Garrett Mitchell

The Republic | azcentral.com

Several hundred people gathered to rally in support of President Donald Trump on Saturday at the state Capitol. Carrying signs and waving American flags, the boisterous crowd gathered in solidarity in the wake of protests following Trump's Jan. 20 inauguration.

Phoenix's "March 4 Trump: Spirit of America Rally" was part of a nationwide campaign that, according to an organizer's website, included more than 50 marches, including in Berkeley, Calif., Denver, Washington, D.C., New York and Boston.

Numerous state and local officials attended the Phoenix rally, including state Treasurer Jeff DeWit, state schools Superintendent Diane Douglas and former Pinal County Sheriff Paul Babeu. The Arizona Department of Public Safety reported attendance was at about 300 people midway through the event. A group of about a dozen counterprotesters was also there, wielding signs and cellphones as attendees approached them arguing politics.

Lesa Antone, 48, was one of the rally organizers, along with March 4 Trump, Spirit of America and Riders USA. She attended the rally wearing a red T-shirt reading, "I voted for Trump. You're welcome." Antone said the goal of the rally was to encourage the nation to unite behind the president.

"I think people don't understand when they say they want Trump to fail, it means America will fail," she said. "I hated Obama and his policies for eight years, but I didn't want him to fail. Many people are begging him (Trump) to fail, which means that they want America to fail."

She said it is important to "take back the narrative" of Trump that she said has been hijacked by critics.

"Today is about unity," she said. "Stop fighting us and stop listening to propaganda. You'll find he stands for all Americans."

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Scores of red "Make America Great Again" baseball caps bobbed in the crowd as families sat on fold-out chairs to hear 15 speakers offer their takes on what Trump's slogan means to them. Many attendees held Trump's campaign signs or other signs of support, including ones reading, "Build That Wall."

"We are here to celebrate the progress (Trump) has already made ... we will let no one turn him around," said Pastor C.T. Wright during the invocation.

As the crowd began to amass and attendees sang along to "God Bless America," a small group of about 15 protesters opposing Trump and his policies congregated on the walkway nearby. Armed with phones, the small group of demonstrators filmed the goings-on as attendees met them in a contentious but ultimately incident-free argument.

Trump supporters chanted, "He's our president," while protesters carried signs reading, "Bridges not walls" and "Love Trumps Hate."​

"I think there's so much prejudice for people who like Trump," said Nancy Langsner, 55. "I do come from a Jewish background, and I bet some of these people would not help people if he tells them they need to go. Here may be a time when he says people like us should leave America."

Feet away, DeWit exclaimed that it was a "great day to be deplorable" after taking a thumbs-up selfie with his wife, Marina, and the cheering crowd. DeWit served as chief operating officer of the Trump campaign and a special adviser to the transition team.

"I will tell you firsthand, he is a very, very hard worker. He is absolutely one of us. He is a grass-roots fighter for what is right and put America first," DeWit said. "I am so proud that he is now in the White House. I've never been so proud in my life to be deplorable."

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That sentiment was echoed by numerous attendees who criticized Trump's Democratic opponent, Hillary Clinton. They said they favor Trump's hard-line stance on such issues as illegal immigration. Trump is expected to release his new executive order on immigration as early as next week.

Teresa Mendoza, 45, who considers herself a "Trumplican" after being drawn to the right after years of being a registered Democrat, said she "strongly believes" in Trump's "anti-establishment" agenda. Though she voted for Obama in 2008, Mendoza said she felt hopeless at the end of his eight-year tenure. Wearing a red "Latinas For Trump" T-shirt and a blue Trump cape, Mendoza said she's been asked often how she could support Trump given some of his controversial comments.

"I love Trump ... We're human. We joke around, we say things. He's not a politician; he hasn't had 30 years of keeping his mouth to himself. Of course, there's going to be stuff that's not, you know 'kosher,' " she said. "Who cares? He's actually fulfilling his campaign promises."