LONDONDERRY, NEW HAMPSHIRE – JANUARY 23: Republican presidential candidate, former U.S. President Donald Trump talks to reporters while visiting the polling site at Londonderry High School on January 23, 2024 in Londonderry, New Hampshire. With Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis having dropped out of the race two days earlier, Trump and fellow candidate former UN Ambassador Nikki Haley are battling it out in this first-in-the-nation primary. (Photo by Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)
Former President Donald Trump made a last-minute campaign stop at Londonderry High School in Londonderry, New Hampshire Tuesday, a busy polling location that turned even more hectic when the former president showed up for an unannounced visit.
Around noon, it became apparent that a high-profile figure would be making a stop, and signs began pointing to Trump when his campaign staff appeared and organized his supporters in the parking lot.
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Trump has a strong base in New Hampshire, giving him a steady lead in the polls.
“The heartbeat of our campaign is the grassroots volunteers these are not paid political operatives like Nikki Haley’s campaigns these are true Granite staters," Trump press secretary Karoline Leavitt said.
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U.S. Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene of Georgia showed up around 12:15 p.m. She spoke to Trump supporters, choreographed chants and started a “red wave” with the crowd.
In the meantime, all of the reporters were moved to a staging area, and a bomb-sniffing dog had to check out all of equipment. Everyone in the parking lot – including media and supporters – had to be cleared by security.
Trump showed up in a motorcade at around 1:20 p.m. and greeted his supporters. He spoke to the news media for about 10 minutes.
“This is totally unannounced, nobody knew we were coming,” he said. “Nobody gets crowds like this. They want to see our country be great again, it’s very simple.”
The GOP frontrunner had little to say about what competition he might face from former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley, who remains in the race and is hoping for an upset in New Hampshire.
"Let her do whatever she wants," Trump said when asked his thoughts on Haley's declaration that she will stay in the race through Super Tuesday. He said he did not consider her a threat to his campaign.
Son Eric Trump, who was stopping at polling locations across the state Tuesday, also expressed confidence in his father's chances to win over Haley.
“She can’t win Nevada. She’s not even registered for the actual caucuses in Nevada so she comes out with no points and then going into South Carolina we are favored to win by 5-1, 4-1. I think it’s the end of Nikki Haley tonight if she loses.”
The former president also declined to discuss Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis' announcement to suspend his campaign or if he would consider DeSantis as a running mate in the future.
He did, however, speak at length about his concerns about undocumented immigrants coming through the border.
“But the southern border is like nobody’s ever seen it. But the northern border’s bad too. They have done a terrible job. This is one of the worst things - I believe it’s one of the worst tragedies ever to befall our country, I really do," Trump said, calling the border the biggest issue for the country.
He also attacked President Joe Biden, calling him the "worst president in the history of this country," pointing to the violence in the Middle East and other conflicts on the international stage.
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