Hundreds of New Jersey residents, students, teachers, veterans, environmentalists, union members, and progressive activists rallied outside Trump and Christie’s fundraiser to protest what they cite as hateful policies with a rallying cry of “No Hate in the Garden State”.
Advertisement
“Before the event, Trump did a roundtable fundraiser that cost between $20,000 and $25,000 a person, There were about 18 people there”, Katz said.
The presumptive GOP presidential nominee let the large crowd who paid $200 each at the Lawrenceville National Guard Armory on Thursday know that was accomplished during his opening remarks.
On the whole, New Jersey GOP leaders are maintaining at least outward signs of independence: An underwhelming number of them turned out for Donald Trump’s rally near Trenton on Thursday night.
“I’m not eating Oreos anymore-neither is Chris!” said Trump, pointing to Christie. Instead, he was there to help Governor Chris Christie – one of his most vocal supporters – to pay back some debts left over from his own presidential bid. The only thing missing was Trump’s usual overflow crowd.
Representatives from local labor unions attended the protest, and criticized Trump for his opposition to a minimum wage increase, according to the report.
Trump quickly added, “You’re not going to have a trade war”, predicting “China will behave” and “respect our country again” after slamming the country’s currency manipulation. “He has been entrusted to oversee this important task with the goal to implement this team in an official capacity in November”, the Trump campaign said at the time. Those revenues contrasted with budget gaps in 2014 that resulted in Christie paying less into the pension than called for under a 2011 law to which he and Democrats agreed.
Trump chided Christie for hosting a “dinner” fundraiser where attendees were not provided tables, chairs or a sit-down meal.
“We never ever make a mistake, by standing with a friend”, Christie said. At Thursday’s rally, Trump insisted that he believed in free trade, but only if the deals were good. “He don’t need anyone, and he is going to turn this country around”.
And it was a sort of homecoming for Trump as well, who made his name operating casinos in Atlantic City and still “employs so many people in New Jersey, [he] hate[s] to even think about it”.
A large group of protesters also gathered.
“She doesn’t want to use that term, she refuses to use that term”, he said. He is also seen as a deeply racist, bigot, misogynist figure.
Advertisement
Trump, a longtime political donor to both parties, is easing into the process by doing the event for Christie, who has become one of his most loyal allies and most important surrogates in the past few months.
