James Reed of Linwood had been waiting for this day for three weeks.

In anticipation of former President Donald Trump’s visit to Drexelbrook, the Lower Chichester resident stapled chicken wire to plywood, then wrapped it with plenty of waterproof membrane to create a large elephant sculpture the size of the back of his pickup truck.

“I had made one before for my daughter’s play, Aladdin Jr., but it rained and it collapsed, so I thought, ‘This won’t happen again,'” Reed said while waiting for Trump’s arrival at the Drexeline Mall. Drexelbrook.

Wearing the red, white and blue colors of America, Reed shared what is so special about the Republican candidate to him.

“To me, he represents the enforcement of the Constitution of the United States (freedom, what America is all about); compared to the Democrats, they hate this country and what it stands for,” he said as horns and beeps could be heard from vehicles passing nearby. other supporters stood waving Trump flags.

He was holding a sign that read: “Trump Won; Save America,” Stacy Duran of Springfield didn’t care if she saw Trump, but she wanted to know he was on her side.

He explained to her that it represented “the destruction of the republic, the destruction of the corporation.”

Duran shared her husband Armando, who died in 2011.

“My late husband immigrated here from Cuba,” Duran said. “Her family owned the Tropicana nightclub and they lost everything to come here… They had put money and jewelry in their clothes. They put fake soles on their shoes. They went to Spain for a week’s holiday to visit a dying family member and never returned.

“So this is really important to me,” he said. “This is important. Wherever America goes, the world goes.”

Duran said one of his friends said to him, “You can’t see him. You won’t be able to see it.”

“I said, ‘No,’” he said, “but he can see me.” ”

Anita Yantorno of Upper Darby shared her reasons for supporting Trump.

“I just think Trump is the best person to lead the country,” he said. “He did this four years ago and we were much better off, so if anyone thinks they are better off now, they are completely misinformed.

“I think you should run the country like a businessman, and he is a businessman,” he said. “This is not a popularity contest. You don’t have to like a man to vote for him. I know friends who don’t like him, but I say, ‘It doesn’t matter.’ “He is the best person to save this country, to save us from the brink of war, collapse, anything you can think of.”

He also talked about Trump’s charisma.

“I think he has that kind of presence,” Yantorno said. “I think it unites everyone. “I think he’s the right person for us.”

As a truck passed, Trump waved his sign and shouted: “We want honks!” We want a horn!”

A huge explosion answered his request.

Yantorno smiled as more beeping continued.

“This is actually a lot of fun,” he said. “Everyone is positive because we know that the country will be brought back to its previous state, or even better.”

Jake Haybedian, who grew up in Havertown and now lives in Drexel Hill, said he was on State Road for his daughter and her family.

A Honduran American spoke about his support for Trump.

“He’s the man in the ring,” Haybedian said. “Everybody loves watching the fight go on… Everybody’s talking about a good game, but he’s like, ‘Okay. I’m going to do what most people don’t do. I will bring down the Deep State. I will put an end to pedophilia. ‘I’m going to fix this economy.’ ”

He also credited Trump’s resilience.

“He tells everyone, ‘Don’t count on me.’ You tried to kill me live and I’m still here. I…I’m still here,” Haybedian said. “Go ahead.” ”

Reed’s elephant would travel many kilometers during the day.

“I thought I had tickets to attend the event, but it was for the Allentown event, so I’ll have to go there at some point,” the Linwood resident said.

He added that he had plans for the pachyderm after next week.

“After this election, if Trump wins, I will start building these,” Reed said. “I’m working with another guy and we’ll make them easy to assemble and then we can sell them. This way it does nothing but encourage the GOP. We have to make the GOP fun… We have to make it fun for these people. Make it like one big party.

First Publication Date: October 29, 2024 15:50 EDT