Seth A. Richardson

srichardson@rgj.com

The crowd for billionaire Donald Trump’s Sunday rally was energized by the time the clock reached noon, one hour before the scheduled start.

Security was heightened compared to Trump’s Sparks rally with Secret Service posts set up throughout the Reno Ballroom, but that didn’t deter the roughly 2,000 people from showing up on a Sunday afternoon. Trump’s rally didn’t start until 1 p.m., but the crowd chanted, waved flags and donned his signature “Make America Great Again” trucker caps for nearly two hours beforehand. Supporters on stage flapped signs spelling out the candidate’s name while the crowd cheered.

Trump’s visit comes less than 50 days before the Feb. 23 Republican caucuses and four days before the next debate. He called for curbing trade deficits in Asia, building a wall along the Mexican border and increasing military spending, including how he was “going to kick the shit out of ISIS.”

Trump criticized President Barack Obama for not speaking out for the country enough and said America needed a figure similar to famed entertainer P.T. Barnum.

“We need a P.T. Barnum. We need energy in this country of ours because we’re losing our spirit,” he said. “We are losing our spirit. We are losing our spirit. We need somebody who’s going to be a cheerleader, and I thought he would’ve been a good cheerleader and he’s really been a tremendous divider.”

While he criticized Democratic candidates former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders, Trump also spent a large portion of the rally questioning the validity of Texas Sen. Ted Cruz’s birth status. Cruz was born in Canada to a U.S. citizen.

“Here’s the problem: it’s called uncertainty,” Trump said. “You just don’t know.”

Trump was at the forefront of the movement questioning President Barack Obama's status as a natural-born citizen. Obama released his birth certificate, showing he was born in Hawaii.

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Trump has ignited similar claims about Cruz in recent weeks as the Texas senator has gained the polls.

Robert Uithoven, the Nevada director for Cruz’s campaign, said Trump’s comments were proof he is worried about Cruz building a solid base in early states like Iowa and Nevada.

“I think the law is pretty clear on this issue that Ted Cruz is certainly a natural-born citizen of the United States,” he said. “This wouldn’t be the first time Donald Trump got it wrong as far as citizenship issues.”

Controversies were minimal compared to Trump rallies in recent weeks, including one in South Carolina where Rosa Hamid, a Muslim woman, was thrown out for protesting silently. Trump has called for a ban on Muslims entering America.

One protester wore a clown nose outside and National Nurses United drove a bus emblazoned with support for Sanders in front of the venue. Kaddie Abdul, 43, of Cincinnati, walked around the rally with a Quran chatting with Trump supporters.

“I had no intention of ever coming to a rally. I figured people who support him support him. That’s their right,” she said. “Then Rosa Hamid was sort of harassed at Friday’s rally and I felt compelled to come and continue what she was trying to do which is give people an opportunity who may not know a Muslim to ask questions.”

The crowd cheered wildly throughout Trump’s speech. D’Anne Chagnot, 71, of Carson City, said the energy in the auditorium could be indicative of a Trump victory in Nevada – and an eventual nomination.

“He says what I want to hear from everybody. I do like some of the other guys, but they’re just not telling me what needs to be done. This country needs to get a hold on everything and clamp down on every single thing.”

Nancy Early, 55, of Reno, said this was the second time she’s seen Trump and he’s only gotten more captivating.

“I was at the first one in Sparks,” she said. “This one was even better. The silent majority has spoken.”

Neil Kendricks, 26, and his wife Annie, 25, both of Reno, said Trump’s status as a political outsider would help him come caucus time.

“The thing is people like success and he’s a huge success story,” Mr. Kendricks said. “People are naturally going to come on to him and use his energy just as much as ours.”

Robert Hullin of Reno came with his two daughters, Lisa, 30, and Kristen, 31. Mr. Hullin, who said he was approaching 70, said he expected Trump’s energy to continue to grow.

“He’s a free spirit,” he said. “He does not have the political machine behind him and he’s bringing up the important facts of the day. Everyone else is two weeks later saying the same thing that he brought up. He’s our front-runner as a candidate for a good reason: He stands for America and what we need to change it to.”

Seth A. Richardson covers politics for the Reno Gazette-Journal. Contact him at 775-788-6301, srichardson@rgj.com or on Twitter at @SethARichardson.