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Kingston Rita’s gives away 2,050 cups of Italian ice during First Day of Spring

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<p>HAZLETON &#8212; U.S. Rep. Lou Barletta Tuesday endorsed Donald Trump for president, saying the Republican party should stop trying to figure out how to stop Trump and, instead, try to understand why he is so popular.</p><p>&#8220;Voters are smart,&#8221; Barletta said. &#8220;We need to listen to the voters instead of elitists trying to tell us right from wrong. In state after state, voters have made it clear that they want change and are tired of the way things are being done in Washington. I think Donald Trump is the best person to bring the change that Americans are demanding.&#8221;</p><p>Not surprising, Trump&#8217;s tough stand on illegal immigration caught Barletta&#8217;s attention. When he was the mayor of Hazleton, Barletta fought to crack down on illegal immigration, using the catch phrase, &#8220;legal is legal.&#8221; He has continued that fight in Washington.</p><p>&#8220;But if not for Trump bringing the issue out, I don&#8217;t believe anybody would be talking about it in this presidential campaign,&#8221; Barletta said. &#8220;Seeing how Trump has been criticized reminded me of what I went through. I&#8217;m still being attacked for fighting for an important issue that I fought all the way to the Supreme Court.&#8221;</p><p>Trump is not backing down on the issue, Barletta said, and says he will keep fighting throughout the campaign for the presidency.</p><p>&#8220;It&#8217;s a matter of national security and protecting our jobs,&#8221; Barletta said.</p><p>Barletta, R-Hazleton, said he did not contact the Trump campaign to inform them of his decision to endorse the GOP front-runner. He said he has not heard from any Republican leaders, but expects that will happen soon. Barletta is just one of a few Republicans in Congress to endorse Trump.</p><p>&#8220;I&#8217;m sure they&#8217;re not excited about it,&#8221; he said of his GOP colleagues. &#8220;But I didn&#8217;t think that the Washington establishment should have interfered with the primary process to begin with. Some 75 percent of the American people believe the country is going in the wrong direction and the other 25 percent are here in Washington.&#8221;</p><p>Barletta posted his endorsement on Facebook and Twitter and said the response has been overwhelmingly positive. A check of his personal Facebook page Tuesday afternoon found there were 227 &#8220;likes&#8221; to the story and 76 &#8220;shares.&#8221; Of the more than 100 comments posted, most were favorable.</p><p>Barletta doesn&#8217;t believe the GOP establishment has given up on trying to stop Trump from securing the Republican nomination for president.</p><p>&#8220;But they are ignoring the people who are going to the polls in state after state voting for change,&#8221; Barletta said. &#8220;Voters are unhappy, frustrated and I am, too.&#8221;</p><p>Barletta said a record number of Democrats are switching parties to support Trump.</p><p>&#8220;Donald Trump can create a new Republican party,&#8221; Barletta said. &#8220;Many Republicans feel their party has forgotten about them. I feel the same frustration most Americans feel &#8212; that Washington can&#8217;t get anything done.&#8221;</p><p>In a news release announcing his endorsement of Trump, Barletta said he wants the next president to be a leader who fights for the American people and gets things done, not a politician who tries to say all the right things but will never be able to deliver on more broken promises.</p><p>&#8220;Throughout his campaign, Donald Trump has proven that he is the leader our country needs to change the way Washington does business, and I am proud to give my full endorsement and support to his candidacy,&#8221; Barletta said. &#8220;I think that Donald Trump has the ability to attract Democrats and Independents who are frustrated with Washington and he is our best candidate to defeat Hillary Clinton in November.&#8221;</p><p>Barletta went on to say that Republicans and Democrats alike &#8220;are tired of Congress working for special interests instead of the national interest, and talking about our nation&#8217;s problems instead of fixing them.&#8221;</p><style>
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<div class="neCaption">Lou Barletta </div></div><div class="metaInfo"><photo0>https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/03/web1_redcarpet01-1.jpg</photo0><caption0>Lou Barletta </caption0><photoCredit0></photoCredit0></div><div class="neFile"><img class="neImage" src="https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/03/web1_APTOPIX-GOP-2016-Trum_Sopr.jpg">
<div class="neCaption">Donald Trump </div></div><div class="metaInfo"><photo1>https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/03/web1_APTOPIX-GOP-2016-Trum_Sopr.jpg</photo1><caption1>Donald Trump </caption1><photoCredit1></photoCredit1></div></div>
<div class="metaInfo"><bylineMeta><p>By Bill O&#8217;Boyle</p><p>boboyle@www.timesleader.com</p></bylineMeta></div><div class="metaInfo"><shirttailMeta><p>Reach Bill O&#8217;Boyle at 570-991-6118 or on Twitter @TLBillOBoyle.</p></shirttailMeta></div>

Rep. Lou Barletta: Donald Trump can create a new Republican party