent sexual assault allegations.
When asked about his opinion on Paul Ryan’s recent statement that he would be neither defending nor campaigning for Trump, Paul Hassler, who attended the rally, said “I’m thoroughly disgusted with all Republicans not supporting Trump,” claiming it is doing the party no favors.
Donald Trump has a busy schedule ahead of him the next few days, from New England over the weekend to Colorado leading up to the third presidential debate, which will take place on October 19th in Las Vegas, Nevada.