Donald Trump Jr. stops at Ashland outdoors store
ASHLAND - Donald Trump supporters came out in droves Monday to see the Republican presidential candidate's eldest son, Donald Trump Jr., during a campaign stop at Fin Feather Fur Outfitters in Ashland.
Trump Jr. took a brief tour of the store, which sells hunting, fishing and camping equipment as well as firearms and ammunition, before addressing the crowd of several hundred people.
"I'm a big hunter, big fisherman, big outdoorsman," Trump Jr. told the crowd. "I'm also probably an unlikely guy to be a big proponent of the outdoors and hunting, fishing, and shooting because I'm the son of a rich guy from New York."
Trump Jr. said growing up he would spend five or six weeks each summer with his blue-collar grandfather in communist Czechoslovakia, and that is where he developed his love for the outdoors and for shooting.
"When I think about that next generation I think about how important those things that I learned in the woods, on a range, were to me. The discipline, the patience, all those things you can't learn on an iPad."
Fin Feather and Fur staff offered Trump Jr. an opportunity to shoot a bow in the basement archery range of the store, but he declined, saying he only shoots with his own equipment. He later poked fun at other politicians who he said have posed with guns for photo opportunities but demonstrated they didn't really know how to properly hold and use them.
Trump Jr. emphasized that a vote for Trump is a vote to protect gun rights.
"I think we all know what's at stake here as far as our hobbies and our passions... We've got to protect that at all costs," he said.
Trump Jr. called his father's campaign a movement of the people and contrasted that with the opposition, which he called an "establishment" campaign.
"When I've gone around with my father and I've seen him speak to 10, 15, 20,000 people two, three, four times a day, and I see the other person that we're running against couldn't fill a room this size with two weeks notice and paid attendees," he said.
Trump Jr. said the "enthusiasm gap" between supporters of the two candidates is an amazing demonstration of an "of the people" campaign.
"We are going up against the most establishment of establishment candidates. D.C. has given us nothing but debt and a big mess, but my father is going to change all that," he said.
During the tour, Trump Jr. told media that Ohio still is "very much in play" leading up to the Nov. 8 election. Trump Jr. also was scheduled to make stops at Miami University in Oxford and at Rocky Boots in Nelsonville on Monday.
Prior to departing, Trump. Jr. threw camouflage "Make America Great Again" hats into the crowd and then mingled with the audience, signing autographs, taking selfies with Trump fans and even speaking to a few attendees' family members on cell phones.
Mike Goschinski, owner of Fin Feather Fur Outfitters, said he is a Trump supporter and was pleased to host Monday's event.
Democratic presidential candidate candidate Hillary Clinton made a brief stop in Ashland next door at Grandpa's Cheesebarn July 3`after the Democratic National Convention, but her campaign did not notify local media or the local Democratic Party of the visit.
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