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Trump embarrasses himself with a speech to the Libertarian Party Convention in Washington. Amid boos and insults, the former president tried to win votes for himself.
Washington, DC – Embarrassment for the former president. It is not often that Donald Trump is booed during his campaign tour, because normally his supporters love him almost to bits. But at a Libertarian Party event, the 77-year-old makes a complete fool of himself – and is booed. Between shouts of “bullshit” and “fuck you”, he urged his audience to keep calm – to no avail.
“The fact is that we should not fight each other,” the former president told the crowd. “If Joe Biden comes back into office, there will be no freedom for anyone in our country. Partner with us – that’s what we ask of libertarians. We have to work together. Join us. You have to partner with us.”
Swing states important for the presidential election in November: Trump is vying for every vote
The Libertarian Party does not have much to say politically in the USA. In the 2020 presidential election, the party only received 1.2 percent of the vote, but is currently aiming for around three percent of the vote. It is still unclear which presidential candidate will run. A candidate will be chosen at the Libertarian nominating convention by Sunday (May 26).
But even if the party only makes up three percent of the total vote, Trump is courting every single vote in the critical swing states of the USA. His appearance at the party convention, however, backfired. Among the libertarians who booed and insulted the ex-president, there were also a few loyal Trump supporters in MAGA merchandise who proudly chanted “USA! USA!” against the anti-Trump faction, as the British Guardian reported.
Historic appearance by Trump – Biden declines invitation to speak at party convention
The appearance was also historic: Trump is the first ex-president to appear at the Libertarian Party’s nominating convention, which has been in existence for 50 years. During his speech to the Libertarians, he repeatedly called on the members to vote for him in November – Trump even went so far as to suggest that the party should nominate him as its candidate. The crowd promptly rejected this with loud boos.
“But only if you want to win. If you want to lose, don’t,” the 77-year-old addressed his audience. “Maybe you don’t want to win. Then continue to expect three to four percent like every year,” Trump replied indignantly to the crowd.
President Joe Biden had declined an invitation to speak at the party convention. Newsweek Jason Miller, an adviser to the Trump campaign, said Biden’s team knew “fully” that it “wouldn’t exactly be a home game for them.” But the conservative crowd also proved difficult for Trump – far from a home game for the former president. One of those present even carried a protest sign reading “No wannabe dictators.”
Trump with unusual campaign tactics: Wants to win libertarian votes
Miller explained why Trump is campaigning here: “There will be people who want him there and people who don’t want him there, but we are on the offensive and we are seeking non-traditional votes to unite the country.” Miller is certain: “President Trump will be credited with showing up and making it clear that he wants to win votes from members of the Libertarian Party and from people who consider themselves to be more libertarian-leaning.”
After the initial difficulties, Trump tried to win the audience over to his side. He portrayed himself as a libertarian and cited examples such as tax cuts and less bureaucracy, which he stands for, and promised a libertarian “task force” that will “quickly review all cases of Joe Biden’s wrongfully persecuted political prisoners.”
Trump again describes those convicted in the storming of the Capitol as “hostages”
“It will be my great honor to pardon the peaceful protesters of January 6th, or as I often call them, the hostages.” Here, Trump is referring to the storming of the Capitol on January 6, 2021, when some of his supporters tried to violently prevent the peaceful transfer of power to President Biden after his election victory.
The president then addressed Ross Ulbricht, founder of the Silk Road, an illegal online marketplace that offered hard drugs such as heroin and LSD for sale. Ulbricht was sentenced to life imprisonment in 2015. There were many libertarians in the audience with “Free Ross” signs, protesting for Ulbricht’s release.
This seemed to calm the libertarians after the initial boos and to draw more people to Trump’s side. Nevertheless, Trump’s campaign appearance in Washington turned out to be a failure. After the ex-president’s appearance, some libertarians in attendance expressed their disapproval to the Guardian negative about the 77-year-old and criticized his support of pharmaceutical companies during the corona pandemic. Was Trump’s unusual appearance worth it? (sure)
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