Politics & Government

Donald Trump in Atlanta: Cheers, Protests

Trump brought out some of Georgia's heaviest business and sports figures for his Atlanta appearance. Watch the entire event here.

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Atlanta, GA — Donald Trump told a raucous crowd at an Atlanta campaign rally that if some Pulse club patrons in Orlando, Florida had been armed, “what happened last weekend would have been horrible, but not nearly as horrible as it turned out to be."

“Over the last three to four days, people are beginning to realize what’s going on,” Trump said, referring to the deadliest mass shooting in U.S. history. “Things like this will keep happening again and again and again. We are taking in thousands of people into our country; we have no idea who the hell they are; and they believe in things we don’t believe in.”

Trump spoke at the Fox Theatre in Midtown, the center of Atlanta’s gay community.

Trump’s appearance was scheduled for noon, but he didn’t arrive on stage until just before 1 p.m. Legendary University of Georgia football coach Vince Dooley brought Trump onto the stage. Trump spoke until about 2:10 p.m.

The Pulse Orlando Night Club & Ultra Lounge was the scene Sunday of a massacre, apparently orchestrated by Omar Mateen. He killed 49 nightclub patrons and injured 53 others.

“When you listen to the stories and the laughter of this man who shot these people, you have to ask, how does this happen in the United States?” Trump said. “We have to be smart, and we have to be vigilant. People are not reporting things, and things are happening that are bad.”

Trump was interrupted by a protester right after that remark.

“That’s OK. That’s OK. He can stay or he can go,” Trump said.

Earlier in the rally, the audience was asked to chant “TRUMP, TRUMP, TRUMP” in the event of any protesters who attempted to disrupt the speech.

“Do you think its OK to be weak and effective they way we are right now, protester?” Trump asked.

One person was reportedly arrested at the rally, according to Channel 2 Action News.

Besides three interruptions from protesters, Trump was repeatedly cheered and received ovations from the audience, including one of the loudest after he said, “I’m going to save your Second Amendment.”

Police began blocking off portions of Peachtree Street near Ponce de Leon Avenue around 11 a.m. this morning. Metal barricades had been set up outside the venue to help with crowd control. Police earlier said only people with tickets will be allowed inside the barricaded area.

“The world is changing. It’s not a pretty picture, but we’re going to change all of this,” Trump said. “People want to see us making strong trade deals. They want to see people who truly want to come here and not do us harm. But when they don’t see that, they’re not happy.

“And we’re not going to take it any longer.”

Businessman, radio talk show host and former presidential candidate Herman Cain spoke before Trump. “Donald Trump is not a racist,” Cain said. “I grew up in the South; I know something about racism, and Donald Trump is not a racist."

Before the rally, Trump attended a private fundraiser at the estate of Charlie Loudermilk, who founded Aaron Rents in 1955 and built the now-publicly traded company into a leader in the rent-to-own furniture industry. The company has more than 2,100 stores in 48 states, the District of Columbia and Canada.

Another fundraiser organizer was Bernie Marcus, who along with Arthur Blank co-founded The Home Depot. Blank is now owner of the Atlanta Falcons NFL franchise and the new Atlanta United MLS soccer club. Marcus founded the Georgia Aquarium.

Trump also said he had been endorsed by another well-known figure from UGA sports history, former star running back Herschel Walker.

Entry-level attendance to the morning fundraiser began at $2,700, with upper-tier tickets ranging from $25,000 to $100,000, according to CBS46.

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