SALINA -Former chief executive officer of Hewlett-Packard and 2016 Republican presidential candidate Carly Fiorina was this year’s guest speaker at the Salina Area Chamber of Commerce Annual Meeting. A press conference was held before the chamber banquet where Fiorina talked about issues ranging from the popularity of President Donald Trump, to replacing the Affordable Care Act.

According to Fiorina, the average American voter feels left behind by the system. This is why more fringe candidates like President Trump and Senator Bernie Sanders were so popular in the last election. She also predicted that unless the system is changed, these types candidates are going to continue to grow in popularity.

“Those folks that voted for (President Trump), and there are a lot of them, are expecting him to challenge the system a little bit,” Fiorina said. “So, we are not even three weeks into it, so I say it is a good thing to give the man a chance.”

Poverty was also a major talking point for Fiorina during the press conference and the chamber banquet. The former Repubican Presidential Candidate works with the charity group Opportunity International, which she described as a microfinance organization. This means they lend small amounts of money to impoverished people. 

“Poverty, it’s not because people lack gifts. It is not because they are stupid. It is not because they don’t care. It could be, for example, they can not get credit,” Fiorina said.

Fiorina’s message at the banquet focused more on the changing times. She described it as “the more things change, the more things stay the same.” During her speech she touched on how technology has changed the workplace but the qualities of a good leader still remain the same.