FLAGLER COUNTY, Fla. – After Saturday’s shocking assassination attempt on the life of former President Donald Trump, Flagler County Republicans rallied to show their support for the presumptive Republican presidential nominee on Sunday.
Staging flag waving events at three locations around the county, supporters of President Trump headed out in the heat of the day with patriotism on full display.
Flagler County Republican Party Chairman Perry Mitrano and Flagler County Republican Club President Regan Hansen led a team in the heart of Palm Coast at the intersection of Old Kings Road and Palm Coast Parkway.
Conversation could barely be heard over the resounding support shown by honks as drivers passed by the busy intersection.
“We have to show support for our president. The man almost died for us yesterday,” said Mitrano.
The assassination attempt affected Americans across party lines, and Mitrano hopes people will take into account the far-reaching impact their can words have during the heated political season.
“This is not technically one party against the other, as much as a fact that this was a bad thing that happened and it shouldn’t happen in politics in general,” he said.
As a precaution Mitrano is assessing the Flagler County Republican Party’s safety protocols.
“We’re temporarily closing the office for a couple of days and the purpose of that was for me to go through the protocols. I’m responsible for people. We have volunteers, office space, it’s open to the general public, and you know, we have to be safe.”
He anticipates resuming normal office operations later in the week, most likely July 17th with a grand opening event set for July 28th.
Leaders and elected officials from the national, state and local levels have called for calm after the shooting on Saturday in Pennsylvania that took the life of firefighter Corey Comperatore and wounded three including former President Donald Trump. Most have openly expressed a desire to see the temperature turned down on the political rhetoric.
Flagler County Commissioner Leann Pennington, known for her level-headed approach to issues on the dais and off, echoed the sentiment.
“I think we need to stand up and explain that yesterday was not okay,” shared Pennington.
“I think that we are too divided, even amongst our own parties. We’ve got to recognize that people don’t know everything that are running for office. You need to come and talk to them and have respectful dialogue and get the facts. I find a lot of people haven’t heard the other side or done their homework on the issues, and they need to do that first.”
Additional flag waving rallies took place along the overpasses of Palm Coast Parkway and the Matanzas Woods Parkway.