GENEVA, Ohio — On the synthetic turf of an indoor field, a crowd of at least 5,000 enthusiastic supporters chanted “We want Trump,” while awaiting the Republican Presidential candidate, who was about an hour and a half late to his third Ohio campaign event of the day.
At the Spire Institute, an Olympic and Paralympic training site which hosts military and adaptive training for disabled veterans, Donald Trump touted blue collar workers while revisiting familiar talking points, such as his disdain for Obamacare and condemnation of Hillary Clinton’s role in U.S. trade policy.
“Ohio has lost 1 in 4 manufacturing jobs since NAFTA, a bill signed by Bill Clinton and supported strongly by his lovely wife, Hillary,” Mr. Trump said.
Later in Mr. Trump’s 45 minute speech, he noted that a Trump administration “kills every job-killing regulation,” promising to bring back jobs for steelworkers and coal miners in Appalachia. “We’re losing our good jobs...it’s not even hard to stop it,” he said.
Mr. Trump also exhibited a zeal for veterans, citing policy that “reverses the defense cut...and gives veterans the right to see the doctors of their choice.” When Mr. Trump reiterated a poor treatment of veterans by the Federal government, the crowd burst into an applause of approval.
Opal Phillips, a 46-year-old nurse from Jefferson, Ohio, said that tonight’s rally was a centerpiece of Ohio’s status as a swing state.
“It’s a big deal for our small community,” Ms. Phillips said. “Ohio is always a swing state and it’s the same story every year.”
Courtney Linder: clinder@post-gazette.com or 412-263-1707. Twitter: @CNL_13.
First Published: October 28, 2016, 4:19 a.m.
