NEWS

Trump: 'I don’t owe anybody anything'

Jonathan Anderson
USA TODAY NETWORK-Wisconsin

ROTHSCHILD - Republican presidential front-runner Donald Trump was an hour late to a campaign rally in Rothschild on Saturday afternoon, but to his supporters, his message could not have been more timely.

Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump speaks during a town hall meeting Saturday at the Central Wisconsin Convention and Expo Center in Rothschild.

The New York billionaire, speaking at a town-hall style event at the Central Wisconsin Convention and Expo Center, hit hard on the notion that his wealth makes him more independent and credible than other candidates running for president.

“I have turned down more money, I bet, than any other human being has turned down,” Trump said. "I don’t owe anybody anything."

About 1,200 tickets were issued for the gathering, which also featured former Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin, who unsuccessfully ran for vice president on the Republican ticket in 2008. She introduced Trump, calling him the only viable Republican candidate.

“Trump is the only one who can beat Hillary Clinton," Palin said.

Supporters, protesters greet Trump in Rothschild

Trump spoke for roughly an hour and touched on a wide range of subjects, including health care, Social Security, immigration, education and gun rights. He blasted international trade agreements, such as the Trans-Pacific Partnership, blaming them for the erosion of jobs that support the middle class — an issue particularly salient in central Wisconsin, which has seen a slow but steady decline in paper manufacturing. Trump said he would return jobs to the country and lift stagnant wages.

“People are angry," Trump said. "They’re disgusted about what’s going on.”

Trump said the United States takes on too much responsibility in global affairs, but the crowd cheered when he said he would expand the country's military strength.

Robert and Corrine Stone, of Edgar, were among the first in line to see Donald Trump at his campaign rally Saturday in Rothschild.

That idea was appealing to Robert Stone, a disabled 59-year-old Marine veteran from Edgar, and his wife, Corrine, 55. They were one of the first in line to see Trump Saturday. The Stones said they’re attracted to Trump for his distinctive authoritative style — a feature they said is lacking in Trump’s main opponent, Texas Sen. Ted Cruz.

“He stands up for America,” Robert Stone said of Trump. “We’re looking for a strong candidate to represent the United States.”

But not everyone who attended the rally supported Trump's bid for the presidency. While Nafeesa Rahman, of Weston, said she was a "huge fan of Donald Trump" and liked his passion for politics, her husband and daughter had a different view. Husband Khalid Rahman said he has not decided whom to support in the primary race, and said he planned to attend a rally for Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders in downtown Wausau on Sunday.

Their daughter, Sasha Rahman, a student at Rothschild Elementary School, said she liked Hillary Clinton.

"She would be the first woman president," Sasha Rahman said.

Trump came to central Wisconsin just days before the state’s presidential primary on Tuesday. He is trailing challenger Cruz in several recent polls, including a Marquette University Law School poll released Wednesday that showed Cruz with a 10-point lead. The results of the Marquette poll show 40 percent of likely Republican voters in Tuesday’s primary prefer Cruz versus 30 percent who support Trump; Cruz’s lead surpasses the poll’s margin of error of 5.8 percentage points. Ohio Gov. John Kasich came in third with support from 21 percent of likely voters.

The same Marquette poll found that Trump has the strongest support in northern and western Wisconsin compared to the rest of the state.

Candidates vying to become the Republican presidential nominee must secure 1,237 delegates. Trump is leading with 736 delegates, while Cruz has 463 delegates; 943 delegates are remaining. Wisconsin offers 42 delegates; 18 go to the overall winner in the state, while the winner in each of the state's eight congressional districts will get three delegates.

Trump was scheduled to make campaign swings in Eau Claire Saturday night and in West Allis Sunday, along with events in La Crosse and Milwaukee Monday.

Trump campaigned earlier this week in De Pere, Appleton and Janesville. He also stopped in Green Bay Wednesday for a televised town hall, where he ignited a bipartisan firestorm after saying women who have abortions should be punished if the procedure is made illegal — a statement he later disavowed.

Palin, who endorsed Trump in January, posted on social media Friday that she would stump for him around the state; she was scheduled to visit an indoor shooting range Sunday in Marathon City.

Trump was not the first nor the last presidential hopeful to visit central Wisconsin. Cruz held a campaign rally at the expo center Monday, and Sanders, who is challenging Clinton on the Democratic ticket, was scheduled to hold a rally Sunday in downtown Wausau. Cruz also announced Saturday that he and Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker will visit 2510 Restaurant in Wausau on Sunday.

State election officials are expecting a turnout on Tuesday of 40 percent of eligible voters, or nearly 1.8 million people — the biggest in a state presidential primary since 1980, when 45 percent of the electorate voted, according to the state Government Accountability Board.

Tuesday’s election also will feature a heated state Supreme Court race and various municipal contests and school referenda.

Jonathan Anderson: 715-898-7010 or jonathan.anderson@gannettwisconsin.com; on Twitter @jonathanderson.