Eric Trump campaigns in Washington
Katie Anderson/Observer-Reporter
Eric Trump, left, welcomes Brandon Rumbaugh, a retired Marine from Pittsburgh, during a Trump 2020 campaign stop in Washington Thursday afternoon.
Katie Anderson/Observer-Reporter
Eric Trump greets hundreds of President Trump supporters during a campaign stop in Washington Thursday.
Katie Anderson/Observer-Reporter
Eric Trump greets hundreds of President Trump supporters during a September campaign stop in Washington.
Eric Trump greets hundreds of President Trump supporters during a campaign stop in Washington Thursday.
Katie Anderson/Observer-Reporter
Washington County Commissioner Diana Irey Vaughan prays at the start of a Trump 2020 campaign rally featuring Eric Trump in Washington Thursday.
Katie Anderson/Observer-Reporter
A small group of Democrats gathered with signs along Park Avenue, across the street from the American Legion in Washington, where Eric Trump was holding a campaign rally.
The crowd erupted and motorcycle engines revved as Eric Trump, son of President Donald Trump, took the stage at the American Legion Post in Washington during a campaign stop Thursday afternoon.
As the noise dimmed, the faint chanting of “Biden” could still be heard coming from a megaphone behind the crowd and across Park Avenue, where a small band of about 30 Democrats had gathered with signs. They were outnumbered.
“These guys could definitely take the guys across the street,” Eric Trump said of the multitude of bikers at the Trump 2020 rally. “I bet any one of these guys could take the guys across the street.”
Those opening remarks set the tone for the approximate 25-minute speech he gave to the 300 or so people gathered at the Legion.
“I swear, we’re gonna beat these guys so bad,” Trump said.
Making a note that he also owns a Harley Davidson, Trump said bikers have across the country have supported the Trump campaign.
“They’re riding around, and they’re the most patriotic, incredible people in the world,” Trump said.
Eric Trump was campaigning for his father in Panama City, Fla., Wednesday before making a stop in Washington about 2 p.m. Thursday. Both Florida and Pennsylvania are considered highly contested swing states in the upcoming presidential election.
“The silent majority’s really not that damn silent anymore,” he said. “The enthusiasm is incredible, and it’s because we love this country, and we don’t believe in what so many of these people stand for.”
Trump called the Democratic Party “incompetent” and “unrecognizable,” while mentioning “socialist agendas” from Congresswomen Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and Ilhan Omar. Someone in the crowd shouted, “Tom Wolf,” to include Pennsylvania’s governor in Trump’s list. Trump laughed and said, “You said it, not me.”
During his speech, Trump condemned recent protests for police reform across the country, stating that it’s not a partisan issue and calling law enforcement “the greatest men and women we have in this country.
“It’s a right and wrong issue,” he said. “It’s wrong to throw bricks at cops.”
Trump also emphasized his father’s support of the steel, coal and oil and gas industries, along with the Second Amendment and Christianity.
“What is it about this all-out assault on Christianity by the Democrats in this country?” Trump asked the crowd. “All these people in the flyover states are clinging to their guns and they’re clinging to their Bibles.”
Trump said that in 2016, his father was running “against incompetence.”
“This time it’s against madness,” he said. “Guys, I promise you, we’re gonna win this thing.”
After his speech, Trump brought on to the stage Brandon Rumbaugh – a Marine, Iraq and Afghanistan veteran and double amputee – who told the crowd he wished he could have received his Purple Heart medal from President Trump instead of President Barack Obama.
“This is why we stand for the national anthem,” Trump said as the crowd cheered.
The event drew crowds of people from across the greater Pittsburgh region, West Virginia, Ohio, and Greene and Washington counties. The Washington County Republican Committee was selling water bottles and campaign merchandise.
“Energy and enthusiasm – that’s very important in winning elections,” said Mark Hrutkay, chairman of the committee. “You want your base, you want your supporters to be energized.”
Dave Staniszewski, commander of American Legion Post 175, said a lot of planning went into hosting Trump outside the Legion.
“This is the biggest political event that we’ve had on our property, as far as a candidate for president,” he said. “You would be surprised the amount of Republicans in Washington County that are supporting this.”
Staniszewski said the Washington County Democratic Party has rented their hall in the past and that if Joe Biden “wanted to show up tomorrow,” they’d host him, too. He said he was told the city would be reimbursed for additional support services needed for the event, including police, fire and EMS.
The two Republican Washington County commissioners, Nick Sherman and Diana Irey Vaughan, were also present. Irey Vaughan took the stage early to open the event in prayer.
Sherman said in an interview that this election is “crucially important” for the county’s economy, stating that it relies on the natural gas industry.
“It’s crucial that Washington County is on the map,” he said. “This is a battleground state for very important reasons. It’s personal to a lot of people.”
By the end of the rally, the Democrats across the street had left. Their group was organized by Bob and Sandy Sabot, of North Franklin Township, who both serve on the county’s Democratic Committee. Sandy Sabot said everyone in their group was “positive” and “peaceful.”
“We wanted to show that not everyone in Washington County supports the president,” she said.