Trump rallies 'loud, noisy majority' in Fountain Hills
Republican front-runner Donald Trump swaggered into Arizona again Saturday, repeating his promises to build a border wall, renegotiate U.S. trade deals and generally “make America great again.”
Wearing a blue jacket and red golf hat as he addressed the thousands gathered in Fountain Hills Park, Trump made a final pitch ahead of Arizona's presidential primary on Tuesday.
"Go out on Tuesday and vote. I will never let you down," he told the crowd, which had waited for hours in warm sunshine. He referred to them as a "loud, noisy majority."
Trump was joined on stage by Sheriff Joe Arpaio, former Gov. Jan Brewer and Treasurer Jeff DeWit. Former Arizona lawmaker and 9/11 "truther" Karen Johnson prayed to open the event.
Trump's arrival was delayed by protesters who blockaded one of the main traffic arteries into Fountain Hills. And he was in a fighting mood as he deployed his signature name-calling.
He ripped not only “Lyin’ Ted” – his closest Republican rival Sen. Ted Cruz of Texas – but also “Little Marco" Rubio, a Florida senator and former rival who has exited the race, and 2012 Republican presidential nominee Mitt Romney, a political antagonist whom Trump dismissed as a “total stiff” and “a loser.”
Trump’s angry tone endured throughout his shorter-than-usual 30-minute speech, which also focused on immigration-related themes.
“I want to tell you so much about illegal immigration, and so much has been mentioned about it and talked about it,” Trump said. “And these politicians are all talk, no action, they’re never going to do anything. They only picked it up because when I went and when I announced I’m running for president, I said, 'you know, this country has a big, big problem with illegal immigration.' And all of a sudden, we started talking about it and then had lots of bad things happening. Crime all over the place and for the first time people saw what was going on.”
Trump's rallies have consistently been targets of protesters who oppose his call for a temporary ban on Muslims entering the United States and his hard-line positions on immigration and rhetoric, such as when he called Mexican immigrants drug runners and rapists.
At times during Trump's speech, protesters, who stood in a fenced area of the park, chanted in competition with supporters.
Early in Trump's speech, a protester scuffled with supporters after he unfurled a banner reading, "Vets to Trump: End hate speech against Muslims." Two Trump supporters slapped down the banner and the man was quickly escorted from the rally.
But it was the protesters who succeeded in closing the main route into Fountain Hills before the event who became the focus of cable news networks.
As helicopters broadcast aerial images of the blockade and traffic backed up on Shea Boulevard, law enforcement issued a warning to the protesters: Leave or be arrested. The crowd dissipated at about 10:30 a.m. and headed toward the rally on foot, arriving at the park at about the time Trump arrived.
Many of the people who waited hours to hear Trump said they hadn't yet decided whether they would vote for him. But they said his blunt, sometimes offensive talk is a big part of his appeal.
Rich Osiol, of Phoenix, has attended all three of Trump's Arizona rallies and watched broadcasts of others. Trump first campaigned in Arizona at a July rally in downtown Phoenix and returned in December for a rally in Mesa.
Osiol said Saturday's event was electrifying.
"He is saying the things that my friends and I are saying to each other when we're sitting around having a beer or kicking ideas around," he said. "It's refreshing. I like that he doesn't back down when people act like he has said the worst thing in the world and they demand he apologize."
Sandra Beggs, of Fountain Hills, said Trump "speaks to the people," although she was still undecided on who she will vote for Tuesday.
"He speaks the truth ... on all the issues," she said. "He says what people want to say and can't."
Trump, a real-estate mogul, has maintained a comfortable lead in the Arizona polls over Cruz, the second-running Republican in the race, and Ohio Gov. John Kasich.
However, Cruz campaigned in Arizona on Friday, telling the crowd at a Phoenix rally that while Trump may be leading in Arizona's early voting, his campaign is surging. Cruz said he has gained the support of many former backers of Rubio. He said turnout will be key to determining the winner of the Arizona GOP primary, or presidential preference election as it is officially known.
Up for grabs on the Republican side are 58 Republican National Convention delegates. The winner will sweep all of the delegates.
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Cody Robles, 19, of Fountain Hills sounded unwavering in his support of Trump. He said he trusts the real-estate mogul would protect gun rights if elected president.
"All of his views, I completely agree with and his energy is unmatched compared to anyone else that is running right now," said Robles, who will vote for Trump during the primary election. "I like firearms, it's a big passion of mine. Our rights are being trampled ... and he's going to do as much as he can to declare gun-free zones to be unconstitutional."
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Trump also was scheduled to appear at a Saturday afternoon rally at the Tucson Convention Center.
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Daniel González and Garrett Mitchell contributed to this report.