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WILKES-BARRE — Republican delegate Rick Morelli was one of only 200 people invited to a post-convention breakfast Friday to hear a special speaker — Donald Trump — who the night before delivered his acceptance speech before the Republican National Convention in Cleveland.
Morelli manged to get Trump’s autograph after he spoke to the group and when he told the GOP presidential candidate where he was from, Trump responded.
“How could they vote for her (Hillary Clinton) up there?” Trump asked Morelli.
And then Trump asked Morelli how he thought he was doing in Northeastern Pennsylvania.
“I told him we would be supporting him just like we did in the April Primary,” Morelli said.
As far as Trump’s acceptance speech, Morelli said he thought he drove home his key points, despite going a little longer than expected.
“What I got out of it is that the American people feel they finally have someone who will fight for them,” Morelli said. And he focused on putting America first — not everyone else around the world.”
Morelli also said Trump made it clear Friday morning that he doesn’t even want an endorsement from Texas Sen. Ted Cruz, who was booed after his speech Wednesday night at the convention because he failed to offer his support for Trump.
“He made it very clear that he didn’t want any support from Cruz,” Morelli said.
More importantly, Morelli said he feels Trump got his message out to America. He said judging from the buzz on social media, Trump lit up the Internet with his speech.
“His approval numbers just keep going up and up,” Morelli said. “The American people saw the Donald Trump they have supported from the first day of the campaign.”
Morelli also said he felt that the GOP came away from the convention much more unified than it was going into the four-day event.
“Even though the media want to show otherwise, the Republican Party is much more unified than what some people think,” Morelli said. “And what is most important is that the American people are united behind Donald Trump.”
Morelli noted that in Pennsylvania, some 108,000 Democrats have switched to Republican to support Trump.
“And many more Democrats will vote for Trump than Republicans will vote for Clinton,” he said.
Barletta agrees
U.S. Rep. Lou Barletta, R-Hazleton, said he thought Trump did much better in his acceptance speech than what even he expected.
“He clearly laid out two different visions of America — his and Hillary Clinton’s,” Barletta said.
Barletta said Trump told the American people that he will return law and order to the U.S.; he will renegotiate trade deals that will bring jobs back to American workers; and that he will secure our borders and enforce immigration laws that will both protect national security and American jobs.
Barletta said Trump laid out Clinton’s plan, “which will be more of the same as the Obama Administration.”
He said Clinton “will create more regulations that will kill American jobs; she will attack the Second Amendment, taking guns off of law abiding Americans; expand Obama-care; and open up our borders by neglecting immigration laws, making America a more dangerous place to live.”
Barletta said Trump’s speech clearly showed the difference between the two presidential candidates.
“Trump’s overall theme that he will be the law and order president will resonate with the American people,” Barletta said.
PA GOP wraps up week
• In addition to securing 70 delegates’ votes for newly official nominee Donald Trump, the Pennsylvania Delegation heard from a list of speakers that included vice presidential candidate Mike Pence, House Speaker Paul Ryan, actor John Ratzenberger and Pennsylvania Congressmen Bill Shuster, Mike Kelly, Tom Marino, Keith Rothfus and Lou Barletta.
• “Pennsylvania’s Republican delegation is leaving Cleveland excited about working to elect Donald Trump, Mike Pence, and our Republican candidates this November,” Republican Party of Pennsylvania Chairman Rob Gleason said.
“Pennsylvania is the biggest battleground state in the country this year. After this historic week in Cleveland, our grassroots network is more excited than ever about helping to send a Republican back to the White House.
“The final sprint to Election Day starts now.”
