Plenty of Love For Trump at Long Island Rally

BETHPAGE, NY - Thousands of Long Island residents waited several hours to get the chance to hear Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump speak in Bethpage on Wednesday night.

Law enforcement was out in full force patrolling the parameters of Grumman Studios and aside from a few people taken out in handcuffs, no shoving, screaming and punching broke out like it did at the Trump rally in Chicago last month.

The venue was packed with approximately 7,000 Trump supporters, according to a law enforcement representative at the rally.

• See more: Donald Trump Long Island Rally: LIVE UPDATES

While there were dozens of protesters lined up in the Free Speech Zone outside the venue, they were kept a safe distance from rally-goers coming to and from the event. But that doesn’t mean they weren’t loud (see videos below).

Some Trump supporters, surprised by the lack of tension at the rally, said they thought there would be more protesters. “I expected maybe even violence and I didn’t really see any of it,” Stony Brook resident Dillon Thorp told Patch. Dillon and his father, Paul Thorp, were among the many people who arrived several hours prior to the event and stood around waiting for Trump to take stage.

Michael Galper, of Brooklyn, told Patch he would have been ready if any sort of violence occurred. “I was prepared to do protesters any type of harm.”

One Trump supporter from North Bellmore, donned in a “Up Yours Hillary” t-shirt, arrived at the event around 4:30 p.m. with his son and family friends. Richard Zappa says he came out to this campaign rally because he “solidly backs Donald Trump.”

Many Trump fans like Zappa came out Wednesday night, but there were also Trump foes, some undecided voters and the just plain weird out and about and Patch spoke to a person on every end of the spectrum.

The Fans

“It’s time for a change,” Zappa told Patch. “All of us are sick of the establishment. That’s how [Trump] rose.”

Zappa admitted Trump could probably “tone it down a little bit” when it comes to controversial statements, but the Long Islander said Trump is appealing to him as a candidate because he’s not politically correct. “We’re so sick of the political correctness,” Zappa said.

Islip resident Tommy P. said he doesn’t agree with Trump’s tactics and “the way he entertains himself.” However, the Long Islander still supports the candidate’s views, especially Trump’s plan to build a wall between the United States and Mexico. “There’s nothing wrong with the wall,” Tommy P. said. “It would prevent drugs from coming into this country that are killing young kids. The heroin epidemic is out of control and if we could do something to lessen that and save lives by a wall, I’m all for that.”

Among the Trump supporters in attendance, some will not be voting in the upcoming election.

Although 17-year-old Nick Sortino won’t turn of age before Election Day, he still came out to give moral support to Trump. Why? “Because he’s a badass,” Sortino said.

The Foes

Trump protesters planted themselves in the Free Speech Zone outside Grumman Studios to express their feelings on Trump. Here’s what they had to say:

While not pictured in the photograph, Hempstead resident Monica is holding the sign in the above picture. Monica, who believes Trump creates hate, offered her opinion on the Presidential candidate's campaign: “We’re here to let everyone know that in Long Island, we don’t want hate. We’re not happy with what’s going on: bringing racism and bringing hate out to the streets and making that okay, as Donald Trump is doing. We’re all here saying the same thing. We don’t take hate, especially in Long Island where we fought so hard for immigrants to be accepted. This racism coming back is not what we stand for. All of his comments are offensive: his comments against women, Muslims, blacks, Mexicans, Latinos and comments against everyone that he’s offended.”

Patch asked Monica why she thinks so many people support Trump. She said the reason is “ignorance.”

The Undecided

Michael Crowley told Patch that Trump isn’t his number one candidate until he forms a solid opinion of the businessman-turned-politician. Crowley came out to the rally to see “what the man has to say” and will then take things from there.

“[Trump] has got a lot of things that I like and there’s some things I’m still questionable about,” Crowley said. “There are too many people on the cart and too few people pulling it, and that’s what makes me interested in seeing what he has to say.”

The Just Plain Weird

Three young women were handing out flyers around the protesting area to promote a different presidential candidate. Gilda Cummings*, of Huntington, isn’t a billionaire or an experienced politician, but the Arby’s waitress says she’s running for president for a number of reasons.

When asked what she would bring to the table, Cummings told Patch she is mainly against the Fourth Amendment banning illegal search and seizures. “Epileptics should be allowed to have seizures without fear of government oppression if their medical condition forces them to do so,” Cummings, a 2016 “Turd Party” candidate, said in her promotional flyer. Check the social media hashtag #GildaIsCumming for more information on her campaign. *Patch cannot confirm if this her real name.

More photos on the Trump rally, including protesters, supporters and everything in between, can be found here: