Former President Donald Trump was heard repeated jeers during his speech at the Libertarian Party convention Saturday night.
Former President Donald Trump was met with a crowd of repeated booing during his speech at the Libertarian Party convention Saturday night, appearing unsuccessful in his attempts to sway Libertarian voters critical of him for his COVID-19, immigration, drug war and foreign policies, as well as for his increased federal deficits and support for warrantless spying and more.
The convention is being held at the Washington Hilton hotel over the weekend as Libertarians make their choice for the Libertarian Party’s presidential nominee, with candidates including Chase Oliver of Georgia, Michael Rectenwald of Pennsylvania, Charles Ballay of Louisiana and Lars Mapstead of California.
Trump’s appearance at the convention suggested an attempt to pull Libertarian voters away from their party’s nominee or independent presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr., who also spoke at the convention.
As Trump, a GOP presidential candidate, took the stage for his speech, he heard boos from many Libertarians while some Republican supporters wearing «Make America Great» hats and T-shirts cheered and chanted «USA! USA!»
In his remarks, Trump attempted to praise «fierce champions of freedom in this room» and described President Joe Biden as a «tyrant» and the «worst president in the history of the United States,» but some people in the audience shot back, «That’s you.»
Trump asked for Libertarians’ endorsement and votes during his speech, which was met with jeers from the crowd.
The former president, who is accustomed to campaign rallies in front of his supporters, was in unfamiliar territory, as Libertarians do not support him or many of the policies he proposed on the campaign trail or while in office.
Libertarians, who value small government and individual freedoms, have long been critical of Trump, and his invitation to the convention divided the party, with some saying a candidate opposed to Libertarian values running for another party should not be welcomed because it would distract from Libertarian candidates and causes, while others praised the move because Trump’s presence would bring media attention to the convention.
