Loyalty oaths, plainclothes guards and new media restrictions deployed at recent rallies.
CONCORD, N.C. — Donald Trump’s rally here began with the candidate asking all attendees to raise their hands and take an oath to vote for him, while extended barriers cordoned off the press and plainclothes private intelligence officers scoured the crowd for protestors.
These new tactics, which the Trump campaign has introduced over the past week, represent refinements by Trump and his staff in their quest to control the atmosphere and message of his often unruly rallies. They come in the wake of an altercation between a photographer and a Secret Service agent at a Trump event, and at a time when the emboldened candidate has escalated confrontations with protesters, leaving his podium to stare them down at his two most recent rallies and repeatedly lamenting that his supporters cannot retaliate against them.
Trump first asked his supporters to pledge their allegiance at a weekend rally in Orlando. But the length of Saturday’s oath made it difficult for attendees to repeat it after Trump. The candidate had adjusted by Monday, when he had supporters raise their right hands and repeat a shorter oath.
Meanwhile, the Trump campaign appears to be ramping up efforts to prevent displays of dissent.
As happens frequently at Trump’s rallies, someone led a prayer asking God to bless the billionaire with political success. On Monday, it was local businesswoman Leigh Valentine, who sells non-surgical facelift kits and other cosmetics. She thanked God for delivering Kentucky and Louisiana – which voted on Saturday — to Trump.
More: Trump Deploys Plainclothes Guards To Crack Down On Protesters
Wow, this stuff is straight out of Nazi Germany.
CONCORD, N.C. — Donald Trump’s rally here began with the candidate asking all attendees to raise their hands and take an oath to vote for him, while extended barriers cordoned off the press and plainclothes private intelligence officers scoured the crowd for protestors.
These new tactics, which the Trump campaign has introduced over the past week, represent refinements by Trump and his staff in their quest to control the atmosphere and message of his often unruly rallies. They come in the wake of an altercation between a photographer and a Secret Service agent at a Trump event, and at a time when the emboldened candidate has escalated confrontations with protesters, leaving his podium to stare them down at his two most recent rallies and repeatedly lamenting that his supporters cannot retaliate against them.
Trump first asked his supporters to pledge their allegiance at a weekend rally in Orlando. But the length of Saturday’s oath made it difficult for attendees to repeat it after Trump. The candidate had adjusted by Monday, when he had supporters raise their right hands and repeat a shorter oath.
Meanwhile, the Trump campaign appears to be ramping up efforts to prevent displays of dissent.
As happens frequently at Trump’s rallies, someone led a prayer asking God to bless the billionaire with political success. On Monday, it was local businesswoman Leigh Valentine, who sells non-surgical facelift kits and other cosmetics. She thanked God for delivering Kentucky and Louisiana – which voted on Saturday — to Trump.
More: Trump Deploys Plainclothes Guards To Crack Down On Protesters
Wow, this stuff is straight out of Nazi Germany.
