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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 MiamiThe 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.
A debate in which supporters celebrated every verbal “blow” from Trump to Biden and lived the event like a party. Some, consulted by LA NACION, criticized the current president of the United States with the same arguments as the Republican candidate. Others analyzed the situation in South America and Argentina. “What a great man, he knows exactly what it takes. Argentina is going to grow quickly,” said one of the attendees, dressed in a baseball jacket with the colors of the United States flag.
Young people under 25 years old who live in Broward County, which borders Miami-Dade and Palm Beach, organized the evening Young RepublicansThe goal was to bring together several Trump fans, to socialize, raise funds and gather support for the presidential elections next November, in which the tycoon 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 projected on its screen. It is also rented for events such as weddings, corporate parties or this meeting of young republicans. The building was built in the middle of the last century and a Methodist church operated there. It then passed into the hands of the county until it was adapted as a theater and then as a cinema in the 1980s.
The entrance to the republican party it cost 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.
The men mostly wore red or white t-shirts with images of their candidate and caps. The women were dressed as if it were 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 attended by young people, the majority of attendees were adults and women predominated. There were Americans of Latin origin but also 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 which millions of people in the country followed live, the cinema 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 attack the current president for his age or lack of reflexes. The most celebrated part of the night was when at the end of a statement on immigrants Biden He seemed to slur his words (he was a stutterer as a child) and speak somewhat more slowly, though 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 does either,” he mocked. trump upon receiving the floor, the film 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 they did not allow listening.
During the two commercial breaks they took advantage of the opportunity to go buy more popcorn, beer, and take photos with people they didn’t know.
Among those attending was Susan, an Argentinian who came to the country when she was a child and today campaigns for Trump. “I love him,” she 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.”
Several of the attendees, in response to questions from this medium, analyzed the situation in Argentina and the parallels with the president Javier Milei, who has declared himself an admirer of Trump. “What a great man, he knows exactly what he has to do,” said one of the Republicans, referring to the Argentine president. “He is going to make Argentina grow quickly,” he added.
Others were concerned about the situation in South America. “We are seeing what is happening in Colombia and Bolivia,” they said, and criticized that these are left-wing governments that do harm to their people.
At the exit, everyone left the place happy and confident that their candidate will once again sit in the Oval Room of the White House. Those attending the debate screened in the neighborhood cinema believed they were winners beforehand. “The only way for Biden to win is for us to get robbed [la elección]”, they repeated.
