The Springfield News-Sun provides balanced and in-depth coverage of the 2016 election, including stories on visits from both parties presidential campaigns and every contested race in Clark and Champaign counties.
Donald Trump told thousands of Springfield supporters Thursday he would end NAFTA, build a wall along the Mexican border and suspend immigration from Syria and other countries if elected.
Trump, the Republican candidate for president, also accused Hillary Clinton of profiting from her work with her foundation. About 8,500 supporters, some from as far away as Kentucky, packed into the Champions Center at the Clark County Fairgrounds for the speech.
>>DETAILS: Springfield rally draws thousands, backs up traffic
In an exclusive interview before the rally, Trump also said he would increase military spending and criticized Ohio Gov. John Kasich, who has declined to back him.
“I’m disappointed, but the people of Ohio get it,” Trump said. “We’re leading in the polls and I have great respect for the people of Ohio. I’m very disappointed in the governor. He signed a pledge and he didn’t honor it. He took a big defeat and he has not gotten over it.”
It was the second time in two weeks the presidential race has come to Clark County as both parties try to rally their supporters with just days remaining until the Nov. 8 election. Last week, Tim Kaine, the Democratic vice presidential candidate, spoke outside the Clark County Heritage Center.
Warren Copeland, Springfield’s mayor, argued Trump’s proposals would do little to benefit the region.
“Obviously any candidate for national office is free to visit Springfield and Clark County,” Copeland said. “However, I do not believe Donald Trump’s track record of outsourcing jobs, manufacturing goods outside of the United States and stiffing small businesses is an experience that would help cities like ours.”
>>RELATED: Clark County Ballot Watch
During the interview, Trump argued the military has been depleted, but said if elected he would increase spending, including at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base and on new fighter jets.
“We’re going to take Wright Patterson, which is one of the great bases anywhere in the world and we’re going to have a lot of happy people there,” Trump said.
The Republican nominee also jumped on recent reports that premiums are expected to increase close to 25 percent next year for Americans who receive insurance under the Affordable Care Act.
“Even Bill Clinton admitted Obamacare is the craziest thing in the world,” Trump said, saying he would repeal and replace the health care law once sworn into office.
Trump also lashed out at his opponent regarding a 2011 memo released Thursday on WikiLeaks, which has released a steady stream of emails throughout the campaign. Democrats have criticized the WikiLeaks releases, arguing the emails were the result of an email hack by the Russian government in an effort to sway U.S. elections.
“Every American, regardless of party, should be concerned by this national security issue,” Clinton campaign spokesman Glen Caplin said in a statement. “Rather than professing his love of WikiLeaks, which should be disqualifying, (Trump) needs to finally stand up to Putin and put America’s interests over his own self-interests.”
The leaked emails showed that the lines between Clinton’s office while she served as secretary of state and her family foundation were blurred, Trump said at his Springfield rally Thursday.
“Hillary Clinton is the most corrupt person ever to seek the office of the president,” Trump said.
The Clintons are proud of the work the foundation has done, Caplin said.
“The State Department has made clear that Hillary Clinton’s actions were made in the best interests of American foreign policy and that she never made decisions because of donations to the Clinton Foundation,” he said. “The Clinton Foundation discloses its donors online and all of Hillary and Bill Clinton’s income has been disclosed publicly in nearly 40 years of tax returns and her personal financial disclosure forms, so none of the relationships being reported today are new.”
Trump also blamed the North American Free Trade Agreement for the loss of jobs across Ohio, citing manufacturing firms like Navistar.
The Springfield plant had as few as 300 workers at the height of the Great Recession, but those numbers rebounded as the truckmaker restructured and signed deals with GM.
“We will terminate NAFTA and get a much better deal for our workers,” Trump told the crowd.
But Democrats countered, saying Trump has never backed up his words with action, and noted many of the products that bear his name were produced overseas.
“He talks about trade deals but his actions speak louder than his words,” said Nan Whaley, Dayton’s mayor. “This is a guy that dumps steel here from China, the guy that talks about how America’s great, but his ties are made China, his suits in Bangladesh and Mexico.”
About the Author