(Dec. 29, 2016) Just days before the Maryland Primary Election in April, Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump made a surprise stop at Stephen Decatur High School in Berlin, rallying thousands of his supporters in a county he would go onto win in a landslide.
Although the state would vote Democratic, the president-elect went on to shock pundits in November, earning an Electoral College win despite losing the popular vote.
Police and the Town of Berlin were given just 48 hours notice before Trump’s April 20 visit. Threats of protests were mostly overblown, as people parked in cornfields near the school and lined up on the street hours before the evening’s stump speech inside the gym.
Reportedly, the crowd was roughly three times greater than what the school could hold, and the lines wrapped around the enormous makeshift parking lot, tucked between farmland and a former Harley-Davidson store, now gone out of business. State and local police guided traffic – cars and people – and swept the area with German shepherds.
At around 4 p.m., the first Trump supporters filed in through the school towards the gymnasium, which, on a good day, can hold maybe a thousand people.
Tickets given out for the event were said to be in upwards of 20,000, and police estimated 10,000 attended and 3,000 were let into the building.
At about 6:45, Decatur student Heather McDonough, a senior, sang the national anthem. Just after, chants of “U.S.A.” and “build that wall” briefly erupted, then dissipated.
Trump arrived a half-hour late, at about 7:30 p.m., having flown into Salisbury airport and traveled by escorted motorcade down a cleared Route 50 to Berlin. He spoke for just less than 45 minutes, starting with the topic of his decisive primary election victory in New York, the day before.
“We had a great night last night,” he said. “The media was saying you can’t get over 50 [percent]. Very hard to get over 50, even if you’re really against two guys who don’t have what it takes. Yet, we got 61.”
He went on to predict a decisive general election win against former secretary of state and senator Hillary Clinton.
“’Crooked’ Hillary Clinton will not have a chance. She’s not bringing jobs back. She doesn’t know about the economy. She makes bad decisions … she’s got bad judgment. We are going to beat her so badly,” he said. “It’s going to be something that you’re going to watch and really enjoy watching.”
Trump vowed to make the military “strong again,” erase trade deficits with China, Mexico and Japan, and lower taxes for the middle class and for businesses.
At one point, Trump introduced staffer Kevin Chmielewski, a Stephen Decatur High School graduate, class of 1998.
“I don’t know what they produce at this school, but this guy is a champ,” Trump said. “He’s great. He’s been with me right from the beginning and he’s tough as hell.”
The crowd briefly breaking out into chants of “Kevin! Kevin! Kevin!” as Chmielewski approached the microphone, chewing gum and appearing more than a little flummoxed.
“Thank you guys,” Chmielewski said.
“He’s a great speaker too,” Trump said, deadpanning.
Trump promised those in the audience that they would look back on his appearance years later. Election Day, he said, was “when our country will have started.”
“The vote from Maryland is very, very important. “ We’re going to do things that have never been done before. We’re going to make, not only our country great, we’re going to make our country better than ever before,” he said.
After he finished speaking, Trump stayed to sign autographs for hundreds of supporters who flocked around the staging area.
Trump went on to win 62.8 percent of the county vote and 54.6 percent statewide during the Republican primary.
He did similarly well in Worcester in November, winning 61.5 percent of the vote, although statewide Trump took in 853,004 votes (35.1 percent) against challenger Clinton’s 1,476,048 (60.7 percent).
Overall, however, Trump took in 306 electoral votes to Clinton’s 232 to earn the White House and cap an improbable run that both stunned critics and elated his millions of supporters.
In other notable local races, Democrat Chris Van Hollen defeated Republic Kathy Szeliga to replace retiring U.S. Sen. Barbara Mikulski.
Congressman Andy Harris won big again, gathering 16,755 votes, or 66.1 percent, to Democratic challenger Joe Werner’s 7,674, or 30.3 percent.
In local school board races, longtime District 3 incumbent school board member Sara Thompson edged out Frank Gebhart 1,867 to 1,724, or 51.6 percent to 47.6 percent.
In District 5 Elena McComas defeated Tom Terry 2,041 to 1,926, or 51.2 percent to 48.3 percent.
