Balls for President!

Trump says ‘Or-a-gone,’ again and again and again

Seriously Donald, this is a bipartisan issue. It’s Orygun.

Strictly business

Donald Trump vendors don’t necessarily support Trump. One vendor EW spoke with, who was dripping in Trump merch, said he had worked the Springfield Bernie rally as well, and that he was an undecided voter. As the anti-Trump protesters filled 13th Avenue early in the evening, one vendor proclaimed to no one in particular: “I don’t give a fuck about Trump,” adding, “I just want to make some money. All politicians are liars anyway.”

Ballz, ballz, ballz

The vendors did have some interesting wares for sale. Most notably: A T-shirt with bulbous testicles bearing the American flag, and pins that stated “KFC Hillary Special: 2 Fat Thighs, 2 Small Breasts, Left Wing” and “Trump 2016: Finally Someone with Balls.” Trump’s run must be the most genitalia-centric in history. Vendors said their Eugene sales were great.

“You are!” “No, you are!”

Some protesters and some Trumpers were guilty of goading and gloating, hurling hyperbole over the fence that separated them along 13th Avenue. However, the highly organized protesters, who closed down several blocks of 13th Avenue, did make it feel like a fun neighborhood block party with lawn festivities, boom boxes bumping and several Mexican flags waving.

The POPO

There was a large police presence outside the Lane Events Center, yet the general feeling from the force was calm. EW witnessed no police aggression towards ralliers or protesters.

’Merica chic

The Trump supporters inside the event center had a unified sartorial aesthetic (much more so than Bernie’s rally): ubiquitous red “Make America Great Again” caps, camo, head-to-toe red-white-and-blue ensembles, bedazzled jeans and, finally, T-shirts with every variation of bald eagles, American flags and bomb ISIS messages. Tommy Hilfiger take note.

And the crowd goes wild

The topics that got the most cheers during Trump’s speech were bombing ISIS, just the mention of “China” and building the wall at the Mexican border — in fact, people went batshit for this last one. And when Trump called out two separate anti-Trump protesters inside the rally — taunting “Get the hell out of here” and “Go home to mommy” — the crowd went Hunger Games bonkers, chanting “U.S.A.” until the floor rumbled.

The media is horrible

Trump’s army had very strict rules for the press. All media had to remain inside what we’ll call the “pigpen,” a fenced-in area packed with dozens of sweaty, rumpled reporters, photographers and broadcasters. The media could not walk around the rally, but had two choices: Stay inside the pen or be escorted off the premises. Keeping the press in the pit had a purpose; Trump likes to point to the press at his rallies and mock them, e.g., “Look at them,” he said, “the most horrible people.”

Not so huuuuge

During the rally, Trump told the crowd that thousands of supporters were waiting outside the Lane Events Center and that they should “Let them in!” — fire codes be damned. EW stepped outside to find a couple dozen people milling about. Visit the EW Facebook page to see the video.

Trump on the ladies

“Nobody respects women more than Donald Trump. My daughter Ivanka says ‘Daddy, no one respects women more than you.’”

Best protest sign of the night

“No lives matter. Humans are terrible.”

A Note From the Publisher

Dear Readers,

The last two years have been some of the hardest in Eugene Weekly’s 43 years. There were moments when keeping the paper alive felt uncertain. And yet, here we are — still publishing, still investigating, still showing up every week.

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