Local Trump, Clinton supporters gather for final debate
Presidential debate moderator Chris Wallace would have appreciated neither the crowd gathered Wednesday at the Heidelberg nor the Boone County Republican headquarters.
The Fox News host admonished the crowd at the University of Nevada – Las Vegas several times for applauding or cheering during an answer. Crowds of Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump supporters in mid-Missouri, however, made their voices and feelings heard.
A crowd of a dozen people got together in a large room of the Boone County GOP headquarters. The office on the second floor of the Kelly Plaza building at Providence and Vandiver Road held signs for numerous party candidates, including cardboard cutouts of Trump and Ronald Reagan. The crowd clapped for Trump’s promise to appoint a Supreme Court justice similar to the late Antonin Scalia, specifically someone who holds a pro-life viewpoint and would uphold the Second Amendment.
Aaron Willard, director of Trump’s Missouri operations, said he expected a debate on safety, both financial and with regards to national security, at the final debate. Issues around job security and getting back to work resonate with Missourians, he said, and believed Trump’s focus on trade would be strong heading into the election.
“The biggest tax increase you can have is losing a job,” Willard told ABC 17 News. “And I think that there’s a lot of concern right now among people that we’re not creating enough jobs, and we want to make sure that we have an environment where job creators feel like they can start their own business and they can thrive.”
Laughter and applause spilled from the banquet room of the Heidelberg, packed with nearly four dozen Clinton volunteers. Many booed or scoffed at Trump’s many interjections of “wrong” during the debate, but the loudest reaction came when the former Secretary of State pointed out in 2011 when she helped with the raid on Osama bin Laden’s compound, Trump was hosting Celebrity Apprentice.
Attendees told ABC 17 News Trump’s refusal to say he would accept the results of the election, regardless if he won or lost, concerned them. Wallace asked Trump directly on his willingness to concede should he lose, calling it a major part of the democratic system and reassuring the country of an election’s legitimacy, but Trump instead said he would wait and see what happened Nov. 8. Clinton volunteers said his rhetoric on widespread, unproven voter fraud undermined the democratic process.
