AUGUSTA — More than 100 people braved frigid conditions and a subzero wind chill Saturday afternoon as they marched to and rallied at the State House to show their support for President Trump.
“I just wanted to demonstrate in a physical sense that I support our president and what he stands for,” John Watkins of Cundy’s Harbor said at the event, called March 4 Trump. “(I like) his total honesty and his pragmatism. I think he sees the country facing some problems and he’s going to do his best to solve them.”
An anti-Trump event scheduled in Portland on Saturday was postponed because of the cold weather.
The crowd in Augusta was filled with men and women both young and old waving American flags, carrying “Trump-Pence” campaign signs and homemade signs offering allegiance to the new administration. There were renditions of “God Bless America” and Trump campaign favorite “God Bless the USA” and a prayer before Sen. Eric Brakey, R-Auburn, addressed the crowd, saying the country’s problems have been caused by Washington, D.C., elites.
Dan McNulty of Farmingdale said he is a veteran and supports Trump because of his views on the economy and how he’ll help veterans. McNulty said he thinks we need to do better for not only the people of Maine but for everyone in the country.
Maria Gott said she came from Bar Harbor because she thinks Trump is fighting for the people and is a lot more honest than the Obama administration was. She said Trump has a love for this country and is not going to be benefiting financially from being president; she then said she thought former President Barack Obama had his own agenda, which didn’t include love for the country.
“I think (Trump) is going to make the country safer, and he is going to create more jobs because he is a good businessman,” Gott said.
Obama and the Democrats, Gott said, are using secret tactics behind the scenes to bring the president down anytime he looks good. She said there’s a lot of talk about Russia, but she “hasn’t seen any proof that Donald Trump has had anything to do with the Russians.”
In his first address to a joint session of Congress on Tuesday night, the president spoke about repealing and replacing the Affordable Care Act, saving jobs at factories across the country, and advancing a crackdown on illegal immigration.
Brad Littlefield, one of the Augusta rally’s organizers, said he was pleased with the direction and tone of Trump’s speech.
“I think he had a great speech on Tuesday, and I thought he was very focused,” Littlefield said. “I thought he had a good message and laid out his agenda that hadn’t been heard before.”
Also on Tuesday night, Trump said the time for trivial fights was over – a possible allusion to some of the bickering between the political parties in public and on social media. On Saturday morning, however, Trump posted several tweets accusing Obama of having wiretapped Trump Tower. He also tweeted about Arnold Schwarzenegger, “The Apprentice” TV show and its “bad (pathetic) ratings.”
Gott and Littlefield said they don’t have a problem with Trump’s use of social media. Gott said he’s not talking behind people’s backs, but instead is speaking truthfully and honestly, unlike the previous administration. Littlefield thinks Twitter is a useful platform.
“It’s a good way for him to communicate with the American people directly, and I think people who support him like that, and his detractors don’t,” Littlefield said.
Watkins said Trump uses social media as a tool more than just to criticize people who disagree with him.
“I think he’s a master strategist, and as long as he keeps people like the press guessing, then he sets the agenda, not the establishment,” he said.
Littlefield said there were 157 people signed up for the event, and an unofficial count showed around 150 people in attendance.
Before marching to the State House from Shaw’s supermarket on Western Avenue, organizers collected canned goods that will be delivered to local food banks this week. It was originally scheduled to be a three-hour event, but with a feels-like temperature expected to be around 10 below zero in the early afternoon, organizers shortened it. The rally at the State House started around 12:30 p.m. and ended at 1 p.m.
Watkins said no matter what detractors or naysayers think, as long as Trump can create an atmosphere that enables businesses to start hiring again, the country knows no bounds.
“His strength is his infectious can-do spirit,” he said.
Other March 4 Trump demonstrations were held around the country on Saturday.
Last month, Trump opponents held a Not My President’s Day rally at the State House.
In Portland, March Forth, a political group started by Maine women who went to the Women’s March on Washington on Jan. 21, had planned to distribute stamped postcards Saturday for a March 15 Ides of Trump mail protest, but the event was called off because of the harsh weather. Jennifer Jones of Falmouth, one of the organizers, said the group will reschedule the event, possibly for next weekend.
The group plans to join other people across the country in mailing postcards with personal messages to Trump on March 15.
Staff Writer Beth Quimby of the Maine Sunday Telegram contributed to this report.
Send questions/comments to the editors.
Success. Please wait for the page to reload. If the page does not reload within 5 seconds, please refresh the page.
Enter your email and password to access comments.
Hi, to comment on stories you must . This profile is in addition to your subscription and website login.
Already have a commenting profile? .
Invalid username/password.
Please check your email to confirm and complete your registration.
Only subscribers are eligible to post comments. Please subscribe or login first for digital access. Here’s why.
Use the form below to reset your password. When you've submitted your account email, we will send an email with a reset code.