Under a tent in a Canonsburg parking lot Wednesday, the free hamburgers and chips flowed like shale gas through Washington County.
The food was there to feed a few hundred supporters of Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump at his new volunteer center, located in an office building.
Many of them held hand-made signs reading, “Deplorables for Trump.”
“It means (Democratic presidential candidate) Hillary Clinton thinks half of Trump supporters are deplorable,” said Trump supporter Claudia Killcrece, of Pittsburgh, referring to a statement made by Clinton at a recent campaign event. “If I’m deplorable that makes her despicable.”
Support for energy jobs and coal also decorated the signs held by many of the supporters who listened as Trump’s son, Donald Trump Jr. spoke at the volunteer center’s opening.
“It’s because of the enthusiasm that you have, because you’re talking to your friends, because you’re getting them out to vote, that we’re going to win this and we’re going to change the direction of this country,” the younger Trump said.
He kept to his father’s theme of job creation and using common sense. Trump said the country has watched those in Washington D.C. use everything but common sense and that common sense will tell voters who want to see new jobs being created to support his father. He said because of that, union members are lining up to vote for his father.
“Because they know, that despite what the union bosses are going to tell them, that a guy like Trump, who’s actually built things, who’s actually created jobs and doesn’t talk about it like it’s this magical unicorn is the one who will protect American workers,” he said.
Union bricklayer Josh Risen, of Appolo, was there to support Trump.
“It’s time to turn the union red,” Risen said. “I will not raise my kids in the America that Hillary and Obama envision … it’s got to change.”
Ian Allen, 20, of Peters Township, said he has friends who are Democrats who support Trump.
“So far, as we’ve seen with Hillary Clinton, we’ve seen corruption, we’ve seen DNC leaks, we’ve also seen billions of dollars being taken from the state department unfounded for where it went,” Allen said.
There were a few moments of policy at the event. Trump touted his father’s plan to infuse $20 billion into inner-city education.
“He’s talking about school choice,” he said. “Making sure those kids in the inner cities have the same opportunities that I was blessed, and my sister and my brother were blessed to have. That everyone in American has those same opportunities to break that cycle of poverty.”
The most recent polls show Clinton Leading Trump in Pennsylvania by about 5 percent.
The Republican presidential candidate is expected to make an appearance at next week’s Shale Insight Energy conference in Pittsburgh.
