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Trump House creator savors president's acceptance speech on the White House lawn

Deb Erdley
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Courtesy of Leslie Baum Rossi
The Trumps and son Barron greet guests at the White House Thursday night as Donald Trump accepted the Republican Party nomination for a second term in office.

Leslie Baum Rossi still is amazed with everything she saw and heard Thursday night.

Known far and wide as the “Trump House Lady,” Rossi, 49, of Unity was among the invited guests seated on the south lawn of the White House for President Trump’s nomination acceptance speech.

“It was an amazing experience to hear from the speakers as well as the president. The speakers spoke of the president’s support for business, restoring the American economy, respect for law enforcement, creation of jobs and our faith in God. … They recognized that we the people work hard, care for our neighbors as well as our communities, and we have a deep love of our country. … I loved the words “America’s strength is America’s people,” Rossi said.

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Courtesy of Leslie Baum Rossi
Leslie Rossi, the Unity woman who created the Trump House in Unity, stands outside the White House where she was an invited guest Thursday when President Donald Trump accepted the Republican nomination to run for re-election.

But the excitement inside the White House grounds where hundreds of Trump supporters, friends and family were celebrating was almost marred by the scene outside. Windows in businesses around Washington remained boarded up, evidence of the riots that roiled the capital over the summer.

“During the speeches, (the protesters) blasted music that said “(expletive) Trump,” and it had a lot of base and vulgar language. They blew trumpets, and there was some kind of sound amplified that, to me, sounded like a jackhammer. It got very loud at times,” Rossi said.

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Courtesy of Leslie Baum Rossi
Crowds of protestors outside the White House on Thursday played loud music in an attempt to disrupt President Donald Trump’s speech. Leslie Rossi said the crowd harassed Trump supporters attending the speech, screaming profanities and blasting music.

Rossi was elected to represent the 13th Congressional District as a delegate to the Republican National Convention but, like 2,000 other delegates, was left at home when the convention went virtual in the face of the coronavirus pandemic.

Rather than sit in front of a screen, she spent her days ushering visitors around the Trump House. She painted the two-story frame house in Unity just outside of Latrobe red, white and blue in 2016 and staked a 12-foot cutout of Trump in the lawn.

Thousands of Trump supporters have made a pilgrimage to the house, which has attracted international headlines.

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Courtesy of Leslie Baum Rossi
Guests snap photos of President Donald Trump and his wife, Melania, as he accepted the Republican Party’s nomination Thursday night.

In a swing state that Trump won by a razor-thin margin of 44,000 out of more than 7 million votes cast in 2016, the significance of such work hasn’t gone unnoticed.

Rossi said it was probably her work at the house, rather than her status as a first-time delegate, that snared her an invitation last Saturday from Trump himself to attend Thursday’s speech.

A brightly lit stage backed by a row of flags served as the setting for Trump’s lengthy speech.

Critics said Trump’s decision to stage the speech that capped the final day of the virtual Republican convention at the White House may have violated the Hatch Act. Although the president and vice president are exempt from the act that prohibits federal civil servants from engaging in politics on the job, others who participated in the event are subject to the law.

A White House spokesman, however, told the New York Times that staffers preparing the event were aware of the restrictions and were careful not to violate the act.

Many guests appeared to be maskless. But Rossi said masks were provided and guests were asked to wear them. Hand sanitizer stations were set up at various locations across the lawn.

Rossi said she will continue to work for Trump’s re-election and considers herself part of a solid grass-roots campaign that will culminate in Trump’s victory in November.

“In President Trump’s speech … he mentioned my state of Pennsylvania by name. He makes me proud in every way that he is our president,” Rossi said.

Deb Erdley is a Tribune-Review staff writer. You can contact Deb at derdley@triblive.com.

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