Trump draws 12,000 at Evansville rally
EVANSVILLE, Ind. — Call it frustration with the status quo or perhaps a bedrock belief that America’s position in the world is diminished, but Donald Trump tapped into something during his visit to Evansville on Thursday.
An estimated 12,000 people jammed areas inside and outside Old National Events Plaza during Trump’s 58-minute speech in the run-up to Tuesday’s Indiana Republican presidential primary. In the auditorium they murmured excitedly in anticipation of his appearance, exploded when he walked onstage, laughed uproariously at his jokes and cheered lustily — several times — when he called for a crackdown on illegal immigration.
The real estate mogul and reality TV star promised to “knock the hell out of ISIS,” do away with Obamacare, stop unfair trade deals and make Mexico pay for a wall along the U.S.-Mexican border. He said he will make America rich again because, “unless we’re rich, we can’t be strong.”
Ted Cruz lays groundwork for last stand in California
With no other states holding presidential primaries Tuesday and the world’s eyes on Indiana, Trump aims to effectively knock out main GOP presidential rival Ted Cruz with a smashing victory in the state. Coming on the heels of decisive victories in five Northeastern primaries this week, he hopes to establish an unshakable vice grip on the Republican presidential nomination.
Trump spent considerable time Thursday taunting Cruz and Ohio Gov. John Kasich for losing primaries in other states to him. He railed against national GOP leaders who he said had rigged the nomination process to stop him. He also pledged, amid great laughter, to defeat Democrat Hillary Clinton in Arkansas, where she was once first lady.
But those remarks did not get the reaction that Trump’s calls for an illegal immigration crackdown did.
“We’re going to win on the border,” he said to a crescendo of cheers. “We’re going to win, and we’re going to build a wall and, believe me — believe me — Mexico’s going to pay for the wall.”
By using provisions of the Patriot Act, Trump has said, the U.S. can bring considerable pressure to bear on Mexico to compel that country to pay for the wall. The leverage point is about $24 billion that Trump says is annually transferred from Mexican nationals working in the U.S. back to Mexico. He argues that a majority of that money comes from undocumented immigrants, serving as “de facto welfare for poor families in Mexico.”
If Mexico wants that $24 billion to continue flowing, Trump says, it will have to pony up a one-time payment to the U.S. of between $5 billion and $10 billion. That would cover the costs of building a wall, although many have said Trump’s estimate that the work would cost about $8 billion is substantially too low.
Trump’s administration also would draft a “proposed rule” forbidding anyone to wire money outside the U.S. “unless the alien first provides a document establishing his lawful presence in the United States.” But if Mexico agreed to pay for the wall, the “proposed rule” would not go into effect.
Trump has said allies in Europe, Asia and the Middle East would benefit from more vigorous U.S. leadership on the world stage. But on Thursday in Evansville, he said there should be no doubt that America’s economic and foreign policy interests would come first in his administration.
“We’re going to win with great, great trade deals,” Trump said. “We’re not going to let the entire world rip us off anymore. And speaking of our military, we’re defending the whole world and they think we’re all a bunch of jerks. From now on, we want to help everybody — but they have to help us ...”
The words were drowned out by the cheers.
Trump got critical bench support Thursday from former Indiana University basketball coach Bobby Knight, who hailed him as a great leader on the world stage.
Knight called Trump “a man who not only gets things done, but he gets things done in the right way and when something needs to be corrected, he can correct it.”
Trump’s America-first message resonates with Ashlee Mercer, an Evansville resident who joined hundreds of people at Tri-State Aero to see him off as he departed Evansville in his black and gold Boeing 757.
Mercer likes Trump’s candor and willingness to say things that more conventional politicians don’t dare. But there’s more to it than that.
“Drugs coming over from Mexico, our jobs going to Mexico,” Mercer started out.
“My husband lost his job to Mexico from Whirlpool,” she said. “I have a child that has chronic health conditions and, even now, with the laws with health care, having a child that’s having to go to Cincinnati Riley and have multiple procedures done, our health care is in dire need — and the fact that illegal Mexican aliens get Medicaid, that’s an issue to me. I pay a lot of money for my health care.”
Mercer said Republican Party leaders who are trying to derail Trump’s candidacy are out of touch not only with the GOP rank-and-file, but “with reality.”