Trump supporters from Japan ratchet up volume at WB rally

WILKES-BARRE — Bob Caruso was right about the group rallying for President Donald Trump Thursday outside the Luzerne County Bureau of Elections at Penn Place.

The arrival of the Trump supporters with their flags, signs and cheers wiped away what had been a festive atmosphere between the volunteers for the president and his Democratic challenger former Vice President Joe Biden who had been there since on-the-spot ballot casting begin last week.

“This is bad,” Caruso said. “These are not Luzerne County Republicans. Let me make that clear.”

Not only were they not from the county, they were not from the country and they could not vote in the Nov. 3 presidential election.

Yukari Ida, who said she was from Tokyo, Japan, stood in the middle of the raucous group yelling “Four more years,” on the tree lawn of the building facing East Market Street.

Ida, wearing a red hat printed with the Trump campaign slogan, “Make America Great Again,” said she wanted to make sure the American people vote for him.

“We love President Trump,” Ida said amid the din.

“If I was American I want to vote for Trump,” Ida added.

The group came by van and were affiliated with Rod of Iron ministries from Newfoundland, Wayne County, said Trump supporter Bob Bolus.

“They’re here to show support for President Trump from Japan,” said Bolus of Lackawanna County.

Bolus showed his support by bringing two tractor trailers covered with pro-Trump messages. One was parked on East Market street outside the Times Leader building and the other made frequent passes of the rally.

There were no problems with anyone who wanted to cast their ballot early.

But Wilkes-Barre police asked a man with a hand-gun strapped to his right thigh to leave the rally. Wilkes-Barre Police Officer Kirk Merchel told the unidentified man wearing a vest and backward ball cap labeled “Security” that he was not allowed to openly carry a weapon by a polling place.

“That’s cool. No problem. No problem,” the man said. “No trouble.”

The armed man walked across Pennsylvania Avenue with another man and put what he said was a 40-caliber handgun in a pickup truck. He declined to identify himself, adding he was providing security for “the people” and wanted to protect himself.

“I want to be safe in Wilkes-Barre,” the man said.