"I love Connecticut. I lived in Connecticut,” Trump told the crowd, many who had arrived well before 6 a.m. in anticipation of the event. He spoke for an hour to the large crowd gathered in the school gymnasium.
Banners hung on the walls and the crowd sported Trump signs and his signature red hat.
In his second public campaign appearance in Connecticut, Trump said he knows the state well and wasted no time hitting on a sensitive topic.
"I also know the problems. Oh, how did you lose General Electric? You can't do that!” Trump exclaimed.
“When they start moving from state to state that's different, but when they move from here to Mexico, that I can solve!" said Trump.
Early on in his speech, he was interrupted by one protestor in the standing area. Trump moved on to other topics, taking shots at his opponents and the media.
He also addressed his outspoken demeanor, putting to bed questions on whether he'd become more "presidential" as the campaign moves forward.
"A lot of them say, 'be more presidential,' and now people are starting to say, 'wait a minute - look what got you here,'” said Trump.
Trump also took aim at the Republican party. He explained his frustrations with the delegate process and decried the primary system, calling it "rigged."
Another topic that seemed to tap into this crowd? Job losses in Waterbury and across the country.
"Waterbury lost nearly 50 percent of its manufacturing jobs since Congress voted to put China into the World Trade Organization in 2001,” said Trump.
"I'm not angry at China, and I'm not angry at Mexico, and I'm not angry at Japan,” Trump said. “I'm angry at our leaders for being so stupid that they would allow this to happen."
Trump backers at the rally said seeing him in person did not disappoint. If anything, their support for him has grown.
"Whatever this guy does, we want him in the office,” said Michael Rinaldi from Waterbury.
"Donald's wonderful. I love him,” said Kathleen Reading from Prospect. “He's a great speaker, makes everybody feel happy, like America can be strong again."
"You know, being presidential's easy — much easier than what I have to do," Trump told thousands at a rally in Bridgeport. "Here, I have to rant and rave. I have to keep you people going. Otherwise you're going to fall asleep on me, right?"
Trump declared to the crowd that he has no intention of reversing any of his provocative policy plans, including building a wall along the length of the Southern border.
"Everything I say I'm going to do, folks, I'll do," he said.
Trump's new chief adviser, Paul Manafort, met Thursday with top Republican officials and told them his candidate, known for his over-the-top persona and brashness, has been "projecting an image."
"The part that he's been playing is now evolving," Manafort said.
At the rally in Waterbury, Trump joked about how it's easy to be presidential, making a series of faux somber faces. He told the crowd he can be serious and policy-minded when he has to be.
Trump revived his birther criticism of rival Ted Cruz, which he has previously used to suggest the Texas senator is ineligible to run for president.
"Rafael! Straight out of the hills of Canada!" he declared, referring to Cruz by his given name. Most experts said that Cruz is eligible to serve in the White House even though he was born to an American mother on Canadian soil, but Trump has worked to sow doubts.
There was one arrest made at the Waterbury event. Somebody with a permit had a gun but they tried carrying it into the school and were arrested for possession of a handgun on school property.
This wasn't Trump's first time in the Constitution State this campaign season. Just last week the GOP front-runner appeared at a rally at the Convention Center in Hartford. Just under 7,000 people watched the billionaire's speech, while more than 1,000 other supporters were turned away, and hundreds lined the streets of Hartford around the Center to protest his visit.
While it may seem unnecessary to pay so much attention to such a small state when he's leading the polls--the latest Quinnipiac Poll showed him leading with Connecticut Republican primary voters at 48 percent, compared to John Kasich's 28 percent and Ted Cruz's 19 percent--every vote really is starting to count.
To win the nomination, a Republican candidate needs 1,237 delegates. Trump currently has 845, meaning he needs 392 to cinch the nomination. There are a total of 2,472 delegates to be split, with just 749 left in the states that haven't yet voted, so Trump needs more than 50 percent of the remaining delegates. If no candidate reaches 1,237, it would mean an open convention for the first time in more than half a century.
For Trump to gain all 28 of Connecticut's delegates--something he badly needs--he needs to win 50 percent of the state-wide vote, plus he needs to win each of the five districts. If Trump wins the state-wide vote by a margin less than 50 percent, he would split the delegates with the other candidates. This is what Kasich is counting on, which is probably why he appeared in the state on Friday for the second time in one month.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
