Donald Trump Jr. Addresses Idahoans in Stanley Before Fundraiser (Part 1)

Donald Trump Jr. has visited Idaho before.

On a previous visit in September of 2016, he visited Boise for a fundraiser similar to what he did in Stanley tonight.

However, prior to his fundraiser, just over 100 people had gathered at Smiley Creek Airstrip to say hi to the President’s son before his evening event. Most, if not all of the crowd, were Donald Trump supporters.

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This article will be the first in a two-part series with this article focused mostly on Trump Jr.’s actual visit once he was on the ground in Idaho.

After Trump Jr. and his girlfriend Kimberly Guilfoyle had arrived via helicopter at Smiley Creek Airstrip, he talked and prayed with the crowd for about 10 minutes.

Trump Jr. first addressed the crowd and talked about a variety of topics such as hunting, wars, and he made several attacks on Joe Biden, his Democrat opponent.

After addressing the crowd, Trump Jr. took a group photo with them. He also took a moment and prayed with the crowd.

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Trump Jr. also thanked a 97-year-old supporter who was in attendance and thanked some of the children who were also present.

Prior to his arrival, some in the crowd grew anxious because it was about an hour past the time when we were informed he was going to be there. We spoke with several individuals in the crowd who asked us if he was going to show up.

Idaho Dispatch had no knowledge of Trump Jr.’s plans or locations at the time. We did tell people it is not uncommon for high-profile individuals to be late to these types of events given their busy schedules.

In addition to their concerns, Lt. Governor Janice McGeachin had informed the crowd that there were some last-minute changes to the event.

She said that Trump Jr. was originally supposed to go to the airport in Hailey but due to some security concerns, the event was moved to Smiley Creek Airstrip.

Smiley Creek Airstrip is not an airport. It does not have a paved runway. The “runway” is more of a field that has been mowed down for small planes and helicopters to land at.

Once Trump Jr. got back onto the helicopter, he departed and went to a private fundraiser with plates starting at $2,800 all the way up to $250,000.

We spoke with Lt. Gov. McGeachin and Rep. Mike Moyle (Republican – Star) who both said that they and their spouses would be at the fundraiser. The only other person we were informed would be at the event was Gov. Brad Little.

Idaho Dispatch was not able to confirm if Gov. Little was indeed going to be at the fundraiser.

We do know that the governor was not at Smiley Creek Airstrip before, during, or after the Trump Jr. visit.

There were approximately 30 counter-protesters who were 15-miles up the road closer to Stanley.

We will try to get reactions from those opposed to Trump Jr. and his father’s administration and put what we can find in “Part 2.”

In the second part of our coverage of Trump Jr’s visit, we will post videos of our interviews, show video of Trump Jr. speaking, and also give more background on the event.

Did you attend the airstrip greeting event today? What did you think of Trump Jr.’s visit to Idaho?

Let us know in the comments below.

Note: We have updated the article to correct Smiley Creek Airstrip from Smiley Creek Airport.