Donald Trump booed, screamed at during speech

The former US president expected “a lot of fun” when he called for support from Libertarian voters. Instead, he was greeted with chaos.

“We’re going to have a lot of fun!”

Donald Trump had high hopes as he began his speech at the Libertarian National Convention in Washington, US.

However, his contentious speech quickly turned chaotic, with a rowdy crowd booing and even screaming at the former US president as he appealed for their support in the upcoming November election against incumbent Joe Biden.

Trump called on the Libertarian voters to ditch their party and endorse his re-election campaign.

“Nominate me or at least vote for me,” he asked the Libertarian party and MAGA voters at the Washington Hilton. “We need your help. We need your support.”

However, his request was met with quite a mixed, and at times heated response.

The crowd jeered, booed and also cries of “lock him up,” “we want Trump” and “end the Fed” were all heard as he made his plea. There were also some cheers in the mix.

Photos taken from during the speech show security personnel removing or chasing away several Libertarian party members, including one who was dressed in costume.

Donald Trump addresses the Libertarian Party National Convention at the Washington Hilton. Picture: Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images/AFP

A Libertarian party member shouts protests as Donald Trump addresses the Libertarian National Convention in Washington. Picture: Jim Watson/AFP

Libertarian attendees told The Postthat they were “shocked” Trump had accepted the invitation to speak at the Libertarian convention, and hoped he would bring attention to their party.

Trump said that if elected he would stop “Joe Biden’s crusade to crush crypto”.

“I will keep Elizabeth Warren and her goons away from bitcoin,” he added, Daily Mail reported.

“And I will never allow the creation of a central bank digital currency.”

Trump also said he would free from prison an American man who ran a website that sold millions of dollars in drugs.

“If you vote for me, on day one, I will commute the sentence of Ross Ulbricht,” Trump said, in a line that brought the rowdy crowd over to his side as cheers erupted from the audience.

He also vowed to put a libertarian in his cabinet.

In 2015, Ross Ulbricht was sentenced to life in prison after being convicted of masterminding the Silk Road “dark web” marketplace, which sold $300 million in drugs to customers across the world.

Ulbricht, who ran Silk Road under the alias “Dread Pirate Roberts” and was also accused of commissioning five murders at a cost of $980,000, was sentenced to two life sentences for narcotics distribution and criminal enterprise.

Security personnel grab a Libertarian party member who was shouting protests during Trump’s speech. Picture: Jim Watson/AFP

The crowd was passionate. Picture: Jim Watson/AFP

His case has become a famous cause in libertarian circles, who have decried the conviction as government overreach and against the principles of free markets.

Trump has previously vowed to impose the death penalty on drug traffickers. While the promise to free Ulbricht brought cheers, Trump’s speech was far from the usual lovefest he presides over at his rallies, which typically attract hardcore supporters.

The conservative was variously booed as he tried to make common cause with the libertarians in the audience, many of whom view his policies as outside their extremely limited scope of what the government should be able to do.

Trump has previously vowed to impose the death penalty on drug traffickers. Picture: Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images/AFP

More protests being shouted at Trump. Picture: Jim Watson/AFP

“The Libertarian Party should nominate Trump for president of the United States,” he said to a mix of cheers and boos.

“Only if you want to win. Maybe you don’t want to win,” Trump said as he at times sparred with the audience.

The speech came after Trump rolled the dice on Thursday by making a campaign stop in deeply Democratic New York, seeking to woo Black and Latino voters whose support for Biden has shown signs of faltering.

“If you want to compete for untraditional votes, you have to take risks,” Trump adviser Jason Miller told news outlet Semafor.

The Libertarian Party routinely runs minor candidates that promote both popular limited-government ideas like marijuana legalisation while simultaneously pushing fringe ideas like abolishing the federal tax collection agency or social security.

Its candidates have never posed serious threats in presidential elections. If they weren’t interested in mixing it up by endorsing Trump, they were free to “keep getting your three per cent every four years”.

– With AFP