Ruairí McDonnell attended the Trump rally in New York City.
During the September 10 Presidential debate, Kamala Harris urged viewers to attend one of Donald Trump’s rallies, mocking the size of his crowds and suggesting attendees might leave due to boredom and exhaustion. However, if those listening to her that night had chosen to attend Trump’s rally at Madison Square Garden, they would have found her assessments to be misguided.
Instead of boredom, they’d have found a vibrant atmosphere with music, food vendors, and thousands of enthusiastic supporters decked out in Trump merchandise, all eagerly awaiting the man on their shirts to take the stage.
The queue to get into the rally stretched the whole way around the arena and, perhaps surprisingly, boasted a diverse congregation. Those standing waiting to see the former President included a vibrant mix of individuals from all walks of life including young black men, white Evangelicals, and Asian women. It was a visual representation of what Trump’s team has claimed is the ‘Greatest Coalition in History’.
Looking around there were signs as to why this crowd had come to support the former President. In a conversation between an African American man wearing a now-iconic MAGA hat and a well-dressed Evangelical distributing brochures, the former stated he was voting for Trump because people were starving across America. His companion agreed, attributing it to famine being one of the four horsemen of the apocalypse, which led to an abrupt and confusing end to their exchange.
The contradictions within the diverse crowd continued to unfold. A man dressed as North Korean supreme leader Kim Jong Un held hands with a Donald Trump lookalike, while just across the street, South Korean supporters waved their national flag in solidarity with Trump.
Similarly, a number of Jewish supporters draped themselves in Israeli flags containing the text, ‘Jews for Trump’, as protesters held signs comparing Trump to Hitler. This scene unfolded in the same week that several Muslim leaders from Michigan endorsed Trump for his stance on Gaza.
A mixture of signs were held above the sea of heads and those looking up would see Trump labelled with a myriad of titles: the hero, the loser, the fighter, the strong, the traitor, the weird, the fascist, the leader. All of those in attendance, supporters and otherwise, had their own view of what Trump represented and these views differed greatly.
In an election where Kamala Harris has struggled to define who she is as a candidate, Trump is everything to everyone. Simply put, Trump appeals to so many people because he claims to be so many things.
The Vice President had supporters there too, who loudly denounced her opponent. They were met with some mild aggression from rally attendees who sought to emasculate her male supporters and degrade the females. Notably, Kamala’s cortege was not as diverse as those across the street, most of whom seemed to be old white folk, seasoned veterans, with a smattering of younger faces in between.
Standing between these two groups vividly illustrated the current state of American politics – a clash of different factions hurling low-level insults at each other, devoid of substantive dialogue.
The 2024 election has been dissected endlessly and will continue to be analysed for years to come. Whether Donald Trump or Kamala Harris wins, a narrative will be crafted to explain the result. However, Trump’s rallies offer just a glimpse into the absurdity and unpredictability of contemporary American politics, beyond any understanding.
This is a guest slot to give a platform for new writers either as a one off, or a prelude to becoming part of the regular Slugger team.
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