The chance to attend a Donald Trump rally brought a nine-year-old Maine girl to tears.
The excited reaction (see clip embedded below) of Ava Lovley sitting in the back seat of the family’s car when she learned about the planned excursion to nearby New Hampshire to see Donald Trump in person was captured on video by her mother, Kim Lovley, and posted to social media.
Donald Trump is, of course, the GOP front-runner for the 2016 presidential nomination.
“Overwhelmed at the idea that she and Trump will soon be breathing the same air, she goes from shock to glee to full-on waterworks,” the Portland Press Herald reported .
“I love you, Trump,” the youngster — who arguably might be real estate mogul’s biggest fan — says through tears of joy in the footage as she thanks her mom for the surprise opportunity. At the event, she met Donald Trump and got his autograph.
Kim told the Washington Post that the family is Republican but not at all political and are in the undecided category as far as for whom they might ultimately vote, although she found Trump’s presentation compelling. “Ava was a big Trump fan, though, and had been tracking his candidacy since he announced. ‘She said she loved his hair and that he speaks his mind,’” her mom explained.
#CLTV This 9-Year-Old Is Very Excited To See Donald Trump – (Mashable) Ava Lovley, (real name) of Newport, Main… https://t.co/Ljhf7WMjNz
— Crooks and Liars (@crooksandliars) January 27, 2016
“When I put [the video] on Facebook, basically it was just for our friends and family to see how happy [Ava] was. It wasn’t for any political agenda,” she added.
First-time political rally goers, the family attended the Trump event on Monday in Farmington, New Hampshire, about three miles from their home in Newport, Maine.
9-year-old Ava Lovely not only likes Trump because he’s so outspoken, but more importantly, because of his hair. https://t.co/CMr4FQ9F5J
— WDBJ7 (@WDBJ7) January 28, 2016
The New Hampshire primary is scheduled for February 9. According to current polls, the brash New York businessman has a big lead in that state over his rivals for the nomination. He and Texas Senator Ted Cruz are presumed to be neck and neck in Iowa, which holds its caucus next Monday.
The Lovley family’s Facebook page chronicled what happened after they got to the New Hampshire Donald Trump rally.
“Ava had the Best time!!! She enjoyed every minute! Was right in front of him for speech,cheered throughout his compelling speech, got his autograph on poster she made, talked to him, hand signed, and made a ton of friends!! What an experience.”
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S0Wt7KddlRM
Separately, Trump announced last night that he was pulling out of the GOP debate on Fox News tomorrow night in Des Moines, Iowa, as a result of his ongoing feud with Megyn Kelly compounded by a snarky press release from the network with which he took strong exception.
This is a risky strategy with the Iowa Caucus — the first time voters will formally have a chance to express their presidential preference — just a few days away.
Apparently, Donald Trump wasn’t bluffing about orchestrating an alternative event at the same time as the debate to raise money for U.S. military veterans, particularly those wounded in combat.
The ex- Celebrity Apprentice star appears to be going forward with counter-programming simultaneous with the GOP debate. The event to benefit vets will take place at Drake University in Des Moines.
It’s on pic.twitter.com/d4oERJIMLf
— Maggie Haberman (@maggieNYT) January 27, 2016
It has yet to be determined if the Trump non-debate event will be televised nationally by another cable network. Chances are, however, that some viewership erosion will occur in the GOP debate on Fox, given that Trump apparently won’t be there. Like him or hate him, Donald Trump’s trump card perhaps is that Fox News GOP debate in August — where he and moderator Megyn Kelly had their disputatious encounter — set an all-time record for a non-sports cable event with 24 million viewers, primarily because of his participation.
[Photo by Michael Snyder/AP)