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Nearly 5,000 attend Trump rally in Columbus
By Marc Kovac
COLUMBUS
Kathy Sherman arrived at the Signature Flight Hangar at Port Columbus International Airport at 3 a.m. Tuesday for a front-row seat to see Donald Trump.
The Columbus woman succeeded in getting that seat for Donald Trump’s Super Tuesday rally.
“I was in fact the only one here,” Sherman said. “If you are hoping to get in front of the podium at the rope line, it’s a wise thing to get here very early. You need to be at the front of the line.”
Sherman was among the first of hundreds of people already in line three hours before Trump’s appearance. By the time his jet pulled up to the open hangar door, upward of 5,000 people had packed the area, according to law-enforcement estimates.
It was Republican presidential front-runner’s second stop in Ohio during the primary season and the first since a late November appearance in downtown Columbus.
This time, he brought along New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie, who endorsed Trump’s candidacy late last week.
Otherwise, the scene and Trump’s comments were similar to his November convention center speech. He pledged to protect citizens’ Second Amendment rights; to repeal Common Core and President Barack Obama’s signature health care law; to work to keep companies from moving out of the country; to clamp down on illegal immigration; and to build a wall along the border of Mexico.
“We love Mexico, but they’re killing us on trade and they’re killing us at the border,” he said.
Trump also touted polls showing him ahead nationally and in Ohio, smacked his rivals U.S. Sens. Marco Rubio and Ted Cruz, and didn’t mince words about the Democratic frontrunner.
“Hillary Clinton does not have the strength or the stamina to become president, I’m telling you,” he said. “Hillary Clinton cannot do the job.”
Trump was dismissive of Gov. John Kasich, saying, “I like him,” but vowing to win Ohio.
“Did you ever hear of a guy named Kasich?” he asked. “We’ll save that for after tonight, right? We’ll be back ... because, I tell you what, we really want to win Ohio. We’re going to win Ohio.”
State GOP Chairman Matt Borges told reporters in a conference call before the rally he’s growing “increasingly concerned” that Ohio Republicans are going public with their opposition to Trump.
“There are more that are coming forward and expressing the sentiment to us,” Borges said, adding that a Trump nomination could make it difficult for the party to rally volunteers and voters heading in to November.
State Auditor Dave Yost was the first statewide officeholder to come out against Trump, saying he would not support the billionaire in November.
Franklin County Auditor Clarence Mingo added, “I will absolutely abstain from supporting Donald Trump if he is the nominee.”
But many of the people in line to see Trump were longtime Republican voters who are backing the billionaire businessman’s run for the White House.
“I am very disappointed in the establishment,” Sherman said. “I am really impressed that Mr. Trump is financing his campaign. He’s not relying on Super PACS. He’s not going to be beholden to anybody.”
Janet Rush, an Ashland County woman who was near the front of the line to enter the rally, echoed the same sentiments.
She said she’s not afraid of a Trump presidency.
“He’s strong,” she said. “He’s technically a nice guy. He may get angry sometimes, but I think that’s because the media wants him to do that. ... That’s the way they make their money, too, by getting attention and getting people to watch their news stations.”