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Donald Trump went to New Hampshire last night. He accepted the endorsement of a police union. It was Trump's first campaign event since declaring that all Muslims should be temporarily barred from entering the United States. NPR's Sam Sanders has the story.
UNIDENTIFIED CROWD: (Singing) We're not going to take Trump. We're not going to take Trump. We're not going to take Trump anymore.
SAM SANDERS, BYLINE: Anti-Trump protesters singing anti-Trump songs right next to Trump supporters waving signs and flags - and bright lights and police and Secret Service - cars driving by, honking - all of it in reaction to Donald Trump. Francis Cormier was on the pro-Trump side. He was there because he feels Trump's being mistreated by the press, especially since his comments on Muslim immigration.
FANCIS CORMIER: Trump is filled with hate. Trump is comparable to Hitler. Trump is a racist. Isn't that just name-calling?
SANDERS: Inside, there was no name-calling. Only love for The Donald.
UNIDENTIFIED MAN: And we stand here united today to introduce our candidate for the next president of the United States, Donald J. Trump.
SANDERS: Trump had come to receive the endorsement of the New England Police Benevolent Association. And it was a love fest.
DONALD TRUMP: Now, I want to let you know that the police and the law enforcement in this country - I will never, ever let them down. Just remember that. Just remember that.
SANDERS: Trump praised police and first responders' handling of the recent shooting in San Bernardino, and he told the crowd that if he were president, he'd sign an executive order making this promise.
TRUMP: ...Anybody killing a police officer - death penalty. It's going to happen, OK.
SANDERS: Trump told the crowd that during his campaign, on issue after issue people have been coming around to his points of view, even on Muslim immigration.
TRUMP: When I talked about what I said the other day, all of a sudden I'm watching the shows this morning and I'm watching the shows tonight. Well, you know, Trump has a point - the visa system is not working. This woman came in on a marriage visa.
SANDERS: Trump was speaking about one of the San Bernardino shooters, who's been linked to ISIS. He says on issues like these, you can't be afraid to speak out.
TRUMP: We've got to get down to the problems. We can't worry about being politically correct. We just can't afford anymore to be so politically correct.
SANDERS: Richard Travers waited outside to wave at Trump Thursday night. He says Trump's chances of winning the election are high because there are still a lot of people not admitting that they might vote for him.
RICHARD TRAVERS: A lot of people are afraid.
SANDERS: Why are they afraid?
TRAVERS: It's like the Wilder effect. Did you ever hear of the Wilder effect?
SANDERS: Tell me what that is.
Travers is talking about Virginia's first black governor, L. Douglas Wilder. Polls had him up before Election Day in 1989 by double digits, but the theory says that support was inflated because some voters didn't want to tell pollsters that they weren't going to vote for a black candidate.
TRAVERS: So they said they were going to vote for him.
SANDERS: Wilder did wind up winning, but by a much smaller margin because the theory says, on Election Day, people really voted their hearts.
TRAVERS: So I'm thinking there's a Trump effect the other way. Nobody wants to say that - over the phone that they're for him, you know, when they really are.
SANDERS: The Trump effect - if you buy this theory, Trump is really more loved than we think. We just don't know it yet. Sam Sanders, NPR News, New Hampshire. Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.
