Presidential hopeful Donald Trump speaks to a crowd of people outside of Urbandale High School on Saturday, Sept. 19, 2015. Trump was invited by a group of students who, as a class activity, set out to get a presidential candidate to visit their school during homecoming. (Photo: Kelsey Kremer/The Register)
DES MOINES, Iowa — Presidential candidate Donald Trump said he's willing to appoint a Muslim to his cabinet and called women "superior to men" at surely one of the most unusual rallies of the 2016 caucus season so far.
Trump, the businessman who's currently leading the Republican presidential field, addressed a crowd of hundreds from the front entrance of Urbandale High School — the result of a lobbying effort by students to lure a presidential candidate to their homecoming festivities.
Crowded around the stage beside and behind Trump were dozens of Urbandale students, most too young to vote and many dressed in formalwear for the homecoming dance that followed the candidate's appearance.
"Hello folks," Trump said, turning to face the students soon after taking the stage. "Oh, they're so young. Look at them, so young and beautiful and attractive."
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The students were by turns starstruck and skeptical of the celebrity candidate in their midst, leaning in for high-fives and snapping photos on the rope line, but also peppering him with tough questions on stage.
One student prefaced her question by saying, "I consider Muslim-Americans to be an asset to our country" and then asked if Trump would consider appointing a Muslim to a cabinet position as president.
"Oh, absolutely, no problem with that," Trump replied. "Would I consider putting a Muslim-American in my cabinet? Absolutely, no problem with that. OK?"
The very next question keyed in on Trump's history of insulting comments toward women.
"I think women are the greatest," Trump answered, even before the female questioner finished speaking. "No, I think they're superior to men. Let me tell you — I think they're far superior to men. Women — they're great. And I will take care of women's health issues."
Allison Fleming, an Urbandale junior, called it an "honor" to host Trump at her school — the same word freshman Carrie Cox used after she exchanged high-fives with him. Twin ninth-graders Maddi and Morgan Mundy called themselves Trump supporters — mostly, Morgan acknowledged, because their parents are.
Senior Kelsey Shepherd, meanwhile, said she was attending only for the extra credit and would much rather see Democratic candidate Bernie Sanders visit the school.
"I'm not a fan," Shepherd said of Trump. "I don't think that he's got very good views about women and people in general."
In his remarks, Trump played to the younger members of the crowd, admonishing the students to avoid alcohol, drugs and tobacco and even asking students to raise their hands if they smoked cigarettes.
"Stay away from the drugs, stay away from the whole thing with alcohol," he said.
Trump had little to say about policies he would pursue if elected — even when asked directly about his "plans for making college more affordable for everyone."
"We're going to work on a financing program where people are going to be taken care of," Trump said, providing no further details except to criticize the federal government's direct student loan program.
While the students represented a wide range of views, the adults in the crowd were a far more self-selected group of Trump supporters.
Linda Browder of Granger called Trump a "down-to-earth kind of guy."
"He gets it. Even though he has all this money, he gets it," she said. "He knows what's going on with us."
David Gott of Des Moines said he would never again vote for a "politician" and called Trump's business background the best qualification available for a presidential candidate.
"This is exactly what we need," he said. "The country is based on capitalism, and you couldn't ask for a better person to be there to help bring things about."
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