Screens projecting slogans like “Dream big again,” “Too big to rig,” and “No tax on tips” hung over the heads of nearly 8,000 people gathered in Allentown’s 8,500-seat PPL Center on Oct. 29, wearing red MAGA hats while chants of “U.S.A.” and “We love you Trump” rang through the stadium.
The crowd waited for Republican presidential candidate Donald J. Trump to take the stage, following his controversial rally in New York’s Madison Square Garden the day before.
Trump’s rally at Madison Square Garden drew national attention when comedian Tony Hinchcliffe joked about Puerto Rico, calling it a “floating island of garbage.”
Outside, about 50 Allentown residents protested the rally, holding signs reading “Latinos for Harris-Walz” and “Latinx power.” As they sang along to Puerto Rican-American singer Marc Anthony, traffic barricades separated them from Trump supporters crowding 8th Street and Linden Street.
“Speak English! Go back to your own country!” one passerby yelled from across the street at the Latino protesters.
Similar to prior rallies, Trump’s 70-minute speech jumped from topic to topic — discussing border control, the supposed threats Latin-American gangs pose to American women, the assertion that inflation and unemployment are at an all-time high and his proposed massive tax cuts.
At one point, he spoke about fake news and asked the audience to jeer at reporters in the media box. Members of the crowd then turned to hurl screams and gestures as well as harmful threats at the reporters.
Armando Jimenez has been an Allentown resident for over 30 years and helped organize the protest against Trump’s “rally of hate.” He said Trump often uses violent rhetoric, specifically toward Puerto Rico.
“When he started his whole electoral career, he said Mexicans (are) criminals and then threw towels to people after Hurricane Maria,” Jimenez said. “We can’t allow another four years of Trump. He’s saying he’s gonna do mass deportations, and this is attacking our community.”
Tina Deutsch, an Allentown resident, said she yelled “Go home!” to the protestors across the street while she and other Trump supporters waited to enter the arena.
“This ain’t their party,” Deutsch said. “They have no business here.”
She said Trump is human and makes mistakes.
Once a Democrat, Deutsch said she’s now voting for him because she supports his ideas and can’t afford $5.79 for a gallon of milk while earning $7 an hour.
Edward X. Young is a New Jersey resident and said this event marked his 103rd Trump rally.
He said hiring a comedian wasn’t a good thing to do in a political sense, but he “hates to admit” he thought the joke about Puerto Rico was funny.
“I mean, what do you expect when you hire a roast comic?” Young said. “These mistakes happen. I (have) some Puerto Rican friends who don’t really take it seriously. They’re not judging Trump because of it.”
Ramon Augosto Marchena Torrentino, a Latino protestor, said he was born in Punta Cana and moved to the U.S. when he was 10 years old.
Outside of the PPL center, a group of 50 Hispanic protestors wore Puerto Rican flags while holding signs that read “Latinx Power” and handmade signs reading “Let’s put you where you belong!! Trash Trump” during the rally. A group of Police surrounded protestors on the corner of Eighth Street and Linden with traffic barricades. (Julia Contino/B&W Staff)
He said the 2024 presidential election will be his first time voting, and he will vote for his family because the Latino community doesn’t want Trump to do what he did to Puerto Rico to the rest of the nation.
“He wasn’t supposed to talk bad about Puerto Rico,” Torrentino said. “Puerto Rico is part of the United States.”
The rally opened with a prayer delivered by a “proud Puerto Rican” who asked the audience to hold the hand of the person next to them for a prayer. He said the U.S. is worth fighting and praying for.
« Quiero decirlo a mis compañeros Puertorriqueños. Necesitamos liderazgo. No nos desenfoquemos de lo que nuestra comunidad necesite- una economía fuerte y exitosa.
Educación para nuestros niños y no adoctrinamiento. No más pornografía en las escuelas.
Respecto, dignidad, y seguridad para nuestros niños y nuestras doncellas. Y un sueño americano a vivado. Puerto Rico, eres la isla de el cordero. »
“I want to say to my Puerto Rican companions, we need leadership. Let’s not unfocus from what our community needs — a strong and successful economy.
Education for our kids and not indoctrination. No more pornography in the schools.
Respect, dignity and security for our kids and our women. And an American dream lived out.
