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‘I’m nervous!’: School children react adversely to Donald Trump walking into their classroom

The Republican was touring a private Christian school in Las Vegas

Rachael Revesz
New York
Wednesday 05 October 2016 20:34 BST
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Mr Trump was touring Las Vegas on the campaign trail
Mr Trump was touring Las Vegas on the campaign trail (AP)

When Donald Trump walked into a classroom of six and seven-year-old students, he might not have been prepared for their reaction.

"I’m so nervous!" said one student.

"See, I told you he had orange hair," said another.

"I want to touch his hair because it’s orange," piped in another.

Mr Trump stood at the front of the class and spread his palms.

The "orange-haired" Republican nominee was no longer on their television sets, he was standing in front of them at the International Christian Academy in Las Vegas.

He pointed at one, and made silly faces. He bent to kiss another child.

It is yet to be seen how his appearances at primary schools will counteract the anti-Trump adverts, sponsored by the Hillary Clinton campaign, which show children watching Mr Trump on television making negative remarks about women and people with disabilities.

The private school, with close to 300 students, welcomed the candidate to meet the children and learn about the school during a stop on his campaign trail, where he also met pastors at the International Church of Las Vegas.

Paul Marc Goulet, the senor pastor of the church and leader of the school, told The Independent that Mr Trump had asked to visit and meet religious Latino leaders.

"My eldest grandson, Luke, asked me; 'Papa, is Donald Trump going to come?' I asked him why. It was because Mr Trump is a successful businessman," he said.

"My grandson wanted to meet a billionaire. It was funny, it was nothing to do with politics. And when he shook Mr Trump's hand, it almost brought tears to my eyes."

"I told the kids, I want you to believe you can do anything in your life. Whether you're a boy or a girl, white or black, you can become anything - even the president, one day."

According to Bloomberg reporter Jennifer Jacobs, Mr Trump read out a passage from 1 John 4:12.

"No one has ever seen God, but if we love one another, God lives in us," he said.

His visit to the school follows the vice presidential debate on Tuesday night, where his running mate Mike Pence argued with Virginia senator Tim Kaine over abortions, fighting terrorism and national security. They both insisted they were men of faith.

Mr Trump declared on Wednesday that Mr Pence won the debate "on style", but reportedly added: "The style doesn’t matter. It’s the issues that matter."

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