After a day in which FBI Director James Comey dropped several truth bombs on the Trump White House – namely that the president’s wiretapping claims are false and there is, indeed, an ongoing FBI investigation into Trump’s links to Russia – the unpopular president fled to deep red Kentucky to hold another campaign-style rally (the third of his young presidency) surrounded by folks who view him much more favorably than the country as a whole.
But even in Louisville, hundreds of protesters turned out to voice their opposition to Trump after what has been a catastrophic first two months for the new White House and the country.
The demonstrators literally booed Air Force One as it landed in the state.
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Trump arrives in Louisville: Air Force 1 flys over protesters as crowd boos @courierjournal pic.twitter.com/5fqKCdV9OQ
— Chris Kenning (@chris_kenning) March 20, 2017
According to Courier-Journal reporter Chris Kenning, the crowd of protesters in the blood red state estimate their crowd to be at “well over 700” people.
Video:
Trump protest organizers estimate crowd well over 700, plan to stay until after @realDonaldTrump AHCA speech pic.twitter.com/ZEP2kzUhOd
— Chris Kenning (@chris_kenning) March 20, 2017
Pictures:
. @realDonaldTrump lands in Louisville on Air Force One w a view of demonstration @courierjournal pic.twitter.com/dMY5VL2Xae
— Chris Kenning (@chris_kenning) March 20, 2017
Outside Freedom Hall, Kentucky protesters chant “Y’all Means All” as group awaits President’s arrival pic.twitter.com/AioMpZRcOo
— Chris Kenning (@chris_kenning) March 20, 2017
While Kentucky is a conservative state that Trump carried by nearly 30 percentage points last fall, it has in many ways become ground zero for the fight over protecting the Affordable Care Act.
As the Courier-Journal noted on Monday, “More than half a million people have gained health coverage under the law, about 440,000 through Medicaid and another 81,000 through commercial health plans bought through the federal online health exchange, healthcare.gov.”
Overall, Kentucky has seen one of the largest national drops in the uninsured rate, falling from from a staggering 20.4 percent before Obamacare to 7.8 percent after it was implement – cut by almost two-thirds.
Ultimately, it’s no surprise that the president is seeking refuge in a state that overwhelmingly supported him last fall. It’s even less surprising given just how awful the last two months have been for his administration that he has been forced to campaign in reliably red states in the first two months of taking office.
But Kentucky is also a state that stands to lose the most if he and his Republican allies in Congress are successful in repealing a law that has helped so many in the Bluegrass State, which is why hundreds of Kentuckians were out in full force on Monday to speak out against this president’s agenda.
Picture: Twitter
Sean Colarossi currently resides in Cleveland, Ohio. He earned his Bachelor of Arts degree in Journalism from the University of Massachusetts Amherst and was an organizing fellow for both of President Obama’s presidential campaigns. He also worked with Planned Parenthood as an Affordable Care Act Outreach Organizer in 2014, helping northeast Ohio residents obtain health insurance coverage.
