While today looks like a Norman Rockwell Christmas card in New Hampshire — believe me, we’re going to be posting a lot of snow pics, sue us — yesterday was the kind of balmy-for-February day that New Englanders break out the Nantucket shorts for.
In Exeter, locals were out in droves not just to take advantage of the unseasonably warm weather, but to catch a glimpse of Donald J. Trump, who was speaking at their collonaded town hall. A local cop said there were 700 people inside, and many had been turned away at the door.
Outside it was bustling, a road dividing the Trump supporters from his vocal protesters — some perhaps smelling weakness after his second-place Iowa finish and others out to show they were standing by their man. Near the town hall steps, Ruth Albert, a 65-year-old retired postal worker from nearby Kingston, said she admired Trump because “he’s a businessman that knows how to handle numbers and figures.” A descendant of Josiah Bartlett, a signer of the Declaration of Independence (she lives in the family’s ancestral home), Albert pointed to Trump’s immigration policy as another reason she was attracted to the presidential candidate. “Why should people sneak in?” she said.
Ruth Albert, left, and Elizabeth Greenwald.
Clare Malone
Across the road from the town hall and behind barriers, a row of protesters had set up shop, including about 20 or so students from nearby Phillips Exeter Academy. Rachel Johnson, 16, a boarding student from Nashville, Tennessee, was wearing a pink sweatshirt with “Feminist” splayed across the front. She said that the things Trump said about women turned her off, “especially the things he says about his daughter.”
Students from Phillips Exeter Academy protesting at a Donald Trump event.
Clare Malone
Larry and Barbara Koff of Brookline, Massachusetts, were a few feet away, having driven the hour or so from home to stand underneath a effigy of Trump made out of, among other things, a trash can and a toilet seat for a mouth. “We built this and were waiting for Trump to show up,” said Larry, a 73-year-old retired city planner. “People like it, it’s humorous so they don’t get too ticked.” Barbara, 72, a retired Boston University professor, gave him a skeptical look. “Well … someone in Nashua told us to get out of his country,” Larry acceded.
The Koffs were not the only people to make an out-of-state trip to see Trump. Tito Media, 73, originally of El Paso, Texas, has been following the New York businessman to his rallies, selling sundry Trump souvenirs. “They buy ’em,” he said of the masses. “You know, posterity — they’ve got grandkids.” He says he splits his proceeds “one-third, one-third, one-third” — for the campaign, for supplies and for his own efforts.
When the town hall finally let out, people with “Don’t believe the Liberal media!” posters streamed down the steps. The crowds outside were only granted a glimpse of Trump, who gave a quick wave before ducking into his SUV. “Worth the five hours,” a woman muttered. But Rich Tuite, a heating and AC tech from Kingston, had been inside and seemed exhilarated by the whole experience: “Thrilling,” he said, as the candidate’s motorcade swooshed by.
Micah Cohen
Welcome!
MANCHESTER — The FiveThirtyEight politics team is in New Hampshire! Nate Silver, Harry Enten, Clare Malone, Ritchie King, Jody Avirgan and yours truly will be bringing you analysis, photos, audio and video from the epicenter of the political universe for the next few days.
Hopefully, you’ll feel like you’re in New Hampshire yourself, just without the necessity of busting out your snow boots.
What’s it like to be in New Hampshire just before two big-time presidential primaries? We’ll show you over the next few days. Leave a comment, and send us questions @FiveThirtyEight.
