18:02

The glitz! The glamour! The number of people called stupid!

The Guardian’s Rupert Neate reports from the South Point resort and casino in Las Vegas, where billionaire frontrunner Donald Trump was stumping with the wind of two major polls at his back:

A lot of people came to see Donald Trump speak in a casino Las Vegas on Thursday, and he demanded the media take note of it. The leading Republican Presidential candidate called the press “scumbags at the back of the room” for, he said, consistently not showing the scale of the crowds that turn out to support his campaign rallies.

RupertNeate (@RupertNeate) Trump, in brilliant pink tie, starts off by attacking the media as "scumbags". 'All they focus on is the protesters' pic.twitter.com/gjh1BwTGbv

At one point, Trump, who according to a new poll has captured a double-digit lead in Iowa a mere 11 days before the caucuses, halted his rambling speech until TV cameramen “turn around and show the crowd”. “There’s not been one shot of the crowd,” he said.

So many people (4,000, according to casino security) had turned out to see Trump speak that the casino opened up three overflow rooms to relay his speech on big screens.

Many of those who turned out to see Trump had come from Shot Show, the gun industry trade show also being held in Las Vegas, and one of the biggest cheers came as the candidate pledged to “save the Second Amendment”.

“You listen to Hillary, and you’re not going to have a Second Amendment!”

Jerry Springer, 68, (yes his real name, I checked) was one of those who had taken a break from the gun fair to turn out for Trump. Even though not a big fan of Trump, Springer said he would support any Republican who can “take out Hillary”.

Springer, who wore a sticker on the back of his shirt reading “1.20.17 OBAMA’S LAST DAY IN OFFICE!”, said Obama was “the worst president we have ever had”.

“Why? He is changing this country away from what it was. He doesn’t want people to pay for anything. He is giving away food stamps to everyone. He is making it so that people don’t have to pay for anything, and it is people like us that have to pay for everything.”

RupertNeate (@RupertNeate) Meet Jerry Springer (really, I checked his ID). He's not a fan of Obama, but not hugely keen on Trump either. pic.twitter.com/NiqXUuQwhM

Trump, whose speech concentrated on his favourite topics of immigration, taxation and trade, said “we are being led by stupid people”, and he wanted to lead the country to “make America great again”.

He had a lot of fans in the room, including Rhonda Settles, a small business owner who has lived in Vegas since 1975, said Trump was “awesome as usual”.

“The country is in a downward spiral, and Trump is the only one stepping up to the plate,” she said. “He is the one we can believe he can make America great again. He has a proven record, even though not necessarily in politics.”

Settles, who is African American, said she did not believe Trump was racist or prejudice, despite his description of Mexicans as criminals and rapists and his pledge to make Mexico pay for a wall along the border to prevent illegal immigration.

“Those were not negative [comments],” she said. “We have to protect our country, I don’t think he has anything to do with prejudice or racism. It is about following the laws that exist, but the current government has not been following.”

Settles conceded that Trump did not make any real promises in his 45 minute Vegas speech, but said: “We’re at the point where we have to listen not to what they say but how they say it. Donald Trump is ringing true to a lot of people. I don’t need to know every detail. I just need to trust him, and I do.”

Sharon and Charles Wax, both in their eighties, are also strident Trump supports. “We think he’s absolutely fabulous,” said Sharon wearing a Trump hat, light-up bow tie and a t shirt showing her and Charles meeting Trump at a previous rally. “He thinks what Americans think, our country has gone down the tubes after eight years of Democrats. This is the only man who can bring trade back to America and, as he says, make America great again.”