The Register Citizen (Torrington, CT)
‘WE VALUE OUR FREEDOMS’
Greenwich Trump rally attracts passionate crowd
GREENWICH — His chances to win Connecticut on Election Day may not be very good, but supporters from Greenwich and surrounding towns wanted to make very clear that this can be Trump country with a passionate rally on Sunday afternoon.
Hundreds packed the Island Beach parking lot for a Trump 2020/Back the Blue combination rally to show their support for the president in his reelection campaign and the support they have for police officers. There were 350 RSVPs for the rally, which began and ended in Greenwich with a trip along Interstate 95 in the middle.
“We stand for freedom in this country and we’re here to defend the people that protect our freedoms and our liberty and the Constitution of the United State,” said New Canaan resident Elizabeth DeLuca, one of the organizers. “We are here in support of Donald J. Trump. We value our freedoms in this country and we value those people who protect our freedoms. That’s the police officers, first responders and everyone. They’re the people that allow us to live, work and prosper in this country.”
The event was put together by members of a Facebook group called Make America Great Women’s Group and was promoted entirely by social media as a grass-roots effort leading up to next week’s election day where President Donald Trump is being challenged by former Vice President Joe Biden.
DeLuca stressed that the group was made up of “strong Republican women” who wanted their voices heard.
Participants were dressed up in their best red, white and blue with MAGA hats, other Trump-supporting merchandise and American and Blue Lives Matter flags on display. People also taped signs and wrote on their car windows things like “Moms for Trump,” “Dump the Dems,” “Four More Years” and even one that was a riff off of the Black Lives Matter movement that said “Biden’s Laptop Matters,” a reference to the unproven allegations that a laptop allegedly once belonging to Biden’s son Hunter has damaging material on it.
One of the signs on display stated “Silent no more,” a theme expressed by event organizer Erin Chang who said they were doing this to give voice to the “silent majority” of Trump supporters out there too afraid to speak up publicly.
“We are here in support of the president,” Chang said. “We are here in support of freedom and we are a positive force. We’re not negative at all. ... This all started with two or three women for Trump and it just grew. The women in the suburbs and the women in Greenwich do support Donald Trump. It doesn’t feel like America anymore. That’s what’s so scary. The silent majority can’t voice their opinions. I couldn’t even post things with my own name. Being here and being a part of this, you feel invigorated.”
And it was a party atmosphere in the parking lot before the rally.
Beyond the literal flag waving, people showed up with pictures of Trump made to look like John Rambo, played party music and danced along to The Village People, as Trump has been doing recently at his campaign rallies. Several people, including Erika Gardner of Darien, brought along her “Trumpy Bear,” a teddy bear with a Trump-esque weave of hair that is frequently advertised on Fox News.
Trump’s support is not high in Connecticut and even in a traditional Republican stronghold like Greenwich, he has struggled to break through. In 2016, Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton got more votes in Greenwich than Trump and experts say Biden could do even better in 2020. But just as Trump was not expected by many to win in 2016 and pulled off the unexpected victory, his supporters at the rally expressed confidence he can do it again next week.