Crowds come to support Trump in Capital City

Hundreds of Trump supporters peacefully march around the Capitol Saturday, March 4, 2017 in solidarity and celebration of the president as part of the national March 4 Trump movement.
Hundreds of Trump supporters peacefully march around the Capitol Saturday, March 4, 2017 in solidarity and celebration of the president as part of the national March 4 Trump movement.

A large crowd gathered at the Missouri Capitol Saturday afternoon to support President Donald Trump and his policies.

"Stop the fight, Let's Unite" March4Trump, a grassroots organization, grew into a nationwide movement organizers said shows support for the president and works to peacefully unite all people in honor of America.

Among those attending the rally at the Capitol was Diane Mueller, of Cape Girardeau, who said she felt the president is doing everything he said he would do when he was elected.

"Getting jobs back to America, immigration, affordable health care are all things he's working on," she said. "He doesn't want to sit around and talk about it for four years. He's approaching it from a business standpoint. Politicians like to stand around and talk and talk and talk. I want action."

"Even the Republicans, they're so used to doing things at a snail's pace. This guy's a business man; he wants it done," Diane's husband, Steve, said.

Not all those who came out were in support of Trump. Caleb Elbourn, of Columbia, said although many in the crowd were from working class families, Trump will not be the champion for them that they think he will be.

"He's had a silver spoon in his mouth all of his life," he said. "I'm sure most of these people are well intentioned, but I don't think they're going about the right way."

The March4Trump began with Vincent Haney, an Air Force veteran who felt it was time to show positive support for President Trump. Organizers said Haney was, "appalled by all the destructive aftermath of the violent behavior from people that were unhappy," and from that, the idea of a positive movement March4Trump was born.

After gathering on the South Lawn and marching around the Capitol, the crowd filed into the Rotunda to listen to a number of speakers including retired Air Force Col. and former state Rep. Jack Jackson.

"President Trump is very much behind our veterans, their families as well as active duty personnel," he said. "The oath of office for the President of the United States, if I have done my math correctly, has 35 words in it. When a veteran swears to support and defend the Constitution, there are 71 words in that. Do the math. It's double the math, and President Trump understands that fully."

State Rep. Cheri Toalson-Reisch, R-Hallsville, said she supports Trump's efforts to bring new business and jobs to America, much like the hundreds of jobs that will likely come to her district with the new Smith & Wesson distribution center that was announced last week.

"We need to create more jobs, and we need to keep and expand our existing jobs," she said. "With the leadership of Donald Trump and Gov. Eric Greitens, we're going to make Missouri and America great again."

When asked if there was any hope of bringing people together in a bi-partisan way, Elbourn said, "There's definite hope. It may not be a politician. I think it would be some bigger entity."

Toalson-Reisch added: "Maybe God will get into their hearts, and maybe that's about the only way. I do know I have a good friend who is a lifelong Democrat, and she, for the first time, voted for me, a Republican. We just need to be civil to each other."