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politics and politicians Title: Donald Trump comes to The Barclays and all hell breaks loose EDISON — He stepped out of a black SUV, wearing a blue blazer and a white "Make America Great Again" hat just as a golfer who made two holes-in-one in the same round was giving an interview. Who knew two aces would be the second wildest thing that happened at The Barclays on Sunday? Donald Trump was stopped immediately at the front entrance to Plainfield Country Club for his first of more than a hundred (no exaggeration) selfies and then headed inside. He took another quick selfie with Eric LeGrand — "Eric! Great to see you!" he said to the stunned former Rutgers football player — and then set off to watch the golf tournament. I have seen some unusual things on a golf course, including Tiger Woods returning to professional golf at the Masters after his made-for-the-tabloids sex scandal. Nothing tops this for sheer insanity. The best golfers in the world were lining up putts for a $1.4 million prize, but the bigger galleries were formed around the businessman and reality TV star who suddenly is the frontrunner for the Republican party's presidential nomination. And make no mistake: He loved every minute of it. An impromptu security detail of six Edison police officers surrounded him, but Trump made it clear that he wanted no special "inside the ropes" access that would take him away from the people. He wanted to be seen. "This is an affirmation," he told me. "People want our country to be good again. This is a great affirmation. You see it. Not a heckler in the whole group out of thousands of people." That might sound like hyperbole, but it wasn't too far off. I followed him closely for more than an hour, and the only thing close to heckling occurred when one fan said to the cops around him, "You're protecting his guy? What happens when he cuts all your pensions?" Trump didn't hear that one. Mostly, he heard screams of "Mr. President!" and "Don't quit on us!" At one point, Steve Sanguiliano, from Flemington, yelled, "I hate Rosie O'Donnell, too!" so Trump grabbed him and said, "Come in for a quickie selfie." Perhaps the highlight came when Trump ran into Christopher Knaub, a fan from Long Island, who was wearing a sweat-drenched "Trump 2016" T-shirt. Knaub looked like a teenage girl who turned the corner and ran into the Beatles on a New York City street in 1964. Knaub went to put his arm around Trump for the selfie. "Not so close," Trump said. "You're soaking wet." He got his photo and then joined the massive following. Trump was mostly following Jim Herman, a golf journeyman who was working at his Trump Bedminster course until the boss convinced him to go out and chase a professional career. But he also checked in on the big names. He found hockey great Wayne Gretzky, whose son-in-law, Dustin Johnson, won this tournament here four years ago, and they chatted for a few minutes. When Johnson walked past the pair after teeing off on the 15th hole, Gretzky called out to get his attention. Johnson's eyes opened wide. "Hey!" he yelled, pointing at Trump. The circus moved on. Trump took a photo with a man in a white beard dressed head to toe in red who, when asked for his name, said, "I'm contractually obligated to say Santa Claus." One of the cops tried to get him to stop as a player prepared to putt on one hole — "Mr. Trump? Mr. Trump?" — but he kept going. For the most part, though, he tried not to be aware of the action. "My wife hasn't voted in 30 years!" a volunteer named Michael Zahn yelled. "She says she's going to vote for you." That got a finger point and a thumbs up. Every poll says Trump -- despite a long list of confrontations, media wars and insults -- has a big lead in the crowded Republican presidential field, which includes New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie. I am not a political pundit, but if you thought that was some polling quirk, you needed to be out here. I finally got alongside him and asked about all the support. "A lot of fans. A lot of great people," he said. "What newspaper are you writing for?" "The Star-Ledger," I tell him. "Oh, I love the Star-Ledger. I love that newspaper. It's been a long time since I've seen you." Um, very long, yes. A lifetime, in fact. "I'm going up to see the military," he told me. "They're the most important people. You want to come in?" And then, before I could answer, he said to the cops, "He's coming with me." He entered the Military Appreciation tent, but one of the Edison cops — who is built like an NFL linebacker — didn't get his message. He stopped me at the door. Trump looked over his shoulder, pointed back at me and repeated, "He's with me." I was whisked inside. After touring the Military tent at The Barclays golf tournament, Donald Trump put his hand on NJ.com columnist Steve Politi's shoulder and joked to the assembled veterans, "Make sure he writes well about me. If he doesn't, kick his ass!" He was immediately mobbed. More selfies. More thumbs up. Finally, he quieted the room with his familiar voice and asked the crowd, "Who loves The Star-Ledger?" People cheered. "Make sure he writes well about me," he said to the crowd. "If he doesn't, kick his ass." The crowd laughed, and with that, he was out the door and back on the course. He had a meeting with PGA commissioner Tim Finchem, and soon after, he was back in the SUV and speeding away. The golf tournament was not over. The main attraction certainly was. Post Comment Private Reply Ignore Thread Top • Page Up • Full Thread • Page Down • Bottom/Latest Begin Trace Mode for Comment # 1.
#1. To: misterwhite (#0)
I have seen some unusual things on a golf course, including Tiger Woods returning to professional golf at the Masters after his made-for-the-tabloids sex scandal. Nothing tops this for sheer insanity. The best golfers in the world were lining up putts for a $1.4 million prize, but the bigger galleries were formed around the businessman and reality TV star who suddenly is the frontrunner for the Republican party's presidential nomination. I thought JEB! had the country club clan lined up.
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