The Washington Post - Trump Whips Up Va. Crowd with Critique of Democrats' Debate

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By Jenna Portnoy

Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump didn't let bouts of hostility between supporters and hecklers at a rally here Wednesday night keep him from giving his assessment of the first Democratic debate.

By his telling, former secretary of state Hillary Rodham Clinton and Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) want to give people in this country illegally free health care, driver's licenses and Social Security.

"I watched Hillary," he said. "She's going to give everything away because this maniac that was standing on her right was giving everything away."

The crowd roared its displeasure at the mention of Sanders. "I call him a socialist-slash-communist, okay? Because that's what he is," he said.

He said Clinton got an easy ride, in contrast to his treatment at the last GOP debate.

Trump supporters face off against protesters at Richmond rally.
Activists interrupted Donald Trump's rally in Richmond on Oct. 14, but were met with hostility, and in one instance violence, from ardent Trump supporters. (WUSA9)

"Nobody attacked her. Nobody attacked her. There was no attack," he said.

"In my debate, they said, "Mr. Trump, what do you think of this that the man next to you said?' And they go to him and they say, "Mr. Trump called you a horrible human being,' " he said, mocking the moderator. "It was like a reality television show."

Trump wasn't on the debate stage Tuesday night in Las Vegas, but the billionaire declared himself the winner because, he said, he picked up 160,000 new Twitter followers.

He boasted of attracting more than 7,000 people to Richmond International Raceway for the rally, but a raceway spokeswoman said the expo hall nearly reached capacity at 5,000.

Still, Trump supporters cheered for his trademark hyperbole.

He stayed on message, despite some disruptions. The fracas started with a few protesters chanting, "Stop Trump!" Trump supporters tried to shout down the hecklers and the anger spilled over into several confrontations. In one case, police watched a fight play out until a woman started yelling "black power." She and a few others were escorted out, but police said they made no arrests.

Both parties have said that winning the swing state of Virginia is a crucial part of any path to the White House, and Trump has been here several times.

A poll of Virginia voters released Monday shows he is still the favorite in the GOP field, with retired neurosurgeon Ben Carson, Sen. Marco Rubio (Fla.) and former Hewlett-Packard chief executive Carly Fiorina on his heels.

Asked how they feel about all candidates seeking the presidency in both parties, voters gave Trump the highest unfavorable rating -- 61 percent -- and a favorable rating of 30 percent, according to the Christopher Newport University poll.

In Richmond, he spoke for more than an hour and gave shout-outs to some of his favorite Virginians, including Patrick Henry.

"Give me liberty or give me death. How good is that? I want to come up with a slogan as good as that," Trump said.

Another mention went to the family of U.S. Rep Dave Brat (R-Va.), the tea party-backed candidate who unseated former House Majority Leader Eric Cantor.

Trump attracted fans and people who just wanted to see the spectacle.

Victor Einarsson, 54, of King William County, said Trump is the only one who will build a wall on the Mexico border.

"That'll solve 90 percent of the problems. I live in the real world, I'm outside the Beltway, I see what happens with these safe zones for the illegal aliens," he said.

But Heydy Arrue, 28, of Chesterfield County, called Trump's vitriol pure ignorance.

"I want to see if he's willing to bring up the Hispanic community again and bring us down the way he did before. I want to see that," she said.

Trump did mention the Hispanic community -- to tout their support.

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