NEWPORT NEWS, Virginia – President Donald J. Trump spoke at a campaign rally Friday night in Virginia drawing a crowd of well over ten thousand people.
The event took place in Newport News, Virginia outside of an airport hangar near the Newport News/Williamsburg International Airport.
During his speech, Trump touched on a number of subjects relating to his presidential campaign, political opponent Joe Biden and Democrats as well as other topics like COVID-19 and the nationwide protests.
After exiting Air Force One and walking to the podium, President Trump began his speech with a simple message.
“39 days from now we are going to win Virginia, win North Carolina and win four more years in the White House and keep doing what we have been doing,” Trump said.
Trump then quickly moved on to criticizing former Vice President Joe Biden and his campaign.
“If sleepy Joe Biden wins, your Second Amendment will be eliminated and your firearms will be confiscated,” the president said.
Trump added: “Biden vowed to impose punishing taxes on gun owners, outlaw many of the most popular firearms in America, create a national gun registry and wage the most aggressive war on gun rights in U.S. history.”
Almost anytime Trump mentioned Biden or named other Democratic lawmakers, including Virginia’s current Governor Ralph Northam, loud boos echoed out from the large crowd.
Trump called Northam crazy, said that the governor, alongside Biden, was also trying to take Virginians’ guns away and commented on his controversial stance on late-term abortions.
The president also touted achievements during his three years in office intermittently throughout the speech, which lasted a little over an hour, such as the government’s handling of COVID-19, the creation of the Space Force, strengthening the military and the border wall, among others.
Additionally, the president promised to use his potential next term to turn America into the “manufacturing superpower of the world,” hire more police and “will uphold religious liberties, free speech and the right to keep and bear arms.”
After back and forth between Democratic and Republican lawmakers this week on who should appoint the newest Justice of the U.S. Supreme Court to fill the vacant seat left by the late Ruth Bader Ginsburg, Trump said he will announce his nominee on Saturday at 5 p.m.
The president did not offer any specifics on his appointee, only that it will be “somebody great” and that “it will be a woman.”
Multiple news outlets Friday reported that Trump will choose federal Judge Amy Coney Barrett, which will be the president’s third Supreme Court nominee while in office.
According to senior Trump campaign officials, 5,000 people were expected to show up for the event, but 12,000 people showed up instead – as well as an additional 2,000, who were turned away.
Overall, Trump’s visit to the Commonwealth was a confidence-builder for the campaign to reelect the president in Virginia and possibly turning the Commonwealth into a battleground state once again.
“President Trump’s visit tonight shows not only his commitment to the Commonwealth but also that Virginia is a true battleground,” said Trump Victory spokesperson Samantha Cotten. “Voters will remember that President Trump came to tell voters in person how his America First agenda has benefited Virginia, while Joe Biden hides in his basement bunker. Come November, Virginians will elect President Trump and the entire GOP ticket.”
Other speakers at the event included Vice President Mike Pence, Virginia congressional candidates Nick Freitas, Scott Taylor and Leon Benjamin, and Republican Party of Virginia Chairman Rich Anderson. Chairman of the Virginia delegation for the Trump Campaign, John Fredericks, emceed the event.
“Oh, [Democrats] are shaking tonight, they having nothing,” Fredericks said to the crowd. “They’re looking at these poll numbers, so what do they do? Ralph Northam and the Virginia Democrats last minute they tried to shut us down.”
Virginia has not voted for a Republican presidential candidate since the 2004 election.
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Jacob Taylor is a reporter at The Virginia Star and the Star News Digital Network. Follow Jacob on Twitter. Email tips to [email protected].
John Fredericks is the publisher and editor-in-chief of The Virginia Star.
He is also a Trump 2020 delegate and the chairman of the Trump Virginia Delegation.
