This past weekend, I attended both the Republican candidate for president, Donald J. Trump’s campaign rally in Newtown, PA and the Democratic candidate for president, Hillary Clinton’s campaign rally in Philadelphia, PA. The rallies were radically different: from treatment of the media, crowd reaction, crowd makeup, chants, and speech content.
Starting the weekend off at the Donald Trump rally, I witnessed a crowd I honestly did not expect. Immediately after parking my car and stepping out, I could hear the anger in the crowd. Chants of “lock her up” and “build that wall” rang out loud. The crowds of people were clearly angry and in a matter of three hours, I was about to hear firsthand just what about.
When Donald Trump entered the Newtown Athletic Center, with a crowd of majority white men and women, and a small handful of minorities, he was welcomed with loud chants of “USA!” and “Trump! Trump! Trump!” The crowd was energized, more than excited to see Trump on the stage in front of them. Trump began his speech by starting with his love of Pennsylvania, stating that he had grown up in the area and how important the voters of the state are to him. From there he moved on to talking about the issues that face America currently.
Mr. Trump began with the economy. He promises that under a Trump presidency, he will lower taxes for everyone, believing in a trickle down economic system. He wants to rebuild American infrastructure, bringing jobs back home. Trump made it a point to mention how important it is to use American steel to rebuild the Navy and bridges. He referenced the bridge in Trenton that reads, “Trenton Makes, The World Takes,” saying that America needs to be on top of world exports once again. Moving on from the economy, Trump talked about another big issue: immigration. Trump began by saying, “We are going to have the wall, don’t worry. We will have that wall,” followed by “Who is going to pay for it?” with a crowd response of “Mexico”. The people in the crowd continued with a chant of “build that wall”, clearly agreeing with Trump’s plan. Trump wants to have stricter boarders, harsher prison sentences for those who enter the country illegally a second time after being deported, and clearer punishments for illegal immigrants who commit crimes in the United States.
Trump spoke briefly on rebuilding American inner cities by increasing educational opportunities and by bringing law and order back. Trump wants to fight radical Islamic terrorism in the country and bring down ISIS during his term as president. Trump ended the night with a rundown list of what he plans to do including protecting religious liberties, ending common core, supporting law enforcement, saving the 2nd Amendment, and appointing justices who will uphold and defend the Constitution. He believes that “we will make America safe again, we will make America strong again, and we will make America great again”.
The next night, I went into Philadelphia in hopes of hearing how Hillary Clinton and her running mate Tim Kaine plan on fixing the problems in America. Arriving to the stadium where the rally was being held, I heard calm, peaceful conversations, different from the loud and angry chants from the night before. The people did not seem to be filled with the same anger, instead it seemed they were filled with hope. The demographics of the audience were also vastly different. An even mix of men and women, people of all races and ages were in the long line to enter. Walking towards the entrance and throughout the night, there were people constantly dancing to the music playing.
Senator Kaine and Former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton came onto the stage together, ready to speak to an energetic crowd chanting “Hillary” over and over again. Senator Tim Kaine spoke first, pushing for volunteerism in the area and going out to vote. He stated the importance of winning PA and how their campaign has been different from their opponent’s. Tim Kaine explained how Trump refuses to allow for a peaceful transfer of power and runs an insult driven campaign. Moving on from there, Kaine began the conversation about important issues including equal pay for women.
Clinton headed to the podium and focused on being a president for all Americans, even those who do not support her. The first issue Clinton spoke about, was the economy. Her plan, however, is opposite of Donald Trump’s. She believes in a “middle out, bottom up” style economy. She believes in focusing on rebuilding the middle class by making jobs in infrastructure, clean energy, and research. Following the economy, Clinton talked about creating more educational opportunities in America, by making pre-school available for all children and college affordable for all students. She also wants to rebuild unions and apprenticeship programs.
Clinton spoke briefly on the rest of her platform including raising the national minimum wage, equal pay for equal work, standing up for women’s rights, funding Planned Parenthood, defending marriage equality, defending LGBTQ rights, tackling systemic racism, fighting for Criminal Justice reform, voting rights, taking on the gun lobbyists, and working with allies to stop terrorism and ISIS. Her wide agenda encompasses a lot of different issue areas and Clinton made it a point to at least mention a majority of her plan.
At the end of this rally, the difference was clear. Clinton and Trump have different visions for America and clearly different supporters. Regardless, remember that come Tuesday, November 8, you have to vote for someone.