Puerto Rico, you are the land of the lamb.”
Before Trump arrived on stage, several speakers spoke to the crowd, many of whom spoke about Puerto Rico.
Tim Ramos, a former mayoral candidate in Allentown, expressed his pride in being a Puerto Rican man and father.
“We are beautiful people from a beautiful island, from our flag to our beaches to our Sunset music, we encapsulate what true beauty is,” Ramos said. “Our women — the essence of strength and resilience — diamonds formed under pressure, and we need a leader who understands that and sees that in us.”
Zoraida Buxó, Puerto Rico shadow senator, said Puerto Rican culture is well-anchored in steadfast conservative values of family, faith, economic freedom and deep love of country.
“The course that our nation has been wrongfully placed by the Biden-Harris administration must be reversed,” Buxó said.
She spoke about how “failed” policies under the administration in border security, law enforcement and immigration have caused a great deal of chaos.
Following applause, U.S. Senator Marco Rubio greeted the crowd.
“You guys are the new Florida,” he said.
Rubio then compared the “joy and happiness” of the Trump administration to the Biden-Harris administration.
“(It’s) the ugliest, most dangerously, destructive messaging in a campaign in modern American history that we’re seeing out of Kamala Harris and her campaign,” he said. “This is nasty stuff.”
In between chants of “lock her up,” Rubio spoke about Jocelyn Nungaray, a 12-year-old girl murdered in June by two Venezuelan men accused of entering the country illegally. He also discussed other murder cases by the MS-13 gang and attributed the danger of these murders to Harris.
Outside of the PPL Center, a group of 50 Hispanic protestors held signs that read “Latinos con Harris-Walz” while wearing Puerto Rican flags on Oct. 29. A group of Police surrounded protestors on the corner of Eighth Street and Linden with traffic barricades. (Jules Contino/B&W Staff)
Alina Habba, ‘05, an attorney and senior advisor to Trump, welcomed the former president on stage after sharing her immigrant parents’ story.
Trump asked the crowd to dream big again, and he said his administration would create America’s new “golden age” after putting up with “stupid people” for the last four years.
“If we win Pennsylvania, we’re going to win the whole deal,” he said.
On Oct. 14, the Border Patrol Union made a statement on social media announcing their endorsement of Trump, which Trump mentioned at the rally
He also spoke about his plan to cut taxes for workers and small businesses, improve Social Security retirement benefits, get rid of the estate tax and taxes on tips and overtime, and restore the tax deduction on state and local taxes.
He said he recently announced his plan to support a tax credit for family caregivers, as he doesn’t believe they are recognized enough.
Trump then discussed gun control, and he said he will never take guns away from Americans. He said this is primarily about giving Americans a way to protect themselves against gang home invasions.
A video of Nungaray’s mother was projected, in which she said under the vice presidency of Harris, her daughter’s life was ripped away from her. She said Trump’s personal outreach and condolences, as a father of daughters, highlighted her belief that he needs to return to office for the safety of all children.
Trump said many young girls and thousands of people are murdered by illegal immigrants, and a video of gangs and criminals invading homes and neighborhoods was put on screen.
“If we win America, we’ll be feared and respected again,” he said.
He said Harris allowed America to be invaded by criminals, violated her oath, dismantled sovereign order and unleashed migrant gangs, waging violence and terror against citizens.
Trump also said he would call the death penalty for any migrant who kills an American.
Nicole Sheppleman, a nurse, traveled from outside Philadelphia to attend the rally. She said she supports Trump due to safety concerns for her three young adult children, one of whom is in the military.
“I felt very, very safe with him when he did his last four years, I felt very safe for our country,” Sheppleman said. “Everything was better.”
Trump also discussed Harris’s plan to provide gender-affirming care for transgender prison inmates, and he questioned the audience about whether or not they would support an election focused on open borders and “transgender everybody.”
John Comido, a Libertarian from East Greenville, attended the rally to learn about Trump’s LGBTQ policies, as he lives with LGBTQ residents in a recovery house.
He said he attended the rally to further understand the issues discussed in the recovery house.
“I hear their point of view so much it’s actually f**cking mind-numbing,” Comido said. “All (the residents) do is talk about how their rights are going to be taken away as soon as Trump gets into office.”
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