North Texas Daily

Dalton LaFerney | News Editor

@daltonlaferney

Republican presidential hopeful Donald Trump made a campaign stop in Dallas Monday night, speaking before a full crowd at the American Airlines Center.

 Trump, who is leading most national polls so far this election cycle, jabbed his opponents, criticized the news media and rallied support on his most prominent policy ideals. He received the most thunderous applause when he reminded the crowd of his plan to build a wall on the U.S.-Mexico border.

 “You are going to be, if I’m elected president, so proud of your country again,” Trump said.

 He spoke as activists, mostly comprised of members of the local League of United Latin American Citizens, marched outside in protest to his appearance.

 Early on in this election cycle, Trump announced some inflammatory policy goals to counter the influx of immigrants from South America. Trump, if elected president, said he would have a wall built along the border to prevent immigrants from entering the country illegally. At the rally in Dallas, he said the Mexican government would pay for the wall.

Intense protest still going on outside #TrumpDFW pic.twitter.com/KT3BOEJ9Sx

— Dalton LaFerney (@daltonlaferney) September 15, 2015

Additionally, on his quest to “Make American Great Again,” also his campaign slogan, Trump, a real estate mogul who has never worked in government, said he would send the estimated 11 million illegal immigrants living in the United States back to their home countries.

Recent studies suggest Latino voters will play a vital role throughout the electorate. A Pew Hispanic Center study estimates 5.4 million Latinos living in American can now become naturalized, meaning that many more people would be eligible to vote in 2016.

“We have to stop illegal immigration,” @realDonaldTrump, now getting a standing ovation, the loudest since the start

— Dalton LaFerney (@daltonlaferney) September 15, 2015

 Trump is not only rattling the Latino voting demographic, but he is making waves across the entire field of Republican presidential hopefuls, who saw former Texas Gov. Rick Perry withdraw from the race last week.

Recent polls indicate Trump is the most favored candidate so far through the race, with Dr. Ben Carson, a retired neurosurgeon, polling nearest him. Political strategists have credited Trump’s antagonistic strategy as rejuvenation for the Republican electorate and has encouraged voter participation.

 It was reported last Friday that the American Airlines Center had sold out of tickets, which were free. The venue seats about 20,000, though about 17,000 tickets were sold. However, on resale websites like eBay, tickets were going for as much as $100.

 “I think Donald Trump has obviously excited and energized a large amount of American voters,” Denton County Republican Party Chairwoman Dianne Edmondson said. “That’s always good when you get more people involved at the grassroots level.”

 She said Trump’s hawkish message on immigration reform has been widely misconstrued because of this brash delivery.

 “I think If people listen to what he really says, he doesn’t have a problem with Latinos,” Edmondson said. “What he does have a problem with are the illegals, many of whom have been proven to be criminals. Perhaps the tone and wording Mr. Trump used was not quite as kind and gentle as it could have been.”

 A recent spat with Republican candidates, something Trump has used as a tactic to attract acknowledgement from the news media, was between Trump and Carly Fiorina, a former business executive. In an interview with Rolling Stone, Trump, answering a question of Fiorina’s presidential potential, responded with, “Look at that face. Would anyone vote for that? Can you imagine that, the face of our next president?”

 Fiorina answered with a calculated spin: an advertisement targeting women, whose faces in the ad are seen smiling as Fiorina speaks about being a woman running for president.

 “Ladies, look at this face,” she spoke. “And look at all your faces, the face of leadership, the face of leadership in our party, the party of women’s suffrage…We are not a special interest group, we are the majority of the nation.”

 Unlike the first debate, hosted by Fox News, Fiorina will be on the CNN debate stage with 10 other Republican candidates, including Trump, for the second GOP debate held at the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library in Simi Valley, California.

 Even Trump’s Twitter account makes headlines. A report from MotherJones released Monday estimates that Trump composes about 3 percent of his own tweets himself. Asked whether that would affect the public’s perception of Trump, social media expert at the University of North Texas Mayborn School of Journalism Samra Bufkins said it’s not uncommon for a high profile person, such as presidential candidates, to have their staff write tweets.

“Whoever is tweeting for him knows him very, very well. It may affect some people’s opinion, but it doesn’t surprise me at all,” she said. “It’s not unusual. From a [public relations] standpoint, this is OK. We frequently will adopt the voice of the executive.”

Featured Image: Protesters crowd near the American Airlines Center where presidential candidate Donald Trump was speaking at a campaign rally on Sept. 14. Photo by Dalton LaFerney | News Editor