MY EXPERIENCE AT A TRUMP RALLY
Ironically, I was in politics class when I just so happened to go on Facebook to see that Donald Trump was in my area for a rally. I immediately called my friend, asked her if she wanted to go, bought the tickets, and left school.
I guess the series of events that happened prior to going should have shown us that we shouldn’t have went. My friend spilled a Frosty all over my car, we got run off the road by an ambulance, and the traffic felt like I was driving in the middle of Times Square.
(Trump Bus)
We finally parked, and four (college) boys got out of the diesel truck in front of us. They opened the trunk, got out a cooler of Miller Lite, and lit up a joint. My friend (who is probably the biggest liberal I know, covered in tattoos, and wore a see-through shirt with a floral skirt) got out of my car and looked around to see who was there.
As soon as she got out of the car, the boys looked at her and said “Are you a liberal?” and started screaming at us to leave. We just tried to ignore them and started walking towards the line, which happened to be wrapped around the complex.
(Me, on the left, my friend, Lyndsay, on the right)
When we got in line, we saw a lot of merch being sold, such as shirts saying, “Hillary sucks, but not like Monica,” obviously referring to the Clinton scandal with Monica Lewinsky. Pins and hats were being sold, saying, “Hot Chicks for Trump,” and, “Hillary Clinton KFC Special: Two Fat Thighs, Two Small Breasts… and One Wing.” One woman came walking by screaming, “If Hillary can’t please her husband, she can’t please the country!” and was selling shirts that said, “Hillary Swallows!” Needless to say, the Trump merchandise sellers were not holding back.
(Seller with a “Hillary Sucks, But Not Like Monica” Shirt)
One of the first things I noticed on the website for the tickets was that there were no posters of any kind allowed within the arena. When we got to the complex, the official seller of Trump merchandise was selling signs saying, “Trump for President, Hillary for Prison” and “Trump 2016,” yet, there were “no posters allowed.”
The group in front of us consisted of four teenaged boys, and a man who looked like a family member or a guardian. There was a couple behind us, who evidentially made snide remarks about Trump the entire time we were in line. But, I couldn’t help listening in to the conversation of the boys in front of us. Some of their comments were:
“You know it’s bad when your stomach sticks out more than your boobs do.”
“Why should abortion be legal? It’s bad for our country.”
“No one knows about Libertarianism, which is why it’s non-existent. I’m a Libertarian, though!”
After an hour and a half, we finally were in-front of the complex. By this point, Trump had already gone out on the floor, and we were live-streaming the conference. But, we saw a group of protestors on the lawn in front of the entrance, and decided to join them after being in line with Trump supporters.
As we approached, my friend wanted to hold a sign up, and a young girl gave her this sign:
(Lyndsay holding a sign saying, “Billionaires to blame, not immigrants”)
Headphones would have been helpful on this side of the complex. The amounts of screaming were equal to a bunch of teenage-girls at a One Direction concert, except more stern and hateful. It was almost like a game of tug-a-war; the supporters would scream something over, the protestors would fight back, and they would go back and fourth over and over again.
The police had protestors stand on the other side of the complex in a field, titled the “Free Speech” zone. On both sides of the spectrum, the protestors and the supporters, there was a lot of hatred and horrible remarks going on towards people, also keeping in mind that these people had never met each other. The only thing they knew about themselves was their political views, and yet, they could spend their entire night screaming, yelling, and threatening people, just because they have different political views.
Two girls walked up behind us, wearing shirts that said “Love” and “Love Trump’s Hate.” They proceeded to tell their friends that they had just gotten kicked out of the rally, and I turned around and asked them what happened and why they were kicked out.
Basically, to make a long story short, a security guard saw their shirts, and told them to stay out of trouble. Then, the security guard saw them laughing and not clapping at what Mr. Trump had to say, and they were escorted out. Keep in mind, this was their side of the story.
People of all ages, races, and genders were there on both sides.
As soon as the sun hit the horizon, I decided it was time to leave. Personally, I didn’t want to be in a protestor situation when it was dark out, because apparently that is when sh*t starts to hit the fan.
All in all, I am so thankful I was able to attend this experience. I was part of history, and whether my political views are different or the same as yours, there is absolutely no reason for the amount of hate I saw at this rally. People wonder why the world is crumbling, and hate is the reason.
More pictures from the rally:
(Trump Pins)
(Protestor sign, saying, ”Matthew 5:9 Blessed are the peace makers”)
(Pin saying, “Hot Chicks for Donald Trump”)