Politics & Government

President Trump Rallies With Thousands Of Supporters In NH: Watch

The president rallied to a packed house at the SNHU Arena in Manchester, and thousands outside, hoping to win the Granite State in 2020.

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MANCHESTER, NH — President Donald Trump returned to New Hampshire for a reelection rally Thursday, hoping to win support in a state he lost by less than half a percentage point to Hillary Clinton in 2016. Trump began speaking shortly after 7 p.m. to a packed SNHU arena - with thousands of people outside, watching the speech. Trump attempted to allay fears about the economy amid whispers of a recession while commending Gov. Chris Sununu, R-NH, for the "great job" he was doing leading the state and pitching former campaign manager Corey Lewandowski for a potential New Hampshire Senate run for the Republican nomination to face-off against incumbent U.S. Sen. Jeanne Shaheen, D-NH.

Trump hadn't been to New Hampshire since 2018, when he came to the state to speak about the opioid crisis.

The Granite State was where Trump won his first primary in a crowded Republican field enroute to earning the party's nomination. Trump then lost New Hampshire by about 2,700 votes in the 2016 general election.

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A University of New Hampshire Survey Center poll released Tuesday found that 53 percent of adults in New Hampshire disapprove of Trump, while 42 percent of adults approve. Republican Gov. Chris Sununu remains popular, but Democrats took over both houses of the state's legislature.


Earlier Thursday, Trump threw his support behind Lewandowski, who is weighing a run for Senate. Trump said in an interview on the "New Hampshire Today" radio show Lewandowski is a "very outstanding guy." He also said Lewandowski hasn't made up his mind about running.

Former House Speaker Bill O'Brien, R-Nashua, countered after the rally that he was the only declared or undeclared Senate candidate who had actually been elected in the state - and kept the promises that led to those victories.


"We already have a Washington, D.C. controlled candidate in the NH race for the U.S. Senate and that is Jeanne Shaheen," O'Brien stated. "Voters in New Hampshire want, and need, a principled candidate who will put our state before the special interests in Washington. I understand the President's loyalty and I strongly support the President's efforts to keep our economy moving and to fix our borders. I look forward to being in the Senate where I will support those efforts. The President and I also agree that we must retire Jeanne Shaheen."

New Hampshire only holds four Electoral College votes but it still clings to the influence afforded by its first-in-the-nation primary status as well as being a "purple" swing state. Democratic candidates for 2020 have flooded the state this summer to garner momentum.

A number of campaigns held counter demonstrations outside of the arena.

The mention of Lewandowski by the president also sent Shaheen into fundraising mode, asking for donations on Twitter.

Manchester police noted on Twitter that there were three arrests this evening at the rally.

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