When I found out Donald Trump was having a rally in Tallahassee, I immediately reserved a couple of tickets. I knew this would be the only chance I’d ever have at seeing the man up close, and I was curious. Plus, I know as well as anyone that the media can’t always be trusted, and I wanted the chance to judge this man on my own.
Unfortunately, I showed up too late, and I got locked outside of the gates among hundreds—if not thousands—of others, our free tickets becoming completely worthless. So, I didn’t get a chance to experience Trump, but I did get a chance to experience and judge some of Trump’s supporters.
Before I go on, I want to go ahead and extinguish any assumptions you make about my political affiliation based on this article. Truth be told, I don’t claim the Republican or Democrat side because I despise our partisan mindset. So if I don’t believe in voting according to party, like too many people are prone to do, who am I voting for, you ask? Johnson? Maybe. Or maybe Stein. Or maybe I’ll finally decide on Trump or Hillary by the time I go early vote this afternoon. Or maybe I’ll write someone in. My family would tell you that I’m a total pyromaniac, so I’m pretty likely to feel the Bern. The point is, it doesn’t matter; it’s none of your business. This article isn’t meant to imply anything about the presidential candidates or my opinion of them, merely about the supporters of one of them.
Now, that being said, here are five things I learned about Trump supporters in an hour I spent among them.
1. They’re more diverse than you think.
Before I went to this rally (that I technically didn’t go to since I was locked out), my idea of Trump supporters consisted mostly of older white people whom my friends and I would probably consider a little outdated in modern America. I was completely astounded to find that the majority of the people surrounding me were young. If I had to guess, I’d say over half of everyone there hadn’t even reached thirty yet. I saw young people, I saw old people, I saw families. I saw people who weren’t white—yes, not only was the age range diverse, but so were the people in regards to their race and/or ethnicity. Like I said, I expected almost exclusively white people. Wrong. There were dozens of nonwhites there. Blacks, East Asians, Latinos, Middle Easterners, Indians… you get the idea. Sure, some of them were probably there out of curiosity, like me, but too many others were sporting Trump paraphernalia claiming to not be among his supporters.
2. They’re nicer than you think.
Again, I stereotyped Trump supporters—specifically to be angry. To be argumentative and rowdy and hateful. Sure, there were a few that made my blood boil, like this man that referenced all democrats as “damn homosexuals,” but every group has filth. For the most part, though, they were an agreeable assemblage. I found myself liking them, could even see myself becoming good friends with a handful (granted, I probably make friends more easily than is good for me).
Some yelled responses back to those protesting, of course, but that’s sort of expected. I had come to this event expecting to feel threatened by intimidating and domineering individuals in “Make America Great Again” hats and anti-Hillary t-shirts. To my surprise and gratitude, being threatened was not part my experience, despite my v-neck and styled up hair that may have suggested I was searching for insults. Truthfully, I was prodding for insults. I wanted to see if Trump supporters were as nasty as the media had told me. They weren’t—not the dozens I was surrounded by anyway. They were kind and gave off really good vibes. I expected hostility, but all I got was positive energy.
Courtesy: Katie Brock
3. They don’t care if you’re not white.
When I realized how diverse the Trump supporters were, I found myself staring at people to figure out if they were, in turn, staring (with suspicion or distaste or what-have-you) at those who were not white. What I figured out was that for the most part, they didn’t care. They were just other Trump supporters lost in a crowd of disappointed people who were locked out of the gates. To my horror, I realized I was the one doing the most staring at those who were not white; I was the one objectifying them based on their skin color in an attempt to prove that white Trump supporters hated those “of color.” I was proved wrong—and I am so glad.
4. They’re passionate.
They care a LOT about the issues they stand for. And they ultimately are supporting Trump because they truly believe he’s the best candidate to fix what they see is broken in America. Yes, some are ridiculous in their reasoning for supporting him, but others look at him and think he can fix the economy. I was actually super impressed with the answers some of them gave as to why exactly they supported Trump. I admire them for that. They’re also super patriotic and united. It wasn’t too dissimilar to when we all come together at FSU for football and other events. They’re in community together, all of their various and diverse individuals included, and I hope that regardless of who wins the election, they keep up that ability (and hopefully end up able to be in community with those opposed to Trump as well). I guess we’ll find out soon enough.
5. They’re human.
They’re not perfect. They have flaws. But they have a lot of great things going for them too, and I wish everyone would stop hating on them just because of the candidate they support (I mean, hello, they have that freedom, right?). Yes, they have a lot of people who are hateful and demeaning and ignorant and whatever other insult you can come up with, but they also have a lot of people who are compassionate and encouraging and smart and whatever other compliment you can come up with. Can’t the same be said for every group of people? They deserve to stop being judged based on the worst among them. You don’t have to give Trump a chance, but the least you can do is give his supporters a chance, because chances are you’ll actually like them once you get to know them. But like I said before, maybe I just make friends more easily than others.
*This article does not reflect the views of Her Campus FSU.