A young Trump superfan was overcome with emotion as he got to meet his idol in the flesh during a stop at a Philadelphia cheesesteak venue on Saturday afternoon.
The boy, named Timmy, burst into tears as he met with Donald Trump face to face.
The child was seen dressed in typical Trumpian attire, in a navy suit complete with red tie, Trump-styled wig and even similar lapel pins.
Trump appeared to show a softer side as he hugged the youngster and appeared flattered that he had dressed in his likeness.
‘We like this boy,’ Trump said. ‘What a good boy. If your parents don’t want you, I’ll take you!’ he said.
Republican presidential candidate, former U.S. President Donald Trump poses for a photo with a child dressed as him at sandwich stop, Tony and Nick’s steaks in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
The former president pulled out a $20 bill on which he signed his signature in thick black marker pen at Tony and Nick’s Steaks
The former president pulled out a $20 bill on which he signed his signature in thick black marker pen at Tony and Nick’s Steaks.
‘We’re gonna add some value to this’, Trump joked as he scrawled his name all over the bank note.
The boy then posed alongside the former president for a photo, with tears still visibly streaming down his cheeks.
Trump then took the time to meet and greet fervent supporters gathered inside the restaurant autographing a red baseball cap and adding a $500 tip on the food order.
‘Great things happen in Philadelphia!’ one man shouted out before those gathered began chanting Trump’s name.
The young boy, named Timmy, was completely overcome with emotion and burst into tears
Timmy and Trump posed together at the cheesesteak shop in Philadelphia making the boy’s day
Timmy appeared overcome with emotion with tear streaks running down his face as he poses with a $20 bill signed by the former president
While backstage at a rally in the city, Trump said he has finally made up his mind as to who will be his running mate in November’s election but he is keeping his cards close to his chest.
Speaking with NBC News on Saturday, Trump said that he has chosen who will be the vice president should he retake the White House this fall.
When asked for a name, the former president said that he has only made the VP pick ‘in my mind’ and that the lucky candidate does not know it’s them.
‘Nobody knows’, Trump clarified.
In what appears to be a process akin to Trump’s former television show, The Apprentice, the selection process for his running mate has moved into high gear.
Several candidates say they have recently received vetting materials from the Trump campaign.
Trump has said he might announce his choice at next month’s Republican National Convention in Milwaukee.
Among those in the running are believed to be North Dakota Governor Doug Burgum, Ohio Republican Senator J.D. Vance, Florida Senator Marco Rubio.
Others who claimed to have received vetting materials also include South Carolina Senator Tim Scott, Arkansas Senator Tom Cotton, New York Representative Elise Stefanik, Florida Representative Byron Donalds and former Secretary of Housing and Urban Development Ben Carson.
Among those being considered is New York Rep Elise Stefanik – one of the 10 Republicans who serve the state. She has become a top contender for the VP spot thanks to her status as chair of the Republican conference, and he being one of the most influential women in her party
Others to reportedly receive requests were a few of Trump’s former rivals, including Marco Rubio and Ben Carson. Both lost to Trump in 2016, but have since made amends. Carson, for instance, served on the then-president’s cabinet, but has since kept his distance
Stefanik, along with figures like Vance and Donalds, have been steadily rising though the ranks of the GOP for years, each aligning themselves with the potential two-time president at some point in the process.
Vance, for instance, a military vet who grew up in a dysfunctional family in the exurbs of Cincinnati, represents the Rust Belt that carried Trump to an upset victory in 2016.
He earned national recognition upon defeating a competitive field of Republicans and a formidable Democrat in a 2022 midterm, becoming the U.S. Senator for Ohio as a result.
Stefanik, meanwhile, is one of the 10 Republicans who serve New York, and has become a top Trump VP contender thanks to her status as chair of the Republican conference, and one of the most influential women in her party.
She’s also only 39, indicating a potential propensity toward a younger person filling the hole left behind by longtime conservative Pence.
Donalds, 45, also fits that profile, following an unsuccessful quest to become one of the youngest house speakers in history.
