US Presidential election 2024: Trump booed and heckled at raucous Libertarian convention speech
- Trump was booed repeatedly while addressing Saturday night’s Libertarian Party National Convention, with many in the crowd shouting insults during his speech
- Libertarians, who prioritise small government and individual freedoms, are sceptical of Trump, and his invitation to address the convention divided the party
Donald Trump was booed repeatedly while addressing Saturday night’s Libertarian Party National Convention, with many in the crowd shouting insults during his speech and decrying him for running up towering federal deficits and enriching pharmaceutical companies with the Covid-19 vaccine development.
When he took the stage, many on-hand jeered while some supporters clad in “Make America Great” hats and T-shirts cheered and chanted “USA! USA!” Though the audience was divided, it was a rare moment of Trump coming face-to-face with detractors, which is highly unusual for someone accustomed to staging rallies in front of ever-adoring crowds.
Libertarians, who prioritise small government and individual freedoms, are often sceptical of the former president, and his invitation to address the convention has divided the party. Trump tried to make light of that, referring to the four criminal indictments against him, the former president smiled and said, “If I wasn’t one before I sure as hell am a Libertarian now.”
Trump expressed gratitude to the “fierce champions of freedom in this room” and called President Joe Biden a “tyrant” and the “worst president in the history of the United States,” prompting some in the audience to scream back in response: “That’s you.”
As the insults continued, Trump hit back, saying “you don’t want to win” and suggesting that some Libertarians want to “keep getting your 3 per cent every four years.”
Libertarian candidate Gary Johnson won about 3 per cent of the national vote in 2016, but nominee Jo Jorgensen got only a bit more than 1 per cent during 2020s close contest.