President Donald Trump rallies for Ohio Republicans in Chillicothe ahead of midterms
By: Noah Cavin
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CHILLICOTHE, Ohio (WOUB) – President Donald Trump made a stop in Chillicothe Wednesday to rally Ohio voters ahead of next week’s midterm election.
Having the president in town was a pretty cool sight for Miranda Cox, who manages Scioto Shoe Mart.
“Makes me proud,” she said. “It makes me proud to be from Chillicothe.”
Trump spoke for nearly two hours. His speech was interrupted early on by a protester, known as Robby Roadsteamer. He yelled, “Trump was on the Jeffery Epstein plane!” in a sing-songy tone before his melody was drowned out by a chorus of boos.
“If Mary MacLeod ever said, my son Donald is a liar, and he lied about his opponent and other things, I would say the press would be getting Pulitzer Prizes with their reporting,” he said. “But with Vivek, how dare he put that information? What’s to put out? There’s nothing to put out. The mother said that Amy Acton, the daughter, is a liar, that she’s no good, that she lied about the opponent. How the hell is that his problem?”
The crowd both inside and outside erupted when he made a pitch to Ohio residents about future job opportunities.
“I want you to know that if Jon Husted wins, I am going to consider putting the Space Academy right here,” he said.
Ramaswamy and Husted, who is running for re-election to the U.S. Senate, also spoke at the event.
Ramaswamy made some promises during the speech that garnered a large reaction.
The rally was held at Ohio University Chillicothe’s Shoemaker Center. Since its capacity is limited to 2,400, many people had to watch the speeches on a big screen outside. Doors to the event opened around 3:30 p.m., but there were some people in line to see the president as early as 8 a.m.
Trump is the 19th president to speak in Chillicothe.
His appearance drew mixed emotions from southeast Ohioans.
Kimberly Setty, a billing clerk from Lucasville, was excited to see Trump speak just 45 minutes from her home.
“It’s super exciting,” she said. “Super excited to have the president here, kind of touching base with all of us little people that live in these smaller towns.”
While Setty and a couple thousand other Trump supporters felt the same, there were dozens of protesters who had other feelings.
Kay Kasberg of Washington Court House was one of several protesters lined up alongside University Drive.
Other protesters were camped just outside of the Shoemaker Center, one wielding a bullhorn and screaming, “Pedophile protectors, this way!” as she gestured toward the rally.
That specific group of protesters got into a handful of verbal skirmishes with Trump supporters as they entered the venue.
The rally drew a large crowd that isn’t typical for Ross County, according to Greg Fahnestock, owner of The Haute Doggerie, a food truck based in Chillicothe.
“It’s awesome for our community, it gets people in the town and just seeing what we have to offer here,” he said. “I’ve been here all day and I’ve seen a ton of people from out of town.”
It certainly was good for business, Fahnestock said.
With the election taking place in less than a week, both Setty and Kasberg believe that voting is crucial.
“I support both (Husted and Ramaswamy), and I think its very important,” said Setty.
“I think that you need to follow your conscience,” said Kasberg. “Don’t just vote on one issue, look at the entire issue and think deeply.”