Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump spoke to a packed crowd in an airplane hangar at Griffiss International Airport in Rome on Tuesday. Trump hit hard on New York’s economy and the political system.
Trump started by pulling no punches as he listed statistics about the loss of manufacturing jobs in the Utica-Rome area and the median household income in the state.
“What’s going on?" Trump asked. "Is anybody working up here? We got to change this it’s terrible. The economy is rigged, the banking system is rigged and that’s why a lot of you haven’t had an effective wage increase in 20 years, folks.”
He said he shares a common view with Democratic presidential candidate Bernie Sanders, on recent trade deals the U.S. has made with Pacific countries; namely that they are a disaster for jobs at home.
“When I get in office, I’ll do real trade deals where we’re going to bring our jobs back just rely on it folks,” Trump said.
He emphasized how his campaign is self-funded.
“I’m working for you,” Trump said.
And how he has the most loyal supporters. He used the platform to summarize some of his top issues.
"We’re going to get a strong military, we’re going to take care of our veterans, we’re going to get a protected second amendment, we’re going to have strong borders, we’re going to repeal Obamacare and replace it with something great,” Trump said.
Trump's criticism of the country's economy hit home for many in attendance. The crowd booed as he told them that the Utica-Rome region has lost 40 percent of its manufacturing jobs since 2001. Trump blames trade deals like the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA). John Werczynski said he believes the businessman will be tough on those trade agreements.
"All of the jobs are over in china and the other countries,” Werczynski said. “They need to come back here and that's why half the people don't have any jobs around here."
But Trump's message did not resonate with everyone at the rally. Several people left before he had even finished, including Terry Miller who said the speech lacked substance.
"He didn't really say any policy,” Miller said. “He said a good story. It's comical. It's entertaining, but he never got to the punch line."
Although there were a handful of protestors at the rally, they were escorted out with little commotion.
