Duval County

Eric Trump holds campaign rally in Jacksonville

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — President Donald Trump’s son, Eric Trump, held a campaign rally in Jacksonville Friday morning.

The event, titled “Make America Great Again! Event with Eric Trump,” was held at the M. Gay Constructors, Inc. warehouse on Jacksonville’s Northside.

Dean Black, Chairman of the Duval County GOP, was among several people to take the stage prior to Eric. Preceding speakers included Jacksonville Councilman Rory Diamond, Rep. Cord Byrd, and Rep. John Rutherford.

Rutherford introduced Eric at the conclusion of his comments. Black estimates about 150 people were in attendance for Eric’s speech.

“In 2016, we were running against incompetence,” said Eric to the crowd of Trump campaign supporters. “I say it every day, right, incompetence. This is a party that, you know, they ran the economy into the ground.”

Eric discussed the economy, protection of the Second Amendment, and criticized the Democratic Party.

“If John F. Kennedy were alive today, he’d be sitting right there,” Eric said. “He’d be sitting in that one free seat. This is not the party of Bill Clinton. This isn’t the party of JFK. This is a radical, crazy, party.”

Today, President Donald Trump announced his return to the campaign trail via Twitter. He tweeted that he will hold a rally in Sanford, FL on Monday. The President’s doctor recently cleared him for a return to “public engagements.”

Following Eric’s speech on Friday, Action News Jax Reporter Ryan Nelson spoke to him in a one-on-one interview.

Prior to the President’s announcement, Eric told Nelson that President Trump would likely appear at a campaign event in Florida soon.

“I think you’re going to be very happy to know he is, he’ll be here very, very soon,” Eric said. “Listen, he loves the state, he’s feeling great.”

On Friday evening, the Commission on Presidential Debates canceled the second debate between Trump and Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden.

Earlier in the day, Nelson asked Eric if his father was likely to debate Biden again.

“My father’s not one to do a big debate on a Zoom call,” Eric said. “He wants to look somebody in the eye. He wants to stand on stage with them. He doesn’t want to do a Zoom call, effectively, a conference call debate.”

Eric also discussed his father’s health status with Action News Jax.

“You know, he was down for a day, and he feels great, and he’s perfectly normal,” Eric said. “And he’s out there and he’s working very, very hard, and I’m incredibly proud of him.”

Some in the crowd at Eric’s event wore masks. Others did not.

Following his speech in Jacksonville, Democratic candidates for the Biden/Harris campaign held an event as well.

The Democratic candidate for the House of Representatives, Donna Deegan, was among those in attendance at the rally. Deegan is running against Rep. Rutherford in this year’s election.

She discussed the lack of masks at today’s event with Eric Trump.

“That is literally a slap in the face to people who are hurting, who have lost loved ones,” Deegan said. “Who have spent their lives building a business, and depend on this virus to get under control, so that we can thrive again, in this state, and in this country.”

Nelson asked Eric for a comment on his decision to not wear a mask. He did not comment directly.