Donald Trump was absent as Republican candidates clashed in a debate at the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library, but his supporters made up for it.
If Donald Trump’s absence was felt Wednesday night as Republican presidential candidates clashed in a second debate at the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library, his supporters made up for it.
Hours before the debate was set to begin, hundreds of Trump supporters lined the street leading to the library, waving flags and using megaphones to fill the air with chants of “Trump 2024” and “Impeach Biden,” at times laced with a few expletives. Trump merchandise was hawked in front of the Reagan Library sign.
Dirk Wiers, a Simi Valley native, stood on a street corner waving a Trump 2024 flag and waving at cars that honked their support as they passed by. Wiers said he was “ambivalent” about Trump’s absence from Wednesday’s debate.
“If he was here it would have been nice but I understand he’s leading so much [in the polls] that he doesn’t really need to be here,” Wiers said.
Trump, the clear front-runner for the Republican nomination, declined to participate in Wednesday’s debate.
