November 9, 2015 Donald Trump brings his presidential campaign to Illinois Monday night with a rally in Springfield. Some made it out to see Donald Trump, the celebrity. Others to see Trump, the presidential hopeful on the eve of another Republican debate in Milwaukee. At least 10,000 filled the Prairie Capital Convention Center in Springfield Monday night, as Trump hoped to gain support in llinois. Donald Trump said that Hillary Clinton in running for president to avoid going to jail. “People are in jail right now for doing five percent of what she did and the Democrats are not gonna to prosecute her, and it’s frankly a disgrace,” Trump said. “And you know it and so do I and so do these people right here—they know it.” Regarding Clinton’s use of a private email server while she was Secretary of State and mishandling of classified information, Trump said that “and you better remember that there’s a six-years statute of limitations on that crime.” “Hillary is running for a lot of reasons—one of ‘em is because she wants to stay out of jail.” Trump added that, “if we had honest government, Hillary wouldn’t be allowed to run.” Trump mentioned that General David Patreaus got two years probation for sharing classified information with his mistress “and he was somebody that everybody liked, everybody respected.” “What [Hillary Clinton] did is so much worse,” Trump said. “If I win, we’re going to look into that crime very, very seriously folks.” Trump said that Clinton’s email scandal is a “real problem” and mentioned that Hillary is probably “watching right now” and saying to herself, “man, I better win.” Trump later asked, “can you imagine Hillary being president?” He observed that Clinton recently “got a little burst of energy because she figures she is not going to indicted” and got through the Benghazi hearings. Trump said he blamed House Republicans for the “ridiculous” Benghazi hearings that may have arguably benefited Clinton.
But Trump said that Hillary’s “energy is not a natural energy” and is “not going to last long.”
“There’s always problems with Hillary,” Trump said. “It’s always a problem.”Some Trump supporters waited for hours, then ran into the auditorium about 5:15 p.m. Many wore T-shirts, hats and pins to show support. Some were sold outside — for pins, for shirts. Others protested outside. Mary McSurly of Springfield waved a sign that read “Dump Trump.” Her children held signs that read “No pigs in wigs,” and “Jesus loves all.” They exchanged words with Trump supporters walking in, who screamed”Trump!” as McSurly shouted “Look what he’s done to Atlantic City.” Inside, Lisa Hancock wore an “I like the Donald!” button. Hancock, 56, said she’s an undecided voter, but hoped to learn more about Trump’s views. “I’ve always liked Donald Trump. I used to think he was a good businessman,” Hancock said, adding his celebrity status made her want to see him in person. “I’ve always wanted to see him. I want to hear what he has to say,” she said. Not all in attendance were undecided voters. Eric Thomas, a former state worker, said he plans to vote for Trump and supports many of his views. “I’m tired of old establishment b ——-.” Thomas, 59, of Decatur said. “Stop illegal immigration. Close the border. Cut spending. It’s that simple.”Trump is fresh off his appearance on “Saturday Night Live.” A Los Angeles Times poll puts him on top of the Republican race Trump holds a small lead over Ben Carson, 25 percent to 21 percent.