Trump could still do that on June 7, when California, New Jersey and three other states hold the final Republican primaries, offering a total of 303 delegates.
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He made it to the stage on Friday and joked about the protesters, saying “that was not the easiest entrance I ever made”. “We were walking over and under fences”.
“I felt like I was crossing the border”, he said, and that he walked through “dirt and mud” to get to the building.
As a police helicopter hovered overhead, Jesus X. Zapata, 27 of Oakland, criticized Trump’s proposal to build a wall along the U.S.-Mexico border.
Arizona was a Cruz blowout, even though Trump won the state’s March 22 primary with 47 percent of the vote to Cruz’s 25 percent.
Friday marked the second time in as many days that a crowd of protesters squared off with authorities outside of a Trump event here in California.
“I’m protesting because I want equal rights for everybody, and I want peaceful protest”, 19-year-old Daniel Lujan said.
As he wrapped up his speech, Trump again mentioned the protests outside and the lengths to which he had to go to be there Friday afternoon. He said the businessman would get “crushed” in the November general election.
“Do I think people are born gay?” Trump would have to win almost 70% of that vote to have a chance – and that’s assuming Trump can significantly increase turnout among whites.
Cheryl McDonald, 71, of Discovery Bay, said she had to pass through protesters to get inside the hotel.
He is the only candidate left on the Republican side who could possibly clinch the nomination through the regular voting process.
With Trump at almost 1,000 national delegates out of 1,237 he needs to win the presidential nomination outright after recent sweeps of five eastern states, even Cruz’s Arizona backers believe Saturday’s effort is likely to be for naught.
Young credited hotel security and law enforcement for maintaining relative order amidst the potential chaos of the protest. “We have to come together”. Another compared Trump to Adolf Hitler, with the caption, “Trump = Nazi”. “Trump is calling for the deportation of 12 million people, which would usher in a hyper-police state in this country”.
CNN reports that “at one point, about two dozen protesters tried to rush barriers near the hotel”. At the same time though, Trump made clear he is not going to change his rhetoric just because he is close to the nomination.
Conway, 51, sipped a Corona after Trump’s speech while waiting for a cab. “They stared punishing and beating me up”, said Trump supporter Adam Harry, who says he took some abuse after walking through a crowd.
It was unclear whether the protests outside led to any violence, as was the case the night before in Orange County, where protesters and Trump supporters clashed outside a rally at the Orange County Fairgrounds. Protesters scrapped with police outside and scuffled with Trump supporters leaving the event. A man wearing a Trump T-shirt One man was injured in the face.
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Approximately 20 people were arrested by Costa Mesa police, according to a tweet from the Orange County Sheriff’s Department. Numerous protesters were Hispanic. She calls the prospect of a female president a “wonderful, glorious thing” but says a gender-based argument for a presidential candidacy is not a winning message. “If you notice, he’s insulting these groups that he thinks can’t stand up for themselves”. A CBS poll out earlier this week found Trump with about 40 per cent of support in IN, compared to 35 per cent for Cruz.
