Trump Campaigns in Maine

Gabe at a Trump rally in Bangor, Maine

On October 15, Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump stood before signs that read “Hillary for Prison” at a campaign rally in Bangor, Maine. It was Trump's fourth rally in the state since his campaign for the presidency began.

With roughly 4,000 attendees, the New York City businessman spoke about his vision for America and how the election is a “rigged system.” Trump has repeated the statement several times, including at his third and final debate with Democrat Hillary Clinton. The Republican has offered no evidence to support his claim that the process of electing presidents in the United States is unfair.

The rally was scheduled to begin at 3 p.m. Trump said that he considered arriving two hours late. The reason, he said, was a fresh release of emails related to Clinton's campaign that had been leaked to the press. More than 12,000 emails written by John Podesta, Clinton's campaign manager, had been released in the previous week. Trump was eager to see what these emails revealed.

In a new style, Trump used a teleprompter to deliver his speech in Bangor, perhaps to fine-tune his message and stay focused. Trump has been trailing far behind Clinton in recent polls. That is one reason he has been calling the election “a rigged system.” The unfounded claim has raised concern among Democrats and Republicans alike.

"LAW AND ORDER"
Dawn, an interviewee from Boothbay, Maine, said that she hopes “someone who is for law and order” will be elected president. Anthony, 13, from Bangor, said that “immigration matters to me.”

At the rally, Trump spoke about illegal immigration, as he often does. “Enough is enough,” he said. However, he did not add new ideas about reforming the immigration system. He simply reiterated his plan to build a wall between the U.S. and Mexico, at Mexico's expense.

Trump is focusing on Maine, a state that has historically voted Democratic, because he has a chance to pick up a few electoral votes. In Maine and Nebraska, the “winner take all” approach does not apply. Electoral votes are allocated based on the popular vote results.