JOHNSON CREEK, Wis. — Speaking to a group of hunters and Second Amendment activists less than 48 hours after former President Donald Trump survived an assassination attempt, Donald Trump Jr. begged Republican voters to avoid apathy and remain engaged in efforts to reelect his father.
In the aftermath of the shooting in Butler, Pennsylvania, that took the life of one innocent bystander and wounded others, some pundits have predicted that the incident would secure the election in Trump’s favor. Trump Jr. warned against this narrative.
“Everyone’s like, ‘Oh, it’s over now. We saw what happened Saturday,’” Trump Jr. said in his first public appearance since the assassination attempt. “It’s not over. It’s not over. It’ll be over when the polls close on Nov. 5.”
Trump Jr.’s comments came during an outdoor luncheon for Republican delegates hosted by the National Rifle Association and Hunter Nation, a conservative nonprofit group. The two groups announced a joint voter outreach program called “Hunt the Vote” that targets hunters in swing states. The event took place at the Milford Hills Sporting Club, about 50 miles west of Milwaukee, where the Republican National Convention kicks off Monday.
Just prior to the luncheon, Trump Jr. told attendees at a VIP reception that the election was far from determined, according to one person in attendance. “It’s going to take a lot of (guts) to win this thing,” Trump Jr. reportedly told the crowd of about 100 people. Guests included Rep. Jim Jordan, R-Ohio, Rep. Tom Tiffany, R-Wis., and singer Ted Nugent.
Trump Jr. told VIPs to avoid apathy and to remain engaged: “The only thing worse than Marxism and communism is apathy,” he told them.
He repeated the same message when speaking to delegates from Kansas, Louisiana and Wisconsin during the outdoor luncheon. Trump Jr. praised Hunter Nation and the NRA for their turnout initiative in multiple states — like Wisconsin, Michigan, Pennsylvania and North Carolina — that have large populations of hunters, and encouraged the groups to continue their voter outreach there. “If we did that in even a couple of the states I just listed, this thing is over, and we can get back to fighting for our country,” he said.
But he warned against thinking that Saturday’s attempted assassination will secure the election for Trump and supersede the need for grassroots efforts. “It’s not over. Please don’t have that level of apathy,” he said. “Just because you feel that way, doesn’t mean (Democrats) are going to tone it down.”
Trump Jr.’s comments were met with a standing ovation and chants of “USA! USA!” by the several hundred delegates and guests in attendance.
The event, called a “‘Hunt The Vote’ Special VIP Event presented by Hunter Nation and The National Rifle Association,” gave attendees “an opportunity to enjoy the Milford Hills Shooting Range,” according to a flier.
Prior to Trump Jr.’s remarks, attendees heard remarks from Bill Bachenberg, the NRA’s vice president, and Rock Bordelon, chairman of the Hunter Nation board.
Bachenberg said the voter outreach initiative will not target “non-conservative hunters,” like those who “are against concealed carry, Sunday hunting and owning modern sporting rifles.”
“We do not want to register or encourage these non-conservative hunters to vote,” he said.
Bordelon outlined a hunter outreach program he spearheaded in Louisiana that helped elect Gov. Jeff Landry, and he said he wants to do the same for Trump. “Our goal is to target these swing states to make sure November goes the way that we want, which is God, family and country,” he said.
Mark “Oz” Geist, a former Marine and member of the Annex Security Team during the 2012 Benghazi attacks, told attendees the U.S. is “in a fight for our life” ahead of November’s election.
“The way I look at is, I was on a rooftop for 13 hours (in Benghazi),” he said. “We are on a rooftop now through November. We have to fight every day against the people who are trying to take this country away from us.”