That bid fell flat last year, as did an attempt from Burgum, 67, to beat out Trump for the GOP nomination.
Carson and Rubio, aged 72 and 53, respectively, are also former Trump casualties, both bowing out against the then-political newcomer in 2016.
Both have seemed to have since made amends with the Republican, with Carson even serving on the then-president’s cabinet for his first term.
The former surgeon, however, has somewhat distanced himself from the currently shrouded VP field, absent from Trump’s campaign trail unlike some of the others.
Also absent has been fellow conservative Rubio, who Trump helped secure a third term as Florida’s governor back in 2022.
Rubio – who was famously was slammed as Little Marco by Trump – endorsed the ex-president for the first time ever this year in return.
Rounding out Trump’s seven was Scott, after he too lost to Trump in a primary – late last year.
The native South Carolinian has since surfaced as one of Trump’s most vocal surrogates, repeatedly floating the idea of being his running mate.
Last month, he gave the strongest indication he would appear on Trump’s 2024 ticket yet, telling a Newsmax reporter ‘We’ll see’ when asked.
Sen. Tim Scott is also reportedly being considered, after he too lost to Trump in the primary
Also sent vetting forms was Stefanik and JD Vance, both of whom have been steadily rising though the GOP ranks for the past few years
Outside the Pennsylvania rally on Saturday, a man could be seen telling MAGA attendees to ‘go back to where you came from’.
‘Go back to your country!’ the African American man shouted while holding up his cellphone to film those going inside the venue at Temple University, in a historically black area of Philadelphia, long a stronghold for Democrats.
Trump won just 5 percent of the vote in precincts within a half-mile radius of Temple’s main campus, according to the Philadelphia Inquirer.
The Trump campaign has made courting black and Hispanic voters, who make up more than half of Philadelphia’s population, a priority in this election cycle, encouraged by some opinion polls that indicate he may be gaining ground with these voters.
Trump has little chance of winning the city, as President Joe Biden won 81.4 percent of the votes in Philadelphia County in 2020.
Trump supporters jeer the press as he delivers remarks during a campaign rally
Outside the Pennsylvania rally a man could be seen telling MAGA attendees to ‘go back to where you came from’
But Trump could boost his chances by narrowing the margin in Philadelphia and surrounding counties so critical to the overall tally in Pennsylvania.
The state is a battleground that is hotly contested because it can swing either to Republicans or Democrats.
Trump used his Philadelphia speech to talk about Biden’s handling of inflation, the southern border and crime, all key tenets of the Republican’s campaign for a second term.
William Rosenberg, a political science professor at Drexel University, said he believed Trump’s main goal was projecting his outreach to black voters nationally, similar to the rally he held in the Bronx borough of New York City last month.
‘It’s a play to get on national TV to say you are in Philadelphia, to make the case that this is a Black community,’ Rosenberg said. ‘Then perhaps you convince some swing voters that Donald Trump is not so bad.’
Trump has little chance of winning the city of Philadelphia as President Joe Biden won 81.4 percent of the votes in Philadelphia County in 2020 but Pennsylvania is a swing state
Trump used his Philadelphia speech to talk about Biden’s handling of inflation, the southern border and crime, all key tenets of the Republican’s campaign for a second term
Republican presidential candidate former President Donald Trump gestures to the crowd at a campaign rally, at Temple University in Philadelphia
Democrats have set up posters, billboards and kiosks in Philadelphia and on the Temple campus to promote Biden’s policies, including his efforts to forgive student debt, as well as to criticize Trump’s record with the black community.
State lawmaker Malcolm Kenyatta, a Democrat, said black voters remember Trump’s history promoting the bigoted conspiracy theory that questioned whether Barack Obama, the country’s first African American president, was born in the U.S. and policies that he pursued that hurt the black working class.
‘Donald Trump is in a black place, but Donald Trump does not give a damn about black people,’ Kenyatta said at a press event at a Biden campaign office in Philadelphia, adding that Trump would ‘get the type of welcome he deserves’ from the city.