LAS VEGAS — Donald Trump promised major relief for hospitality industry workers at his first rally since his conviction in Nevada on Sunday and vowed to eliminate taxes on employee tips if re-elected.
“When I take office, I’m not going to tax tips or people who give tips,” the 77-year-old Trump, a former Republican president and potential 2024 presidential candidate, told the crowd in sweltering Sunset Park, where temperatures topped 100 degrees.
This announcement drew huge cheers from the assembled crowd, and the number of tickets issued far exceeded the reported 6,000.
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In Nevada, the minimum wage for tipped employees will increase to $4.35 an hour in July, but employers must still ensure that tipped employees earn at least $9.50 an hour.
Trump also slammed “Bad Joe” Biden, 81, and dismissed the president’s recent immigration executive orders as “bullshit”, prompting the crowd to chant “bullshit” multiple times.
Last week, the Biden administration finally tried to begin to fix disastrous border policies by claiming it would stop processing asylum claims that meet certain criteria, but this threat appears to have had no effect at all in deterring illegal crossings.
As soon as he stepped onto the stage, Trump asked, “Is it too hot in here?”
“They were so worried that we warned them, ‘Don’t come,’ but only 20,000 people showed up,” joked the former president, who was convicted of felony business fraud at a hush money trial in Manhattan last month.
Whether it was Greg and Tammy Haas of Las Vegas standing next to a “Trump 2024” flag flying from the back of a pickup truck, or people patiently waiting in line for hours just to get into an area of a park cordoned off for the rally, support for the presumptive Republican nominee was clear.
“This is going to be a great day,” Greg Haas declared as the rally began, while his wife, dressed in an American flag dress, nodded.
David Stephens, 61, a retired electrical engineer, said the 2024 presidential election will be his first time voting, and that before this year, “I didn’t think there was anyone worth voting for.”
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But four years under Biden have left “the country in ruins and food prices rising,” which is what’s driving him to the polls, Stephan said.
Lisa London, who lives in Las Vegas, choked up when the national anthem was played before Trump took to the stage.
“I’ve always wanted to meet Trump,” she said.
Gary Walters, a mining consultant in Las Vegas who said he registered to vote for the first time in 2020, asserted that Trump “could be a game changer” in Clark County, where Las Vegas is located and which historically leans Democratic.
Walters said the only potential sticking point is a conviction of Trump, which he feels could deter some swing voters.
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Philip Karpinski of Las Vegas was a staunch Trump supporter.
“You may not like Trump, but he was right about the economy, foreign policy and border policy, and obviously Biden was wrong on all three,” the former mental health counselor said.
