Trump Jr. holds 11th-hour rally in Shiprock

SHIPROCK

Navajo Republicans are calling for change.

With just five days to spare before America elects its next president, Republicans gathered in Shiprock to rally around Donald Trump, Jr., the eldest son of the Republican presidential candidate. Trump, 38, spoke to a standing-room-only crowd of more than 300 people Friday at the Shiprock Chapter House, lobbying for support for his father.

“We’re trying to save the free world,” he said to a cheering audience. “I meet so many Americans who are sick of government, sick of false promises, sick of regulations. It’s time to put America first.”

If Trump is elected, he will clamp down on “inefficiency, waste, fraud and abuse,” Trump Jr. said, calling on voters to reject the Democratic ticket. “This campaign from day one has been about failed promises… the usual promises, the usual lies. If we put a Trump in the White House, it’s someone who’s not part of this.”

During an eleventh-hour campaign trip, Trump Jr. made two stops in northwest New Mexico, speaking in Farmington on Friday afternoon before heading to Shiprock. The second rally, hosted by Navajo Republicans of Shiprock, drew prospective voters from across the Northern Agency.

The goal, organizers said, was to convince Navajo Republicans—a minority within a minority—to vote according to their conscience, not registered party.

“The Navajo Nation is probably 85 percent Democrat,” said Gary Bernally, of Hogback. “For decades and decades, Democrats have run the show. Look at what we have: no jobs, no development. What do we have to show? Nothing.”

Bernally, who spoke ahead of Trump, challenged fellow voters to help end the status quo.

“As Diné, we have an obligation to our people,” he said. “Let’s get out and get things changed.”

Also attending the rally were several “genetic” Democrats who switched parties. Among them was Rep. Markwayne Mullin, R-Okla., a member of the Cherokee Nation and one of two Natives in the U.S. House of Representatives.

“Traditionally, Indian Country is said to vote straight Democrat,” said Mullin, who also serves as chairman of Trump’s Native American Coalition. “It’s time to break tradition. It’s time to start questioning whether the Democratic Party of today is the same as your father’s father’s party.”

Mullin, who said he was “all in” when it came to supporting Trump, challenged Navajo voters to ask themselves why they vote Democrat. If voters want to “make America great again,” they must support Trump, he said.

“Donald Trump may not understand all the Indian issues, but he’s smart enough to surround himself with people to get the answers,” Mullin said. “He has an open ear and he’s willing to listen to wise counsel.”

While Republicans rallied inside the Shiprock Chapter House, protestors gathered outside, holding signs and chanting anti-Trump slogans.

“We’re out here to protest the Trump campaign,” said 25-year-old Jordan Steele, of Teec Nos Pos. “He’s on our homeland, so we have the right to say he’s not welcome. His campaign doesn’t favor people of color. He doesn’t protect women or the LGBTQ group and his campaign is one of xenophobia.”

Yet the protestors, despite being the minority at the Republican rally, were not campaigning in favor of Hillary Clinton, the Democratic candidate for president.

“We want to make it clear that we’re not supporting Hillary here,” Steele said. “Neither one is the best candidate in this election. We’re just taking a stance against Trump.”

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