GOP Front-Runner Donald Trump was in Nashville to court Tea Party-leaning voters at a conference hosted by the National Federation of Republican Assemblies, which describes itself as “a grassroots movement to take back the Republican Party for the vast and disenfranchised majority of its members.”
#Trump just finished speaking in Nashville. He entered and is leaving like a rock star. Very conservative audience and they love him
— Talk GOP (@GOPtalk) August 29, 2015
In his morning speech, Trump praised the Tea Party’s efforts to hold the federal government accountable and discussed how the group has been discredited by the Republican establishment.
“You have not been treated fairly,” Trump said. “People talk about the Tea Party, and you talk about being marginalized? “At least I have a microphone, where I can fight back. You people don’t.
The NFRA also held a straw poll where Trump also won by a large margin:
Via @BreitbartNews “TRUMP WINS NASHVILLE GRASSROOTS STRAW POLL WITH 52 PERCENT”- http://t.co/kmNU8IkI5Q — Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) August 30, 2015
Trump won 52 percent of the 420 votes cast. All 17 candidates were on the ballot.
Here were the top vote-getters:
- Businessman Donald Trump: 220 votes
- Texas Sen. Ted Cruz: 100 votes
- Retired pediatric neurosurgeon Dr. Ben Carson: 46 votes
Two other candidates were far behind, but in double digits: Kentucky Sen. Rand Paul, with 15 votes, and former Hewlett-Packard Co. CEO Carly Fiorina, with 11 votes.
Check out his full speech here:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k24kkkkg334
After his remarks, Trump told reporters that he would make a decision “very soon” on whether to make a third-party run if he did not win the nomination. He said the decision would make a lot of people “very happy.”
What did you think of Trump’s speech to the Tea Party members in attendance? Leave your thoughts below in the comment section and don’t forget to share on Twitter/Facebook for discussion.
