National security focus of Trump’s Estero rally speech

ESTERO, Fla. — Donald Trump centered a nearly hour-long speech around his plan for keeping America safe while promoting job growth and taking aim at Obamacare and Hillary Clinton as he spoke Monday at Germain Arena.

A crowd of about 8,000 was on hand inside the venue to hear the Republican presidential nominee while many more endured temperatures around 90 degrees outside. Some in the crowd said they saw other faint, and many pointed criticism at long lines and limited access to water and bathrooms.

Those inside cheered as Trump railed against Clinton for what he characterized as a refusal to take direct aim at issues threatening national security.

“We will defeat radical Islamic terrorism, just as we have defeated every threat we have faced, in every age before. But we will not defeat it with closed eyes or silent voices. Anyone who cannot name our enemy is not fit to lead our country.”

Trump took the stage shortly after 4 p.m., about an hour after the rally began. Former U.S. House Speaker Newt Gingrich, U.S. House of Representatives candidate Francis Rooney and Florida House candidate Byron Donalds were among those who took the podium prior to Trump.

Crowd control, access an issue

Tickets for the event were available for free on Trump’s website until Friday, when registration closed. After that, resellers were charging as much $600 Monday on Craigslist.

Southwest Florida resident Jackie Gifford said she had five tickets and took her four children out of school so they could attend the rally together, but she told WINK News she was turned away at the door.

“I’m ticked, because we had tickets,” she said. “I got my tickets immediately, right away after WINK posted the thing. Clicked on it. I got five. I got two for everybody’s phone. Get to the door … door shut.”

Emergency crews transported many from the scene because of heat exhaustion, a source told WINK News.

Democrats, opponents respond

A smaller group of 50-75 gathered at Democratic Party of Lee County headquarters Monday morning, where labor and local Democratic leaders spoke against the Trump campaign, calling the Republican nominee unfit and unqualified for the presidency.

They pointed to his lack of military service and controversial statements and called for a federal investigation into a $25,000 donation that the Donald J. Trump Foundation made in 2013 to a PAC supporting Florida Attorney General Pam Bondi.

Bondi was reviewing whether to engage Florida in a class-action lawsuit against Trump University in September 2013, the Orlando Sentinel reported at the time. Four days after the report, the pro-Bondi PAC received the foundation money. A month later, Bondi’s office announced it wouldn’t be joining the suit.

Bondi endorsed Trump’s presidential campaign in March.

“So that’s Trump’s record: using charity money to allegedly buy off attorney generals who will take the bait,” Democratic U.S. House candidate April Freeman said.

The New York Times reported that Trump signed the check four days before the Sentinel story was published. Trump paid a $2,500 penalty to the IRS for using charity money in the donation, which his camp called an inadvertent error. Trump has denied the donation was politically motivated.

At the Trump rally, Southwest Florida clean water activist John G. Heim posted a video to Facebook showing him being ejected from the arena. At several times throughout the video, he asks why he’s being thrown out without receiving an answer.