Photos by Evan Sigmund: (top) Donald Trump speaks at Robarts Arena; (above) An elephant from Central Florida advertises Trump's campaign message.

Classical music played out of loudspeakers as a helicopter bearing the surname of its occupant touched down behind Robarts Arena on Saturday. With the pomp and circumstance of royalty, Donald Trump returned to Sarasota, not to accept a Statesman of the Year award from local Republicans but to ask for voters in his ongoing campaign for president. “This is a special place,” Trump said of Sarasota, the place where his Florida campaign team is headquartered.

With a crowd so large Trump had to give separate speeches to those on bleachers outside the area and those in more comfortable seating inside, the candidate let local children take helicopter rides while he took the stage. With the microphone, though, he delivered more sharp attacks than friendlier gestures. By the time the event was done, he had stated America’s military leadership needed to be replaced with people who “knew how to fight,” that President Barack Obama provided “weak leadership," that Democratic frontrunner Hillary Clinton “should be in jail.” But during this primary season visit to the Sunshine State, he directed some his harshest words toward Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Florida, another contender for the Republican nomination. “I’m leading in Florida against a sitting senator,” Trump reminded the crowd. “Rubio doesn’t even go in to vote. He has the worst voting record in the Senate. He is supposed to be representing you.” He tossed barbs at former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush as well, a man he said is starting to act tough but needs to actually “be tough.”

Outside Robarts, a giant elephant had the name Trump written on its side, along with the campaign slogan “Make America Great Again.” At such a large and rowdy event, perhaps it was no surprise his supporters with circus roots would make the other grand entrance of the day. Theresa Hill, a Sarasotan with connections in the circus going back three generations, arranged the pachyderm’s arrival just the night before, less than 30 minutes after calling the Trump campaign to see if they were interested. She turned to Franklin Murray, a colleague from Central Florida, who said he respected Trump for self-funding his campaign. “He’s not interested in this job to cutting the best deals for himself,” Murray said. Sarasota circus personality Kay Rosaire, founder of Big Cat Habitat, shared the sentiment, and the group of circus animal lovers spoke of what they consider a long-lost United States, one where you could keep animals as you wished with no fear of animal rights protesters showing up at the door. That Trump came to town as protesters picketed a Petland down Fruitville Road made the message that much more poignant. 

But of course, Trump drew dissenters as well. A line of picketers lined Fruitville in front of Robarts to criticize the candidate himself. Andy Starostecki, who once served as scoutmaster to Trump Florida campaign chair Joe Gruters, said he disagreed with the “crude and xenophic attitude Trump seems to exhibit.” Joshua Wolff, a junior attending Pine View School, went a step further, comparing Trump’s rhetoric to fascism. The grandchild of a Mexican immigrant, he found the demonizing of the people of Mexico to be shameful and dangerous. “There is a preponderance of fear, and to see him rising in the polls and becoming popular demonstrates a growing crisis,” Wolff said. Inside the arena, one protester ended up being escorted out by security. 

As far as policy, Trump in his speech critiqued political action committees, citing a scandal involving a PAC backing opponent Ben Carson and saying his own campaign wouldn’t be involved with such a “scam.” He touted a view in favor of the Second Amendment, and said recent attacks in Paris wouldn’t have been so successful if such rights existed in France; “If you had a couple of guns in the room held by the good guys, you would have had a totally different story,” he said. And he doubled down on controversial statements about immigration, repeating a claim the Mexican government was sending criminals here so the United States would pay the cost to bring them to justice. “Mexico doesn’t treat us with respect,” he said. “It’s not going to be that way anymore.”

Trump visited briefly with supporters outside before once again flying off in his private helicopter. But after tapping Republican Party of Sarasota chairman Gruters as his Florida chair, it seems likely he will return again before the Florida presidential primary on March 15. And if he does become the Republican nominee, the general election is less than a year away, on Nov. 8. And while many are predicting the frontrunner will face greater obstacles the closer the time comes for actual votes, it’s clear voters by the thousands are anxious to gather and see first-hand a bit of this political circus.

Photos by Evan Sigmund: (top) Donald Trump speaks at Robarts Arena; (above) An elephant from Central Florida advertises Trump's campaign message.