By Toni Caushi
BU News Service
GILFORD, NH. – Nearly two hundred people gathered under stars and stripes and “Make America Great Again” signs to rally behind Vice President Mike Pence on Tuesday afternoon in a warehouse at Laconia Airport Authority in Gilford, New Hampshire.
BU News Service captured the event as Pence praised the administration‘s response to COVID-19, divulged updates on the border wall and encouraged chants of “four more years.” Red hats, Trump shirts and “Fake News” socks crowded close together, mixing sporadically with surgical masks.
Vice President Mike Pence speaks in front of a crowd in Gilford, NH at Laconia Airport Authority on Tuesday. He said his presence in New Hampshire had made the president “a little jealous.” Photo by Toni Caushi/BU News Service 
The crowd pours outside of the overcrowded general admission area inside a Laconia Airport Authority warehouse in Gilford, NH. Photo by Toni Caushi/BU News Service 
A veteran stands at attention at the start of the Pence rally on Tuesday. “In three short years, we restored the arsenal of democracy,” Pence said at the event. “I can’t be more proud to be the vice president of a president who stands with our military.” The general support of veterans and the military has wavered recently, falling to just 50% according to the Institute for Veterans and Military Families. Photo by Toni Caushi/BU News Service 
A masked man shows his support for the border wall at the Pence rally on Tuesday. “We’ve already built 300 miles of that wall, but in four more years we’re gonna build it all,” Pence promised, adding that “Mexico is doing more to secure our borders than ever before.” According to U.S. Customs and Border Protection, about 478,000 tons of steel and 689,000 tons of concrete have already been used to raise the 300 miles of wall — about 1000 miles remain to be built. Photo by Toni Caushi/BU News Service 
Cheers of “four more years” go up at the Pence rally at Laconia Airport Authority on Tuesday. Pence responded with, “Four more years means more jobs, more support for our troops, more judges, and it’s gonna take at least four more years to drain that swamp.” Photo by Toni Caushi/BU News Service 
“Check the fake [news] media twice,” exclaims the man in red as security at Tuesday’s Pence rally pats down members of the media. Photo by Toni Caushi/BU News Service 
The audience crowds together at the Pence rally in Gilford, NH on Tuesday. Few followed COVID-19 social distancing guidelines and some said they “proudly” didn’t wear masks, claiming it was “a personal choice that affected only them.” Photo by Toni Caushi/BU News Service 
A supporter removes a shoe at the Pence rally on Tuesday to reveal “Fake News” Trump socks. In 2018, an Oxford University study concluded that Trump supporters tend to spread news defined as “misleading, deceptive or incorrect information.” On Tuesday, Trump supporters in Gilford, NH continued to claim that fake news was a product of the left, often asking reporters to “show your credentials before asking people questions.” Photo by Toni Caushi/BU News Service 
Pence waves to supporters and urges them to the polls at the end of his speech in Gilford, NH on Tuesday. “Only 42 days away from another victory for the American people,” Pence says at the end of his speech. “Vote for four more years of President Donald Trump in the White House.” Photo by Toni Caushi/BU News Service
