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FORT LAUDERDALE, (special correspondents).- The meeting was scheduled for eight thirty at night. It was just getting dark in Fort Lauderdalethe neighboring city to the north of Miami. El Savor, a cinema that still retains its eighties image, with leather seats and a red carpet in the entrance hall, was the setting for a group of young Republicans to watch the first film on the big screen. presidential debate of the 2024 campaign between Joe Biden and Donald Trump.
Young people under 25 years old who live in Broward County, which borders Miami-Dade and Palm Beach, organized the evening Young Republicans. The objective was to bring together several Trump fans, socialize, raise funds and rally support for the presidential elections next November, in which the businessman will seek to return to power and defeat the current president who won the elections four years ago.
Known as Cinema Paradiso, in homage to the Oscar-winning Italian film, the place changed its name to Flavor in 2016. It is home to the Fort Lauderdale International Film Festival and independent films are usually shown on its screen. It is also rented out for events such as weddings, corporate parties or this meeting of the young republicans. The building was built in the middle of the last century and was home to a Methodist church. It then passed into the hands of the county until the 1980s when it was adapted as a theatre and then a cinema.
The entrance It was difficult for the Republican Party 15 dollars. As soon as one entered the hall, a man dressed in a huge T-shirt printed with the United States flag and the number 1 on the back greeted the spectators with a collection of paintings that were for sale. They contained portraits of the candidate, American flags and the Bald eagle, the official emblem of this nation, among other strong symbology partisan.
Most of the men wore red or white T-shirts with images of their candidate and caps. The women were dressed as if they were going to a party.
At a small stand before entering the room, attendees could buy buckets of popcorn for $5, beer for $7, soft drinks, candy and snacks. A huge banner with a white background and red inscriptions served as a backdrop for taking photos as if it were a a red carpet of celebrities.
Although it was called by young people, the majority of the attendees were adults and predominantly women. There were Americans of Latin origin but also those born in this country.
Nina, a Venezuelan who arrived dressed in a red blouse, a pin with the elephant representing the Republicans and the cap that Trump usually wears in his campaign with the inscription Make America Great Again, said that the debate was “ridiculous because Biden doesn’t know where he stands”.
“I would ask for a mental evaluation. He has dementia “And that’s why they didn’t let the public in to observe the body language. He was probably under the influence of pills. The US is now run by a couple of clowns. Let’s hope there’s a change, we don’t want this media circus anymore,” said Nina.
In each intervention of Biden during the crossing that took place at the headquarters of CNN in Atlanta, and watched live by millions of people across the country, the cinema was booed and insulted. Especially when the Democrat accused the White House candidate of being “a convicted felon.”
The public was expectant debate and as if it were an opera performance, he only left the room during one of the two commercial breaks arranged by the organizers. The venue, with capacity for more than 200 spectators, looked only a quarter complete.
The supporters maintained the same line that the Republican team drew during this campaign for attacking the current president for his age or his lack of reflexes. The most celebrated part of the night was when at the closing of a statement on immigrants Biden He appeared to babble (he stuttered during his childhood) and speak somewhat more slowly, although it was understood that he was referring to border patrols and asylum offices. “I don’t know what he said and I don’t think he even knows,” he mocked. Trump upon receiving the word. The film’s supporters applauded wildly.
When the president accused his predecessor of having had sexual relations with a prostitute while his wife was pregnantRepublicans were surprised. Much of Biden’s interventions were covered up by abuse that did not allow listening.
During the two commercial breaks they took the opportunity to go buy more popcorn, beers and take photos with people they didn’t know.
Among the attendees was Susan, an Argentinian who came to the country as a child and is now campaigning for Trump. “I love him,” he told LA NACION in perfect English in one of the intervals. “What I love most are the policies that he applied when he was president,” he said, and among them he highlighted his immigration measures. She also shared her own experience: “I was born in Buenos Aires. And when my family brought my grandmother and aunt here, it took ten years to get citizenship. So immigration and border policies are very important to me and are very close to my heart.” Regarding the debate, Susan said: “I think Donald Trump is the clear winner.”
At the end of the debate, everyone left the place happy and confident that their candidate would once again sit in the Oval Office of the White House. Those attending the debate, which was shown in the local cinema, believed themselves to be winners in advance. “The only way for Biden to win is for us to get robbed [la elección]”, they repeated.
