READING, Pennsylvania — If President Donald J. Trump wins re-election tonight (or in the days ahead, thanks to Democrat-fueled extensions for ballot arrivals), it likely will be thanks to his tireless work in the Keystone State. He was in Scranton, Pennsylvania on Monday and spent Halloween at four stops across the ultimate swing state, in pursuit of its 20 Electoral College votes.
I had the enormous honor and privilege last Saturday to attend the Make America Great Again Victory Rally at the Reading Regional Airport, a general-aviation airfield in a rural town nestled among rolling hills and corn stalks, not far from the majestically rusting industrial behemoth that was the Bethlehem Steel Works.
On the hill approaching the entrance, a long line of Trump supporters snaked down from the security check and along a grassy access road. At the front of the line, a guard observed that the queue had stretched that far back since 7:00 a.m. That was at about 1:00 p.m., for a 2:30 rally. What a turnout!
Inside, a long stage stood between bleachers and in front of several dozen rows of chairs. Beyond that, tarmac in both directions filled with perhaps 25,000 people.
The long wait for the president’s arrival went by more easily, thanks to a decent track of upbeat music, mainly 1970s classic-rock tunes including Queen’s’ “Bohemian Rhapsody” and “We Are the Champions” and lots of Elton John: “Tiny Dancer,” “I Guess That’s Why They Call it the Blues,” and — fitting for this Halloween weekend — “Saturday Night’s Alright for Fighting.” The only sour note was Celine Dionne’s “My Heart Will Go On,” from the soundtrack of Titanic. A weepy ballad about a legendary, lethal shipwreck? Hardly a morale booster.
The campaign also played on a giant screen two beautiful, deeply moving videos. One was a highly patriotic overview of the president’s accomplishments and how, indeed, he has made America great again. It ended with gorgeous aerial footage of the Statue of Liberty. The other video presented a chronological overview of the life of Donald J. Trump. It began with shots of him as a young businessman and ended with a stirring image of the president of the United States in the White House, looking out at the National Mall, silhouetted against a brilliant sunny day in Washington.
Trump fans created a red wave of MAGA hats as well as a few variations on this theme. Among them: “Make Politicians Great Again” and “Make Them Cry Again.”
The friendly banter among guests hushed slightly into a moment of focus as a plane emerged on the horizon.
“There he is!” one guest said.
The plane grew closer, its light fuselage standing out against broken, high clouds on a cool, windless, partly sunny, autumn day. The jet flew past the airfield and began to vanish into the clouds to the north. Just as the crowd feared a false alarm, the jet began to bank to the left.
“It’s turning!” several said with excitement.
Sure enough, the plane headed back towards the gathered multitude. Before long, its bright landing lights came into view, and there was no question that the president of the United States soon would be on the ground and among us.
I leaned over and whispered to another guest: “The sheriff is near.”
Moments later, Air Force One landed with a whoosh, taxied down the runway, and pulled near the stage.
Staffers and journalists exited the back of one of the non-747s that normally doubles as Air Force Two. (Like a pumpkin that becomes a chariot, any plane instantly is promoted to Air Force One, if the president is aboard.) About seven minutes later, with his entourage now in place, President Trump descended the stairs at the front of the aircraft and entered to the sounds of Lee Greenwood’s “I’m Proud to be an American.”
President Trump threw MAGA hats into the crowd, waved, and held up his fist in a sign of warm power. He slowly approached and then reached the podium which bore the seal of the American presidency.
“Wow! This is a big crowd. This is a very big crowd,” Trump began, to more cheers from his audience. “Hello, Pennsylvania. Hello, Pennsylvania. We love Pennsylvania!”
“Three days from now, we are going to win the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania,” Trump predicted, “and we are going to win four more great years in the White House.”
The president recapped his promising standing in Florida, North Carolina, Ohio, and other swing states.
“That great red wave is going to be very beautiful to watch,” Trump said. “And if we win Pennsylvania, it’s over. It’s over.”
The president recapped his many accomplishments before the China virus stopped the world. He also discussed the encouraging rebound now under way, not least the record, unexpectedly large, 33.1 percent growth in third-quarter GDP announced Friday.
Trump also defended fracking, which Joe Biden opposed before he recently claimed to be for it. “Biden’s plan is an economic death sentence for this commonwealth,” Trump said.
Trump promised that, in a second term, he would defeat the China virus, cut taxes further, end sanctuary cities, provide school choice for all families, end surprise medical bills through price transparency, protect those with existing medical conditions, and assure that America is “winning, winning, winning.”
As Trump spoke, fans behind his podium waved signs and hollered. “JOBS! JOBS! JOBS!” one read in red. “This is a peaceful protest,” another explained in white. And in blue: “Promises made. Promises kept.”
The day’s most appealing line may have come when President Trump pledged: “We will stop the radical indoctrination of our students and restore patriotic education to our schools!” Thunderous applause and shouts of approval boomed. “We will teach our children to love our country, honor our history, and always respect our great American flag.”
Several audience chants were noteworthy.
The perennial favorite, “Four more years! Four more years! Four more years!” is like a decent steak: Hardly novel, but always hearty and satisfying.
Trump mentioned his three Middle East peace agreements and a Serbia-Kosovo economic-cooperation pact — all brokered within the last 90 days. These have inspired three European parliamentarians and a group of Australian legal scholars to nominate the president for four Nobel Peace Prizes.
In response, the crowd yelled: “Nobel Prize! Nobel Prize! Nobel Prize!”
And these thousands and thousands of President Donald J. Trump’s adoring fans said something loudly, warmly, and repeatedly that I never have heard American citizens say to a political leader during my 41 years as an observer of and participant in public life:
“We love you! We love you! We love you!”
Deroy Murdock is a Manhattan-based Fox News Contributor, a contributing editor with National Review Online, and a senior fellow with the London Center for Policy Research.
