WASHINGTON – Hundreds of demonstrators, primarily from the D.C. area, gathered in front of the White House late Saturday morning to show their support and appreciation to President Donald Trump.
“I’m sorry he has to take all of this abuse,” Marilyn Ochs of Bethesda said while holding a handwritten sign. “But he can take it!”
The Fairfax County Republican Committee organized the event in support of the president’s decision to pull out of the Paris Agreement on climate change.
“We basically think it’s a bad deal for the country. It’s an example of the kind of unilateral decision making President Obama was making,” said committee chairman Matt Ames.
He said this is not about the climate.
“If you work for the federal government, if you live in the D.C. area, I think, in principle, you care about good government,” Ames said.
Ames said if this had been handled like a treaty and had gone through the Senate, President Trump would not have been able to make the decision to leave the agreement.
“We believe that there is a climate issue and we need to solve it,” committee executive director Steve Buckingham said while passing out “Trump-Pence” stickers. “But signing an agreement that has no enforcement, no mechanism to enforce any aspect to it, is ridiculous.”
The Pennsylvania Avenue demonstration was called a “Pittsburgh, not Paris” rally, even though Pittsburgh went to Hillary Clinton during the presidential election.
“We’re well aware of the fact Pittsburgh — Allegheny County, specifically — went to Clinton,” Buckingham said.
The demonstrators still embraced the message.
“President Trump is the president for all Americans, not just the ones who voted for him,” Buckingham said. “For us, the whole ‘Pittsburgh not Paris’ has really resonated.”
Many attendees were not at the event to support or oppose the Paris agreement. They came out to just offer some support to the president.
“We know he’s always getting a lot of heat for always doing the right thing,” Donna Widawski said. “The president has their back. The president is trying to do the right thing.”
Ochs also chimed in.
“We’re very, very strong in our support,” Ochs said passionately. “They say he’s a bully, he’s rude — what? I don’t see it.”
She said Trump has her unconditional support — with one exception.
“If he ever shows weakness,” she said, “he’s finished.”
Supporters of the president outside the White House. @WTOP pic.twitter.com/1GQKfQ3J7R
— Dennis J. Foley (@DJFoleyWTOP) June 3, 2017
