In deep blue Broward County, crowds of supporters of former President Donald Trump flocked to the edge of the Everglades on Saturday, dressed in red, white and blue to watch America’s 45th president and other conservatives speak at the final stop of the American Freedom Tour.
Anna Italino, a 21-year-old from Deerfield Beach, accompanied by her three young friends, dressed in an assortment of “Let’s Go Brandon” merchandise, was thrilled when she first saw Trump.
“He’s honest and real,” she said. “We are very excited, and we want to hear everything.”
Italino has been behind Trump since 2016, even with little sentiment from others in her generation, she said.
“It’s really frustrating because people are very narrow-minded and don’t want Trump just because he’s honest,” Italino said.
READ MORE: The American Freedom Tour with Trump is underway in Broward. This is what is happening now.
Italino was among a large crowd of conservatives who paid to see Trump and surrogates like conservative pundit Candace Owens talk at the private event, held at Sunrise’s FLA Live Arena. Tickets ranged in price from $9 to $6,999. An American Freedom Tour representative told the Miami Herald that ticket prices would go toward paying speakers and the cost of hosting the event. (The event offered no credentials to the media, so the Herald paid the cheapest entrance fee to enter the arena and cover the event.)
Italino said she hopes to see Trump on a 2024 ticket with Owens as his running mate.
“We want to see Trump back to work because” [President] Joe Biden isn’t doing anything,” Italino said.
With Trump due to speak in the late afternoon, a sea of red began hours ahead of the stadium’s parking lot to the entrance, as dozens of cars showed up a series of Trump flags, including “Trump 2024” and “Make America Great Again.”
Those in attendance wore MAGA hats and draped campaign flags over their shoulders. They came from everywhere.
READ MORE: See Photos of Trump Supporters Arriving at American Freedom Tour Event in Broward
Larissa Martins, a Brazilian, waved her country’s flag while holding a “Trump – Pence 2020 flag”.
Sylvia Dudley, a 72-year-old who just moved from Michigan to the West Palm Beach area, said she was excited to see Trump for the first time.
“We drive past his house [at Mar-a-Lago] …and we get excited and say, ‘Yay Trump! Keep going!’” she said. “We needed him because he’s someone you hit him and get up again and again.”
Dudley also felt it was a duty to come and support.
“We want to show the country that we are for these conservative values that Republicans have,” she said. “Trump was especially at the forefront of bringing our country back, and we want to support him and let him know we want him back…”
The hot Florida sun was in full force, beating down on many eager to escape the heat. Inside, they found air-conditioning, and Donald Trump Jr., the president’s son and a featured speaker at the event, signed copies of his father’s photo book “Our Journey Together.”
Genie Samuel, a 66-year-old who has lived in Florida since the 1990s, said she believes Trump has been targeted by vitriol. “Sometimes I wish people had a little less hate in their hearts.”
She’s not as sure Trump will run in 2024 as others, but says she’s looking for someone who cares about her.
“It would be nice if someone showed up who cares about our people,” said Samuel. “No violence. Changes need to be made, but I still don’t think violence is the answer. What am I hoping for? Peace on Earth.”
Trump graced the stage after 5 p.m., starting his speech after a clip of a monologue from the 1970 movie “Patton” played on Jumbotrons that talked about killing Nazis.
As Lee Greenwood’s “God Bless the USA” blared through speakers overhead, Trump ran through a checklist of what he said were the Biden administration’s shortcomings — including inflation, the US military’s departure from Afghanistan, and the ” attack” of the American “legacy.”
“As I stand before you today, Joe Biden and the socialist left are destroying our country at record speed,” he said.
He stated that America will be taken over by a “red wave” in the 2022 midterm elections. And he continued to falsely claim he won the 2020 election — and teased a run in 2024.
“We’ve won twice,” he said, referring to 2016 and 2020. “And maybe we should do it again.”
Miami Herald staff writer Bianca Padró Ocasio contributed to this report.
