What better thing can you do with your best friend than go to a Trump Rally? Well, I can think of many other things that would have been more enjoyable, but the rally was certainly memorable. We went as observers, not as supporters. We were questioners, not believers. And we certainly left with a lot to think about. One thing that has been persistently troubling my mind is the violence that seems to follow Trump through his rallies. I watched from the stands as protesters were escorted out by the secret service to the sound of the cheering crowd and Trump's yells of "Out, Out, Out!"
I awoke at 3 a.m. on Mar. 4, 2016 to go to the rally in Warren, Michigan. It is only a two hour drive, but we needed to be there early to get seats in the stands. As I opened my eyes to the ascending cry of my alarm, I thought to myself, "What am I doing?" I thought the same thing as I finished getting ready in the daze that three hours of sleep provides. The car ride there was a nearly constant banter of "What am I doing? Why am I going to this rally?" By the end of the rally and after some reflection, I realized that I was observing history. I was curious about the people who were supporting Trump as they shouted their cries of "Make America Great Again." I needed to see for myself if the news reports were true.Could Donald Trump really be as ridiculous as I had been led to believe from the articles circling my Facebook page?
Well, I cannot say that I was surprised by Trump's behavior, it was just like I had seen on the news. Instead, I was surprised and shocked by many people in the crowd of Trump supporters as they filled the gym of Macomb Community College. They were angry and passionate in their exclamations of "Bomb the Hell out of ISIS." I watched as a guy my age walked up and down the bleachers yelling "Build the Wall, Bomb the Hell out of ISIS," and some slur about Hillary Clinton. At one point there was a loud, unified chant of "U.S.A., U.S.A. U. S.A.!" like we were at an Olympic hockey game, not a political rally. Merchandise was being sold like we were at a boy-band concert. It was like Trump was Justin Bieber and they all had Trumpfever. Soon after Trump took the stage, a game of "Spot the Protester" broke out among the crowd. I watched from my safe spot on the bleachers as people in the middle of the gym pointed and booed at protesters.
What surprised me the most was the group of high school guys who got two girls kicked out for wearing a Bernie Sander's hat and an anti-Trump t-shirt. From what I saw, the two girls were just standing and observing, the same as me. It began with two of the high school guys pointing out the girls and grew to all the guys in the group pointing and jumping, waiting to be noticed. The secret service soon went in and took the girls away. I saw the girls' looks of shock and indignation on their faces as they were led out with sounds of the crowd cheering at the success of purifying the crowd.
Not all of the people at the rally were caught up in the Trumpfever. Most were peaceful and excited to be at a rally where they would get to see Donald Trump. I may not have been one of the supporters or one of the protesters, but I definitely was a part of history in the making.
