Trump: Vote for Me to Protest Losing GE

FAIRFIELD, CT — Donald Trump came to Connecticut Saturday night, and he was as hot as the temperatures inside Sacred Heart University’s William H. Pitt Center.

By the time Trump took to the podium at 8:05 p.m., about 30 minutes behind schedule, several people had fainted from the sweltering heat inside the capacity gymnasium. Supporters arrived by 5 p.m. to hear Trump speak, and the heat index approached 110 degrees Saturday. About 50 protesters hosted a "Love Trumps Hate" rally Saturday evening to show their disdain for the Republican nominee.

• Donald Trump at Connecticut Rally: PHOTO GALLERY

Trump remarked on the heat, saying “it’s like a workout, you lose 5 pounds” and added being in the gymnasium was like wearing a “sweatsuit.” Trump called the 4,800 people inside “amazing people” for being able to survive the excessive heat.

“How the hell did you do it?” Trump said to the audience.

Besides talking about the weather, Trump unloaded on his new public enemy No. 1, and it’s not Hillary Clinton, at least it wasn’t on Saturday night. He ripped the media, over and over again.

He called the New York Times “garbage” and threatened to remove its credentials. He called CNN the “crooked network.”

He mocked the media for reporting that he kicked a baby out of a campaign rally recently and said the reality is the baby’s mother is a big supporter of his.

But don’t worry, he also called Clinton “Crooked Hillary.” And he said President Obama would go down as the “worst president in the history of the country.”

Once again, speaking to his audience, Trump blasted Connecticut Gov. Dannel P. Malloy, calling him a “garbage” governor. He even joked about Malloy’s first name and said Connecticut residents should vote Trump as a “protest vote for losing GE.”

“How did you lose GE?” Trump asked the crowd. “He’s a bad governor. You’ve got a bad governor. He hasn’t done his job.”

Trump even said Malloy should stop going to Washington, D.C., looking for a job because he's not hiring Malloy when he's elected president. Malloy is believed to stand a chance of landing a job in Clinton's administration if she is elected president.

Trump recalled that he once lived in the state and said if Connecticut gets its taxes down, he’ll return. He also cited stats about Connecticut's poor record on jobs and the marked increase in heroin-related deaths.

Trump blasted Clinton over the “33,000 missing emails,” and when the crowd chanted “Lock Her Up!” he responded that he used to say “let’s just beat her Nov. 8” but quickly added “you have a point."

Trump said the media has “protected” Clinton. He said if he was accused of a similar situation he would have received a “death sentence.”

“I’m really running against the crooked media,” Trump said.

If Clinton wins the presidency, ISIS will continue to thrive, Trump said, and he vowed again to end Obamacare if he wins on Election Day. Trump spoke about spending a fortune of his own money on his campaign, and if he lost he’d “never forgive the people of Connecticut.”

Connecticut hasn’t voted for a Republican presidential candidate since former President George H.W. Bush won the state in 1988.

David Goerig, of Milford, brought his 1-year-old son Zeke and said he supports Trump because he cares about job creation. He also said he likes Trump because he's "not a politician." Goerig said it's time for a new direction in the country and he's worried about his son's future.

Bill Hopf, of the Fairfield Democratic Town Committee, said he came to protest Trump's appearance because "I think Donald Trump is a very dangerous man."

Hopf said Trump's values are all wrong for the country.

Cindy Wapnitsky said as a Jewish person she "can't tolerate anyone who wants to place a ban on any emigrant group."

She also said her son is disabled and she "can't tolerate anyone who mocks disabled people, I won't stand for it."

Clay Cope, a Republican, who is running for the U.S. Congress, said he supports Trump because he doesn't trust Clinton and her agenda. He said the country's been through eight years of Obama and the county is eager for change.

Cope, who is openly gay, said he supports Trump because Obama and Clinton have failed the country and he's worried about the country's $19 trillion in existing debt as well as Clinton’s proposed $1 trillion in new spending and taxes.

The latest Quinnipiac presidential poll shows Clinton with a 7-point lead over Trump in Connecticut.

Jennifer Eyikan, of Fairfield, brought her three children to the protest rally Saturday. She said she wanted her children to see the impact of a peaceful protest. Jennifer's daughter, Ayala, 8, said "Donald Trump is mean to some people" and isn't nice to women.

Clinton is also making a trip to the state and is scheduled to attend a fundraising dinner at the Conyers Farm estate of Richard and Ellen Schapps Richman in Greenwich on Aug. 15.

Matthew Paulsen, originally from Bethel said, "I flew up from Argentina hoping for an opportunity to see Donald Trump in person while in Connecticut. The USA cannot survive four more years of Obama/Clinton. Trump offers hope to millions of Americans disenfranchised with the failed liberal policies of the last eight years."

Also in attendance was Linda McMahon who ran in 2010 for U.S. Senate. Trump thanked McMahon for "exposing" Democratic Sen. Richard Blumenthal for being a "total fraud."Trump said, "He went around for years saying he was a great Vietnam fighter, telling tales...Linda exposed him and he got elected?"

He went on to blast Malloy and said quoted statistics by sharing that Connecticut is least fiscally healthy of the states. "It is the least fiscally healthy state in the Union and you just lost General Electric," Trump quipped.

When news spread of Trump’s appearance in Fairfield, Sacred Heart University President John Petillo said that the university “received a great deal of feedback — both positive and negative” in quick order.

“Some also have questioned whether — as a Catholic university — we should allow him access to our facilities, as some of his stances and proclamations appear contrary to our religious beliefs and values,” Petillo wrote in a blog post on the university’s website.

Petillo said that the university understands the reaction and the dialogue is part of the reason why the university hosts such events. Petillo said that Trump coming to the Fairfield campus is “by no means a political endorsement or effort to boost his campaign; nor is it a University-sponsored event.”

Petillo also said Trump would not be the “first controversial person — nor will he be the last — to speak at our University, whether by design or circumstance.”

Watch the full speech here.

— By Brian McCready and Wendy Ann Mitchell, Patch Staff

Photos by Wendy Ann Mitchell