District 2 representative Barry Brittingham ran unopposed, winning all but 31 write-in votes cast for others.
Although the state would vote Democratic, the president-elect went on to shock pundits in November, earning an Electoral College win despite losing the popular vote.
Police and the Town of Berlin were given just 48 hours notice before Trump’s April 20 visit. Threats of protests were mostly overblown, as people parked in cornfields near the school and lined up on the street hours before the evening’s stump speech inside the gym.
Reportedly, the crowd was roughly three times greater than what the school could hold, and the lines wrapped around the enormous makeshift parking lot, tucked between farmland and a former Harley-Davidson store, now gone out of business. State and local police guided traffic – cars and people – and swept the area with German shepherds.
At around 4 p.m., the first Trump supporters filed in through the school towards the gymnasium, which, on a good day, can hold maybe a thousand people.
Tickets given out for the event were said to be in upwards of 20,000, and police estimated 10,000 attended and 3,000 were let into the building.
At about 6:45, Decatur student Heather McDonough, a senior, sang the national anthem. Just after, chants of “U.S.A.” and “build that wall” briefly erupted, then dissipated.
Trump arrived a half-hour late, at about 7:30 p.m., having flown into Salisbury airport and traveled by escorted motorcade down a cleared Route 50 to Berlin. He spoke for just less than 45 minutes, starting with the topic of his decisive primary election victory in New York, the day before.
“We had a great night last night,” he said. “The media was saying you can’t get over 50 [percent]. Very hard to get over 50, even if you’re really against two guys who don’t have what it takes. Yet, we got 61.”
He went on to predict a decisive general election win against former secretary of state and senator Hillary Clinton.
“’Crooked’ Hillary Clinton will not have a chance. She’s not bringing jobs back. She doesn’t know about the economy. She makes bad decisions … she’s got bad judgment. We are going to beat her so badly,” he said. “It’s going to be something that you’re going to watch and really enjoy watching.”
Trump vowed to make the military “strong again,” erase trade deficits with China, Mexico and Japan, and lower taxes for the middle class and for businesses.
At one point, Trump introduced staffer Kevin Chmielewski, a Stephen Decatur High School graduate, class of 1998.
“I don’t know what they produce at this school, but this guy is a champ,” Trump said. “He’s great. He’s been with me right from the beginning and he’s tough as hell.”
The crowd briefly breaking out into chants of “Kevin! Kevin! Kevin!” as Chmielewski approached the microphone, chewing gum and appearing more than a little flummoxed.
“Thank you guys,” Chmielewski said.
“He’s a great speaker too,” Trump said, deadpanning.
Trump promised those in the audience that they would look back on his appearance years later. Election Day, he said, was “when our country will have started.”
“The vote from Maryland is very, very important. “ We’re going to do things that have never been done before. We’re going to make, not only our country great, we’re going to make our country better than ever before,” he said.
After he finished speaking, Trump stayed to sign autographs for hundreds of supporters who flocked around the staging area.
Trump went on to win 62.8 percent of the county vote and 54.6 percent statewide during the Republican primary.
He did similarly well in Worcester in November, winning 61.5 percent of the vote, although statewide Trump took in 853,004 votes (35.1 percent) against challenger Clinton’s 1,476,048 (60.7 percent).
Overall, however, Trump took in 306 electoral votes to Clinton’s 232 to earn the White House and cap an improbable run that both stunned critics and elated his millions of supporters.
In other notable local races, Democrat Chris Van Hollen defeated Republic Kathy Szeliga to replace retiring U.S. Sen. Barbara Mikulski.
Congressman Andy Harris won big again, gathering 16,755 votes, or 66.1 percent, to Democratic challenger Joe Werner’s 7,674, or 30.3 percent.
In local school board races, longtime District 3 incumbent school board member Sara Thompson edged out Frank Gebhart 1,867 to 1,724, or 51.6 percent to 47.6 percent.
In District 5 Elena McComas defeated Tom Terry 2,041 to 1,926, or 51.2 percent to 48.3 percent.
District 2 representative Barry Brittingham ran unopposed, winning all but 31 write-in votes cast for others.