President Donald Trump's visit to Reno went off with a comparative whisper.
A day earlier in Phoenix, police used tear gas to disperse crowds of protesters. Trump used the event in Phoenix like a campaign rally, going after the media - again - and saying he might pardon controversial Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpaio.
But his short stop in Reno was quiet.
Leila Fadel, national correspondent for National Public Radio, was there and talked with KNPR's State of Nevada about the differences.
“It was very different from what we say in Phoenix on Tuesday. It was really quite muted actually,” she said.
For one, Fadel said the number of protesters outnumbered Trump supporters. She said 10 to 20 supporters were in the street. And protesters told her they did not want any kind of violence.
“The protesters who were out were saying they didn’t want hate in Nevada and they equated Trump’s visit with that,” she said.
While supporters of the president didn't want to see the president disrespected and wanted him to know he was welcome in Reno.
Fadel also attributed the difference to the size of the cities. Reno is much smaller than Phoenix -- 425,000 in greater Reno versus 4.1 million in greater Phoenix -- but the Reno visit was not a rally.
The biggest difference, however, was the context.
“I think it is all about context and it wasn’t the exact same context here,” she said, “This wasn’t a rally in Reno. He wasn’t calling on his supporters to come out and come to a rally in support of him.”
The president was there to address members of the American Legion, which was holding its national convention. After his speech, the president signed a bill meant to ease the appeals process for veterans whose claims have been denied.
Leila Fadel, national correspondent, NPR
