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Trump, Palin Deliver Familiar Campaign Message To Supporters In Tulsa

Supporters of Donald Trump (and other candidates) gather at Oral Roberts University's Mabee Center Wednesday for a campaign rally.
Matt Trotter
/
Oklahoma Public Media Exchange
Supporters of Donald Trump (and other candidates) gather at Oral Roberts University's Mabee Center Wednesday for a campaign rally.

Republican presidential frontrunner Donald Trump and former Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin made Tulsa a stop on the campaign trail Wednesday.

"Are you ready to stump for Trump?" the 2008 vice presidential nominee asked the crowd after being introduced by Trump.

"Our candidate is ballsy enough to get out there and put those issues on the table a lot of other candidates have wanted to run from," Palin said.

Though he was more than an hour late, Trump's Tulsa rally was the high-energy affair supporters have come to expect, with the first protester being kicked out within five minutes of Trump taking the microphone.

"What's more fun than a Trump rally, right?" Trump said as police officers working security escorted the young man out after a Trump supporter threw water on him.

Four or five protesters were removed during the rally, all after Trump began speaking. Supporters were told before the rally started how to point out protesters so security could remove them.

One protester removed late in the rally stood silently on the arena floor wearing an American flag bandana over his face. He was quickly surrounded by five Trump supporters, who forced him toward a police officer working security.

Over 37 minutes, Trump covered all the hits with his fan base.

"There is an assault on Christianity, and there is an assault on guns," Trump said. "We have a president that doesn't want to say 'radical Islamic terrorism."

"We're going to build a wall," Trump said, pausing for cheers from the crowd. "And Mexico is going to pay for the wall."

Trump promised his supporters if he's elected, they're going to win so much, they'll get tired of it.

"We are going to win on health care. We are going to win for our vets. We are going to win with military — we're going to build it so big, so strong, so powerful," Trump said. "We're going to close up our borders, and people are going to come in — but they're going to come in legally."

Trump claimed 15,000 came to see him at Oral Roberts University's Mabee Center, which has a maximum capacity of 11,300. Trump said his whole life, he's been a shrewd businessman.

"I want to be greedy for you. I want to be greedy now for the United States," Trump said. "I don't want stupid deals. I don't want to be losing $500 billion a year in trade with China and with all of these countries."

According to the most recent U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis report, the U.S. trade deficit in November was $42.4 billion. If that deficit remained constant over an entire year, the nation would accrue a trade deficit of $508.8 billion.

Trump did not offer any details on how he would accomplish any of his goals, nor did he meet with reporters after the rally.

Tulsa was Trump's second stop of the day with Palin after Norwalk, Iowa. He wrapped up the event by calling Oklahoma a "special place" and said he'll be back.

Matt Trotter joined KWGS as a reporter in 2013. Before coming to Public Radio Tulsa, he was the investigative producer at KJRH. His freelance work has appeared in the Los Angeles Times and on MSNBC and CNN.
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