Northern California MAGA Republicans flock to Reno for Donald Trump rally: ‘He’ll save us’

Reno

Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump spoke to thousands Friday evening in a crowded pavilion at the Grand Sierra Resort and Casino in Reno, where he promised to defeat Vice President Kamala Harris in this November’s election.

“We don’t need four more years of gross incompetence, radicalism and failure,” he told a raucous crowd adorned in red MAGA hats, Trump mugshot T-shirts and American flag earrings, dresses and jumpsuits.

In a weaving speech that lasted nearly 90 minutes, Trump joked with the crowd and lobbed criticism at targets ranging from “60 Minutes” and Sen. Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass., to the president of Venezuela and even hydrogen cars.

Trump’s remarks were part stump speech and part stand up, focusing predominantly on immigration and the border. He repeated widely criticized claims he made at his rally hours earlier in Aurora, Colorado, warning of “a savage Venezuelan gang” that is “taking over an entire apartment complex with weapons that we’ve never seen before.”

He promised attendees that if he were president, “those guys would be out of here before we left this room.”

He further promised to “round up the illegal alien gang members” and called for the “death penalty for any migrant that kills an American,” earning more applause.

Trump took swipe after swipe at Vice President Kamala Harris, referring to her “respectfully” as “not a very smart person,” “Lyin’ Kamala” and “an incompetent Communist.”

Elon Musk also got a prominent mention. The tech billionaire endorsed Trump in July, the day after a bullet grazed the candidate’s ear at a rally in Butler, Pennsylvania. Last weekend, Trump returned to the site of the shooting for another rally and called Musk onstage.

There was no sight of Musk at the rally in Reno, but the former California resident still received plenty of applause.

”He’s our friend, right?” Trump asked the cheering crowd.

Trump devoted some time to lamenting Democratic Party politics like the “Green New Scam” and the “Inflation Creation Act.” But he continuously brought the conversation back to crime, public safety and immigration.

“We will get ‘woke’ out of the military,” he promised, before showing a video compilation that included queer American services members, amid jeers and boos from the crowd.

”We have a very tough, smart, great military,” he said. “We have to take care of our military, though.”

Comments on critical race theory and trans rights were crowd favorites. ”We will keep men out of women’s sports,” he yelled as the audience roared.

About 90 minutes in, Trump told the crowd he would “bring back the American Dream.”

“We must defeat Kamala Harris,” he said. “And stop her radical leftist agenda once and for all. ... And together, we will make America powerful again. We will make American wealthy again. We will make America healthy again. We will make America strong again. We will make America proud again. We will make America safe again. And we will make America great again.”

Northern Californians at the rally

There were plenty of Sacramento-area fans in the crowd who made the drive to Reno to experience the former president campaign in person.

Before she had even entered the Grand Sierra Resort and Casino, Kiana Bozynski stood on the verge of tears.

She was about to see Donald Trump, “a true American hero,” for the first time in her young life.

“I’ve been to one concert before,” said the 27-year-old Orangevale resident, “and this surpasses that feeling by leaps and bounds. He’s a true American hero.”

Kiana drove to Reno with her mom, Teresa, in a caravan with the Freedom Riders 1776, a group of Sacramento-area Trump supporters who drive around the region with oversize Trump flags, signs, stickers and other Pro-Trump insignia.

“I know I’m probably going to cry,” Kiana said, standing in front of their raised Ford F250 Super Duty, decorated with a Trump-as-Rambo car hood cover standing out on its otherwise slate exterior.

“But I’m 27 years old. I will never be able to afford anything in this nation if he doesn’t win again. I don’t think I will ever be able to afford a home, especially in California. ... Our nation’s kind of going down the tubes a little bit, and I think he’s the person that will be able to save us.”

Teresa agreed, also verging on tears.

“He stands up for us,” she said. “For the people. And he has survived every dirty, cruel game they’ve thrown at him. That, to me, is what makes it emotional. He has forgone his riches, he did everything for the people of America, and that’s what makes it emotional to me. He keeps fighting.”

The Bozynski women were just two of the many thousands of people descending upon The Biggest Little City in the World for the Trump campaign rally. The 4,000-seat venue was filled to capacity, said Christopher Abraham of the Grand Sierra Resort, along with 1,000-plus in the overflow room. They were also not the only family from Northern California who took a road trip to Nevada on Friday.

Erik and Wilfredo Urbina, from Stockton, drove for more than three hours and then stood in line for hours more to attend their first Trump rally.

Both of them are self-employed first-generation Latino Americans, whose parents came — legally, Erik made sure to point out — to California from Ciudad Juárez in Mexico. The brothers support Trump’s border policies and say many of their Latino community members have decided to support Trump, too.

“Border security is really important to us,” Wilfredo said.

“My dad was one of many who came over here to provide a future for his kids,” said Erik. “I love my heritage, but I don’t see being able to do what I do now there, given the circumstances.

Two separate families from Grass Valley were eager to see Trump in the flesh as well.

Shay Coats, a 24-year-old mother from Grass Valley who brought her 10-month-old son, Cash, to the rally, said she’s been a longtime supporter of Trump.

“If Kamala wanted to change stuff,” Coats said, wiping Cash’s nose, “she would have done it by now.”

Coats, who has two more children under the age of 3 at home, was enjoying a mom’s day out with her mother, Crystal Arellano, a huge Trump fan who moved to Nevada from the Grass Valley area 10 years ago.

“Raise Republicans,” Arellano advised, as she snuggled her grandson and rejoined the long line of rally attendees.

Trump’s ‘incredible’ speech

Trump’s remarks ended at around 7:15 p.m. He will make his way to Coachella for another campaign stop Saturday.

Shortly after he finished his speech, the Sacramento-area caravan was quick to start driving laps around the parking lot of the casino to celebrate, honking their horns, blasting music, and shouting “God Bless America.”

The Bozynskis were in the middle of it all.

“That was incredible,” Teresa said, with her hands on her heart.

Kiana, sitting in the passenger’s seat, was surprised she didn’t end up crying.

“There was just so much energy,” she said, before the pair drove off to join the rest of the caravan. “It was just amazing.”

This story was originally published October 11, 2024, 8:30 PM.