President Donald Trump came to Philadelphia for a professional convention, and as expected, was met with massive crowds of protesters.
Trump was in the city of brotherly love for the National Electrical Contractors Association (NECA), held at the Pennsylvania Convention Center. Organizers with Philly Socialists and Refuse Fascism Philly organized marches through the streets against Trump as he spoke Tuesday afternoon to NECA.
In his speech, Trump painted a rosy picture of the country’s economy and future, calling the current economy the best in our nation’s history.
“This is really an incredible time for our nation. We are respected again. We are respected again, like we have not been respected in many, many decades,” Trump told attendees. “We have the best economy in our history. The stock market just did another record high. I think that’s 103 times since I’ve been president that we’ve hit a new high.”
Fresh off announcing the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA) on Monday, a trade agreement proposed to replace the former NAFTA deal, Trump credited businessmen like those attending NECA’s convention with boosting the nation’s fortunes.
“From first-hand experience, America’s electrical contractors are the best in the world, nobody even comes close,” Trump told the crowd. “And now, you have a friend and ally in the White House.”
Wrath against Trump on streets
The anti-Trump protesters employed the image of new Philly Flyers mascot Gritty in their signage while marching against the president, his policies, and his Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh.
“GRITTY SAYS GTFO OF PHILLY!” read a huge banner with the smiling, demoniac hockey mascot carried by the marchers.
Protesters had much to complain about, from opposition to Kavanaugh, to Trump’s policies on border security, to U.S. military actions abroad.
But inside the Convention Center, Trump painted a rosy picture of America’s future – claiming four million jobs have been created since his election, and stating that U.S. unemployment rates for African-Americans, Hispanic Americans and Asian Americans were at their lowest levels ever.
America will always be a nation of great builders, because in America, we honor work, we honor grit, we honor craftsmanship, we honor the men and women who turn dreams into a reality with their own two beautiful hands,” Trump said. “We honor all of you. With cable, copper, wire and steel, you are the ones lighting America’s path forward. … You are the ones rebuilding this land we love. You are the ones making America greater than ever before. Thank you, God bless you, and God bless the USA.”
