INSIDE:
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Area Lions recognize volunteers
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Stafford grad integral to Davidson team
Preserve photos using your phone
DECEMBER 4, 2015
VOLUME 27, NUMBER 38
VIEWPOINTS, PAGE 4 | PUZZLES, PAGE 14 | CLASSIFIEDS, PAGE 15
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GOP presidential candidate Donald Trump stumps in Northern Virginia at the Prince William Fairgrounds on Wednesday evening. DELIA ENGSTROM| FOR NORTHERN VIRGINIA MEDIA SERVICES
At rally, Trump lambasts rivals; promises to seal borders JILL PALERMO
For the Stafford County Sun
D
uring his first appearance in Northern Virginia, Donald Trump — billionaire reality TV star turned GOP presidential candidate — took the podium as a crowd of about 1,200 gathered at the Prince William Fairgrounds sang along to “We’re Not Gonna Take It,” by Twisted Sister. The ’80s rock anthem proved a fitting theme for Trump’s sometimes disjointed, often rebellious 90-minute speech, during which he assailed the current political leaders in Washington but also offered a note of optimism for the future, as long as he is elected the country’s president next year. “We used to be so proud, and now we’re led by stupid people,” Trump said. “And we can’t have it any more.” Noting news of the country’s latest
mass shooting, leaving 14 dead in a San Bernardino, Calif., county building, Trump began his remarks by calling for a moment of silence for the victims. Telling the crowd that two of the three shooting suspects had been apparently killed by police, Trump offered a compliment, saying: “This is when we appreciate our great law-enforcement. … When we have these shoot-outs. I can tell you one thing, I don’t want to do it. You don’t want to do it.” Trump then introduced a black minister, whom he called Pastor Steve, who took the podium to endorse the real-estate-mogulturned-politician as a businessman “who can help people and bring jobs to our cities.” “He knows how to create wealth,” the pastor said. “Can I hear an amen?” “Amen!” yelled the loud and sometimes boisterous crowd. The group was not nearly as diverse as minority-majority Prince William County
but included a mix of ages, ranging from teens to seniors and a few African-Americans, Hispanics and Muslim women wearing hijabs. A group of about 75 protesters marched outside the fairgrounds’ entrance for about an hour before Trump took the stage, chanting “Dump Trump! Dump Trump!” and other slogans, some in Spanish. The group interrupted Trump about 15 minutes into his speech, prompting the crowd to answer their jeers with chants of “USA, USA.” “They’ll have to leave. Can somebody take them out?” Trump asked. “But gently, gently.” Police later confirmed that the group was peacefully escorted to the exits. The protesters included several from the Latino group CASA in Action as well as others critical of Trump’s rhetoric regarding Mexicans and immigrants, including a group called “Showing Up for
Racial Justice Northern Virginia.” “We’re a group of white people for social justice,” said Cayce Utley. “We wanted to stand in solidarity with the people of color organizing here. Right now, white people have to be encouraging other white people to put a halt to this kind of racism.” But inside the rally, Eric Melgar, a 19-year-old from Dale City who said his parents are immigrants from El Salvador, said he doesn’t consider Trump’s critical remarks about illegal immigrants racist. “There’s good people who come here and sometimes there’s bad TRUMP people who come here,” PAGE 6 Melgar said. “Some people
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