November 2, 2018
Miami (Wynwood) – A crowd of 1,500 Andrew Gillum supporters packed the Ice Palace at Miami’s Wynwood on a hot, humid, South Florida afternoon to see President Barack Obama speak alongside Gillum, Senator Bill Nelson, and other Democratic Party leaders. With Election day just four days away, President Obama is just one of the Democratic Party heavy-hitters campaigning for Democrat victories come Tuesday.
With the race for Governor of Florida being one of the most heated elections in a long time, today’s rally was not without some interruptions. While Obama mentioned all the good reasons to come to Miami, a heckler began shouting “Denounce Antifa!” and interrupting the former president, causing the crowd to begin yelling in counter-protest.
Antifa is a radical leftist group known for violent confrontations while wearing hoodies and masks.
“This is what I look forward to, a few hecklers to get me back in the mood. I enjoy that. You always gotta have a few in order to know that you’re on the campaign trail.” said the former Commander-in-Chief.
A few moments later, another heckler began protesting, with the crowd chanting “bring it home”, the Andrew Gillum campaign slogan.
Although anti-conservative activists always make their presence known at conservative events, Obama commented on the frustration of having protestors at his event, “If you support the other candidates, then you should support the other candidates. Don’t be here! One of the things I’ve never understood is why if you support the other guy, you come to my rally.” At one point Obama seemed visibly annoyed by the hecklers.
Video of Obama responding to hecklers
Instagram footage
While firing up the crowd of supporters, Obama urged the audience to go out and vote on Tuesday, “If you turn out on Tuesday to vote for this incredible Florida ticket, I promise you something happens, change starts to happen, hope starts to happen..”
Although never successful in helping rally democrat voters in midterm elections while he was in the White House, President Obama is hoping his ability to fire up a crowd will translate to key victories in the Florida Governor election, along with House and Senate races.
The speech mentioned the major issues Democrats are campaigning for: Immigration, Healthcare, and even some jabs by the former president to the current one, but ended with a positive note. “That all of us are created equal, endowed by our creator with certain inalienable rights. Every time we start including more people in that promise, some folks start pushing back. The status quo starts pushing back. You win the right to make a union, SEIU. But then, somebody comes around and tries to bust your union. You win a higher minimum wage, then Congress decides we won’t raise the minimum wage for a decade… Making this country better has never been easy.”
The crowd of at least 1,500 cheered on, leaving the former President of the United States with a raspy voice “Ten years ago I was campaigning for president. I was in game shape back then, that’s why I didn’t lose my voice, I could talk all the time, now I’m not used to talking as much.”
After then event, President Obama joined his colleagues for tacos at Coyo Taco in Wynwood
After the Miami rally, President Barack Obama made an impromptu stop at a taco restaurant with Sen. Bill Nelson and Andrew Gillum in Wynwood and said hi to locals hanging out … also told them to vote. pic.twitter.com/8IUNeXyPqD
— Daniella Diaz (@DaniellaMicaela) November 2, 2018
View the entire rally footage on Youtube
Washington Examiner coverage of hecklers at event
