The Best and Worst Moments from Trump’s Philly Visit
Featuring witches, the president's signature braggadocio, some thoroughly uncreative insults from Trump supporters -- oh, and yes, Gritty.
Photo by Claire Sasko
Happy Wednesday, Philly. If you’re reading this, you made it through President Donald Trump‘s appearance in Philly on Tuesday. His presence, of course, prompted demonstrations, snarled traffic, and inspired the creation of at least three beloved Gritty-themed protest signs.
If you’re just catching up now, we’ve got you covered. Below, you’ll find a video of Trump’s afternoon speech at the National Electrical Contractors Association’s annual gathering, which was held at the Pennsylvania Convention Center. (Spoiler: it’s mostly just him praising himself.)
And you’ll also find the day’s best moments (the Gritty signs, of course) and the worst moments (awkward standoffs between protesters and Trump supporters). Plus, some of our other favorites scenes and reactions.
Trump’s Speech
Philly.com reports that Trump spoke for about 38 minutes before a crowd of about 6,000 electrical contractors, electricians and apprentices from across the country.
During his speech, he boasted about his administration’s trade agreement with Canada and Mexico, as well as what he deemed “the best economy in our history.” He also said that the nation is “respected against like we have not been respected in decades.”
The best reactions to the president’s appearance
https://twitter.com/chris80641634/status/1047275395337408512
Dear Philadelphia,
If you like him… you can keep him. Really. Like please never send him back to NYC. We’ll take some cheesesteaks, pretzels and a few Wawa spots in return. Thanks!
Sincerely,
All New Yorkers
— Sammy Silva (@PoemzOfTheHeart) October 2, 2018
— Beily Rosario (@BeilyR) October 2, 2018
All Things Gritty
I counted at least three Gritty signs at the protest.
Gritty signs spotted so far pic.twitter.com/PIBm54pvW9
— Claire Sasko (@ClaireSasko) October 2, 2018
And there was also plenty of Gritty-related chanting.
More “Gritty hates Trump” chants, this time in front of the Convention Center (where the President is currently inside) pic.twitter.com/Fe8IXUNp5G
— Michaela Winberg (@mwinberg_) October 2, 2018
Lesson learned? Gritty, our new Flyers mascot, has been adopted as a symbol of the resistance.
We’re not quite sure how he himself will feel about this, given that he sort of resembles Trump. But Philly is on board.
https://twitter.com/BrianPHickey/status/1047234944827838464
https://twitter.com/BrianPHickey/status/1047252514180157440
https://twitter.com/antifaintl/status/1047082590061125633
Brief Standoffs
There were at least two moments of tension between Trump protesters and Trump supporters. The first occurred in the beginning of the march, around 2 p.m. on the east side of City Hall, when some guy kept yelling at protesters, “Get a job.”
One Trump support showed up to the front of the protest to antagonize everyone. He’s mostly yelling “get a job” pic.twitter.com/b6GOO3hMGr
— Michaela Winberg (@mwinberg_) October 2, 2018
Then, as Trump’s speech wrapped up and convention attendees flooded the streets, a few more standoffs occurred, with a few more people yelling at protesters to “Get a job.”
It seemed to be the insult of choice.
Photo by Claire Sasko
There were also a few anti-Trump witches …
Photo by Claire Sasko
And plenty of Brett Kavanaugh-related signage.
Photo by Claire Sasko
And when it was all over, people were pretty relieved. For the most part.
Kindly let us all know when the country will normalize. Thanks.
— Chellebert💋🌊 (@sassysnarkpants) October 2, 2018
— Mzday♈♀️️ (@MzDay4787) October 2, 2018
— tmp507 (@TPelger) October 2, 2018
Just in time for rush hour! pic.twitter.com/YyXNfkKPhc
— #AlexJones is my Spirit Animal (@SemperArgentum) October 2, 2018
