In every city he’s visited, every rally he’s held, Donald Trump has incited both virulent protests and unbridled—frequently nativist—patriotism. On March 13, Trump demonstrated his ability to draw crowds at a rally in the Sunset Cove amphitheater in Boca Raton, Florida. The amphitheater was filled almost to its capacity of 6,000 people.
“Let’s call them disrupters”
As with most of Trump’s rallies, there was a designated space outside of the event for protestors. Compared to the Chicago protest on March 11, there were few protestors—approximately 35—at the Boca Raton rally. Nonetheless, clashes between protestors and supporters seem inevitable at every Trump rally. The groups were literally split down the middle of the road, with security confining attendees and picketers to opposite ends of the street if they were not entering the rally itself. Protestors held signs reading “Deport Trump,” “Facts Stump Trump” and “Love Trumps Hate.” As the factions yelled and chanted at one another, Palm Beach County sheriffs rode in on horses to block the fields of vision and prevent conflict escalation. The entire affair was being recorded on a handheld camera by one of the sheriffs.
“We’re going to win, win, win”
Trump supporters attempted to combat claims that the candidate’s base consists solely of white ethnocentrists, waving signs reading, “Hispanics for Trump” and “Legal Immigrants for Trump.” Similarly, after attacking the Mexican government for taking advantage of the United States in trade deals, Trump asserted, “I love the Mexican people. I love the Hispanic people. The problem is their leaders are far too smart for our leaders.” Despite the large Hispanic population in South Florida, Trump’s strong immigration policies were repeatedly extolled as one of his strengths. Before Trump took the stage, speakers criticized Marco Rubio, a senator from Florida, for voting against a bill that would’ve cracked down on sanctuary cities. These remarks weighed particularly heavily given that one of the speakers in the rally’s line up was a woman whose son was murdered by an undocumented immigrant.
Working to solidify his reported 20-point lead over Rubio—other sources have cited narrower numbers—Trump repeatedly attacked Rubio as “a no show senator” and for pushing an agenda of amnesty for undocumented immigrants. Trump criticized Rubio for his participation in the “gang of eight,” a bi-partisan Senate coalition that was responsible for the 2013 immigration bill. The crowd erupted in boos as Trump listed off the names of the Democratic senators with whom Rubio collaborated, such as Chuck Schumer and Richard Durbin.
“No reading speeches”
Trump prides himself on his candor and his campaign addresses reflect that. In addition to criticizing Hillary Clinton for using large teleprompters when giving speeches, he doubled down on previous statements he had made about his Republican opponents which were deemed politically incorrect. After referring to Rubio as “little Marco” and Ted Cruz as “lying Ted Cruz,” the crowd cheered as Trump reaffirmed his fight against the “politically correct war.” 
His refusal to be labeled a politician was a recurring theme throughout the rally. Unhappy with his wife and daughters’ pleas for him to act “more presidential,” Trump reinforced the differences between himself and a typical politician. Towards the end of the rally, he said, “a politician would say ‘it’s very important you go out and vote.’” Not being a politician, Trump instead said, “do not vote if you’re going to vote for anyone else.”
Image sources: Alan Saperstein & Tess Saperstein