Donald Trump gave what CNN calls one of his shortest speeches this weekend to a crowd of raucous, booing Libertarians.
With signage on the screen behind him that read, "Become ungovernable" in a grafitti-style font, it seemed that everyone took that directive to heart during the party's national convention in Washington, DC on Saturday night. While Trump made several attempts to try and win over the crowd, some were not content to just incoherently grumble but also took to active name-calling. Rolling Stone claims that "Liar!" and "Panderer!" were called out, while The Daily Beast notes that one inspired person called Trump "Swamp creature!"
Trump's main tactic was focused on gaining their support to defeat Joe Biden.
"That is why I have come to extend a hand of friendship to ask for your partnership to defeat Communism, to defeat Marxism and to defeat Crooked Joe Biden who is destroying our country," he said, emphasizing a spirit of partnership against the common enemy.
He also attempted to sway the crowd with promises, such as hiring Libertarians should he win. "I’m committing to you tonight, that I will put a Libertarian in my Cabinet, and also Libertarians in senior posts."
Then there was the promise to commute the sentence of Ross Ulbricht, founder of the darknet market site Silk Road, who was sentenced to life in prison after being convicted on multiple counts including distributing narcotics and conspiracy to commit money laundering in 2015. His conviction has become a cause célèbre in libertarian circles. During Trump's first term, however, he had refused to commute Ulbricht's sentence.
Perhaps hoping to appeal to a sense of lawlessness, Trump also tried his hand at commiserating with the crowd over his criminal indictments. "If I wasn't a Libertarian before, I sure as hell am a Libertarian now," he quipped.
But the boos kept coming, especially when Trump suggested that the Libertarians should actually nominate him for president.
"Whoa, that's nice, that's nice," he said to the rising cries of dissent, before changing tactics and throwing shade. "Only if you want to win. Maybe you don't want to win . . . If you want to lose, don't do that. Keep getting your 3% every four years."
That 3% refers to the popular vote percentage Libertarians have won in past U.S. presidential elections.
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