At the Libertarian National Convention on Saturday night, presidential candidate Donald Trump faced boos and heckling from a raucous audience, a stark contrast to the adoration he typically receives at his rallies.
Libertarians, who advocate for limited government and individual freedom, criticize Trump, a Republican, for hastily developing a COVID-19 vaccine during his presidency and for not doing more to prevent public health restrictions on the unvaccinated during the pandemic.
As Trump took the stage in Washington, loud boos and jeers erupted, though a smaller group of his supporters cheered. Just before his appearance, a Libertarian Party member shouted, “Donald Trump should have taken a bullet!”
Trump’s campaign did not immediately respond to requests for comment about the hostile reception. During his speech, Trump, who served as president from 2017 to 2021, quickly addressed the 88 felony charges he faces in four federal and state prosecutions.
“If I wasn’t a libertarian I am now,” he said. He denounced the administration of President Joe Biden, his challenger in the Nov. 5 election rematch, and Biden’s fellow Democrats as being part of a “rise in left-wing fascism”.
Donald Trump attempted to appeal to libertarians at the Libertarian National Convention, highlighting their common ground with Republican policy positions on taxes and government size.
He urged libertarians to join forces with him to defeat President Biden, saying, “We should not be fighting each other.” However, his appeal was met with many boos, despite the crowd’s general opposition to Biden and his administration.
Libertarians secured only 1.2% of the national vote in 2020, roughly 1.8 million votes, but the upcoming election could hinge on just tens of thousands of votes in key battleground states.
Recognizing this, Trump is striving to attract some libertarian support. His appearance at the libertarian event, unusual for a Republican candidate, underscores the seriousness with which he views the challenge posed by third-party candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr. Kennedy, a long-time vaccine and mandate opponent, spoke at the convention on Friday.
Trump has intensified his attacks on Kennedy, calling him a “fake” anti-vaccination proponent, as opinion polls suggest Kennedy could draw votes away from both Trump and Biden.
It remains uncertain which major-party candidate will be more affected by Kennedy’s independent bid. Libertarian Party organizers mentioned that Biden was also invited to speak at the convention but declined the invitation.
“The Libertarian Party can make a big difference. If we unite we will be unstoppable,” Trump said to a mix of applause and jeers.
Donald Trump declared himself a “libertarian without even trying to be one” and suggested that the Libertarian Party should endorse him, prompting boos and jeers from the audience.
Undeterred, he joked that if they didn’t support him, they would continue to receive only a small fraction of votes in national elections. He also pledged to appoint a libertarian to his cabinet if he wins the election, which was met with cries of “bullshit!”
However, Trump received huge applause for one particular promise. Addressing a key libertarian concern, he vowed to commute the sentence of Ross Ulbricht, who is serving a life term for creating and operating the Silk Road website, which facilitated the secret sale of drugs and other illegal products.
Many libertarians view Ulbricht’s 2015 sentence as an example of government and judicial overreach. In front of a crowd holding “Free Ross” signs, Trump’s commitment to commuting Ulbricht’s sentence if he returns to the White House was met with enthusiastic support.
