Today I attended my first ever political event. It was what is known as a "Trump Rally," although the reality is that it was more of a last push to motivate Republicans to go vote in the mid-terms on Tuesday. I am typically not a political person, but I had heard so much about American politics lately that I thought I would go see just what the fuss was all about. The following is my record of what happened. Prepare to be shocked at just what they aren't telling you.
In the days leading up to the rally we contemplated just how early we should arrive so as to be guaranteed a spot. We had tickets, but you just never know. There were reports of people camping out the night before a rally as well as thousand of people packing into events locations so we really didn't want to take our chances. This particular rally was held at the I-X Center in Cleveland, a massive venue of about 2.2 million square feet but we were still a bit concerned that there wouldn't be room for all the people who would be in attendance.
So we did what any sensible person would do and we asked google how early we should arrive.
Google said get there early.
The doors to the I-X Center were supposed to open at noon and President Trump was set to begin speaking at 3 PM. We briefly debated arriving in the wee hours of the morning, but my laziness and need for morning coffee won out. At 10 AM we were ready to go.
Then the phone rang, life intervened, and it was after noon by the time we actually walked out the door.
The image above was taken about a quarter mile from the I-X Center. As is shown, there was a police presence to deal with the impending traffic, and they were apparently doing a fabulous job. There was a little bit of a slow down on the road, but we were in the parking lot of the venue within a few minutes.
As we got closer to the parking, the cars got a wee bit closer together, but it certainly wasn't the madhouse I was expecting. Traffic moved along nicely, especially for Cleveland. Rush hour pretty much any day is slower and more stressful than the approach to the Trump Rally.
I kept an eye out for protesters. I'd heard a great deal about them, even in my hometown of Cleveland. I fully expected to see women in strange hats, and angry men throwing tomatoes at the very least. The idea of a spectacle appealed to me. I was curious and excited as to what manner of ridiculousness would greet us at the doors.
Before we even made it into the parking lot I caught a glimpse of this guy.
Insecure, Small-Penised, WHITE GUYS for Trump!!!
nationalsmallpenisassociation.com
SUPPORTS TRUMP 2020!
It was fortunate that I already had my camera out. Traffic was rolling along quite well and I wouldn't even have been able to read both of his signs had I not snapped a quick picture on the way by. I can only assume that this is a bona fide protester, but in today's climate I guess I shouldn't assume anything. If you'd like to check out their website to know for sure, feel free. I'll go ahead and pass on that one.
At 12:30, the parking lot still had plenty of space in it. Our fears of struggling to find a place to park in a crowded, narrow lot were completely unfounded. There were mounted police posted at various places throughout the lot, and several police cars hanging together near the back. There had been a bomb threat earlier in the day, so it was nice to know there were plenty of emergency personnel on hand in case things went sideways.
Despite the relatively few vehicles in the lot, many of them were trucks. In the city, it's kind of unusual to see so many trucks. Streets are narrow, parking is tight, and traffic is horrendous, so the majority of city dwellers drive smaller vehicles. Being truck owners ourselves, it was immediately noticeable that there were many more trucks in the parking lot than the urban location would normally support.
This was the crowd as we made our way to the doors of the I-X Center. There were no protesters, but there were a few volunteers still campaigning for their Ohio candidate of choice. These people had no loud speakers or fancy gimmicks, but instead simply stood in one spot and offered literature to passersby. We joined one of 5 or 6 short lines making steady progress toward the security screening at the entrance to the building.
The couple in front of us chatted amicably about just how wonderful it was to be around so many like minded individuals. This would be the first, but not the last, time I would hear that phrase during the Trump Rally. Directly after this comment, the gentlemen remarked about "all those assholes going to protest." As there was only the one protester at this rally, I assumed he was simply referring to another time. However, he could have been referring to this guy:
but I saw no protestations from him. He was not the only person in strange dress however. Later in the event I saw another gentlemen in a costume, as well as a woman dressed in what looked like a Strawberry Shortcake outfit but could have been a poorly thought out red dress.
Once inside, the dress code became quite uniform. The vast majority of attendees were wearing blue jeans, boots, and a red MAGA hat. Everyone looked like the Joe Walsh song, "Ordinary Average Guy." There were no snarling face, clenched fists, or angry sneers.
Instead, the room was occupied by the blue collar worker. Most of the audience was white, with slightly more males than females. Children were pretty scarce, but that is to be expected at an event that takes place during the school day. Minorities were also scarce - so scarce in fact that at one point I watched a black man become something of a celebrity for a moment. An older white couple were holding a large banner praising President Trump as a somewhat disheveled black man wearing a "Blacks for Trump" sweatshirt over a hoodie walked by preoccupied on his cell phone. The couple approached the man and asked if they could take his picture with their banner. He must have agreed, as he stood with the couple in front of the banner and the woman snapped a quick selfie. The man walked off, still intent on his phone, and the woman gave her partner a sort of silent victory cheer.
While the crowd was mostly white, there were a members of a few minorities in attendance. I saw an Amish family walk into the auditorium, as well as several black men and women, a couple men who appeared to be Hispanic, and a few other people of assorted ethnicity. For a city as remarkable diverse as Cleveland, I was quite surprised at the overwhelming homogeneity of the crowd.
At approximately 1:30, a local politician took the stage. He first reminded the crowd of how they should vote in the mid-terms, then invited everyone to pray with him and passed the microphone to a pastor. With heads bowed, the pastor prayed that God would "give our opponents strength." He continued by pointing out that there are "only two sides, the right side and the wrong side." The crowd howled in agreement and shook their MAGA posters high in the air. The next speaker, another local politician, without a trace or irony began by saying, "We are a party that kneels in prayer, not in protest" despite the fact that not a single person had kneeled for the prayer moments before. The National Anthem was performed, the Pledge of Allegiance was recited, and the politicians continued to take the stage to remind their constituents to vote for them. By about 2:15 the locals were finished and the waiting began in earnest.
The room had filled a little more by this point, but despite a steady stream of people filing in, there was still plenty of space available for more attendees.
At 2:57, The President of the United States of America was announced over the loud-speaker. The music swelled as the crowd erupted in cheers and sign shaking. Every cell phone video camera in the room was held high over head to catch every moment as President Trump made his way to the podium. I am particular about punctuality so was quite surprised that they were starting 3 minutes early. The music continued, the cheering continued, and I obsessively checked my clock to see just how early they would in fact begin.
2:58 and the crowd is still going wild. I've seen no sign of the President.
2:59 and the song is almost over. As the minute drags on I finally catch my fist glimpse as he climbs the few steps up to the podium.
3:00 on the dot. My clock clicks over to the new hour and Donald Trump begins his rally at that. exact. moment. It was clockwork. It was robotic. It was so perfectly on time as to be extraordinary. "How did he do it," I wondered.
The rest of the event is available in it's entirety here if you are interested.
Ultimately, it was quite uneventful. Perhaps Cleveland is the anomaly. Perhaps everyone was on their best behavior. Perhaps the protesters all switched sides. Regardless, I was glad to have seen it for myself. Sometimes, that's really the only way to know the truth.
