Donald Trump's California tour rocked by new protests
The Republican front-runner is in San Francisco to address the California GOP Convention
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Your support makes all the difference.Hundreds of anti-Trump protesters massed outside the California Republican Convention venue close to San Francisco on Friday, as the divisive property mogul prepared to address the Golden State’s GOP faithful. In scenes by turns joyful and tense, the protesters brandished placards and Mexican flags, chanted slogans and faced off with police outside the Hyatt Regency Hotel in Burlingame.
Donald Trump himself was forced to enter the hotel by a side door to avoid the demonstrations. Local news helicopter footage showed the billionaire’s motorcade stopping on the nearby motorway; Mr Trump and his entourage of aides and secret service men then crossed the crash barrier and scrambled up a grass bank to get to the hotel’s side entrance.
Around the time Mr Trump was due to begin speaking, several protesters managed to break through the barricades and sprint towards the hotel, though they were quickly stopped by police. Mr Trump’s GOP rivals Ted Cruz and John Kasich are also set to speak at the convention this weekend, but the placards and chants appeared to be aimed squarely at the front-runner.
When he finally began his speech, Mr Trump opened by saying, “That was not the easiest entrance I've ever made,” adding: “It felt like I was crossing the border.”
The demonstrations came a day after Mr Trump made his first California campaign appearance in Orange County, where his rally was met with protests that verged on violence. Seventeen people were arrested outside the Orange County Fairgrounds after young anti-Trump activists spilled into the streets, vandalising police cruisers and tossing rocks at passing traffic.
California, a largely Democratic state where Latinos outnumber non-Hispanic whites, could prove hostile to the Trump campaign in a general election. However, The Donald looks set to dominate the state's Republican primary on 7 June, with a poll lead of more than 15 points over his nearest rival, Mr Cruz.
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