My First Trump Rally: Madison Square Garden

There’s this thing that happens sometimes where you like something, but hate the fans. It typically happens with bands—there are plenty of bands that I like, but I wouldn’t be caught dead at one of their shows, because being around their fans would just be infuriating. (I remember when I went to see Tim and Eric live, that was the experience—the fans around me were so fucking annoying, just drunkenly shouting Tim and Eric quotes at random and not paying attention to the show as it was being performed.)

I’ve liked Trump for some time now—I’ve voted for him each time it’s been possible. But, I’d never been to any sort of Trump event. Mostly this was due to none being available to me here in NYC (I didn’t even hear about the Bronx one until it had already happened—the outreach on that was next to nothing). Also though, it’s because it just seemed to me like I’d be surrounded by idiots. That’s not a slight against Trump voters, just a slight against large groups and how that can bring out the worst in people. (I don’t want to be surrounded by a sea of 20,000 people, period.) But, not wanting to miss a once-in-a-lifetime event, I decided to spend a day with 20,000 Trump fans (actually turned out to be way more than that, if you include all those who didn’t make it in) at the Madison Square Garden rally.

It didn’t take more then a few minutes for me to realize that this crowd wasn’t going to be a problem. I felt completely calm and at home with them. This was an entirely diverse group of people: old, young, and every nationality you could imagine. A ‘melting pot’ in the truest sense of the term. I know most people imagine a Trump rally as a sea of frat bros, but that could not be further from the truth, at least at this one. (And, anywhere where a Trump rally is a sea of frat bros is probably just somewhere where that’s simply what they have most of there.)

This was a group of people united by a love for Trump, but also by a prevailing demeanor that I can only describe as kitten-like. I expected dogs—I expected overexcitement. What I got instead a sea of the most peaceful, polite, non-threatening people NYC has to offer. These were people with Zen buddhist energy, likely cultivated through tolerating as much persecution as they have over the past near-decade. A Trump supporter holds their tongue more than the average person, and that brings with it the type of quietude that can lead to enlightenment. These are very healthy people.

As for the content of the rally, everything was way more engaging than it would be just watching a video of it. In fact, I probably never cared to go to a Trump rally somewhat due to seeing some of them on TV and being bored. You just get some fixed shot of the speaker on stage, with a bit of crowd behind. In reality though, a rally is a total experience that has not yet been properly depicted via video (you’d need the Maysles Brothers, probably). If you think you know what a Trump rally is like, and you haven’t been to one, you’re completely wrong. It’s the speaker on stage, it’s the roar of the crowd, it’s the people near you, it’s the people far from you, and most of all it’s your eyes choosing to look at whatever the hell you want. It’s an entire movie being made in your mind, with your head as the camera and microphone. It’s transcendent.

The only annoyance there came from Madison Square Garden staff, specifically those in charge of Concessions. Concession stands there had very long lines, and would be shut down by staff periodically for no discernible reason. I waited on a line for 20 minutes, wanting to get a couple bags of chips and a water. With a few people left in front of me, the stand shut down because ‘there’s no food left’—even though there were tons of bags of chips and a fridge full of water there. Everyone on the line had to leave, so, I went to another Concession stand—which I waited another 20 minutes on. This time, the stand shut down when I was literally the next person waiting to make my purchase. I explained that I had already waited in another line that got shut down, and I just want a water and some chips. They refused to serve me. So, I just went back to my seat.

I’ll also say that there really should have been merch booths, or even one merch booth at all, at the rally. They would have made hundreds of thousands of dollars easily. But, maybe there’s some tax thing where they can’t sell stuff or something. The tickets were free, the signs were free, and the t-shirts thrown out to some in the audience were free.

How negatively this rally was spoken about in the media prior to and after it was not surprising—Trump, and his supporters, get lied about all the time. But, having been there, to categorize this rally as anything other than wholesome is deliberately hateful and dishonest. It’s one thing for someone to watch the rally from home and realize how dishonest the media has been about it, but it’s another thing to have literally been there, as I was. When you were literally somewhere, with no filter between you and the event, you know with your entire heart and mind what is true and what’s not. It’s a total knowing, and an educational one—if the media would lie this much about this thing, then they certainly lie about countless other things. I already knew that, of course, but this crystalized it even further.

I should mention the beautiful energy of the speakers. Everyone I thought I liked, I like even more now, and also feel proud for liking, and for picking up on their good energy through seeing videos of them or hearing them on podcasts. People like Tulsi, RFK Jr, Vivek, Tucker, and of course Trump, et al.—I’ve already loved these people, and felt I was right about them, but now seeing and hearing them in person, I know that my barometer is correct. All wonderful people. It’s kind of like being friends with someone online, and then finally meeting in person, and being happy to see that you got their energy right.

I don’t know where else to go with this post—I just felt like sharing. Anyway, vote for whoever you want to vote for, but whatever your politics, if you trust me, know that this event was a positive one. You can hate Trump and still not lie about him and his supporters (I know—crazy concept, right?).

I guess all I’ll add is that it’s amazing how much NYC has changed in nearly a decade. There was a time when to wear a Trump hat in public here, you were risking assault. Now, nobody cares. Well, I don’t want to say ‘nobody’, but the point is that it’s not some ‘WHAT!? HOW COULD YOU!?’ thing to like Trump anymore. Me and people like me were early adopters, vanguards, once—now, Trump is mainstream cool and safe. Hot Topic fashion, as opposed to OG punk rock. People talk about the negatives of that a lot, and the death of certain subcultures, but a not-talked-about-enough positive aspect is that people are safer. When it can be bought in a mall, it seems insane to attack someone over it. Commercialism as a ‘lay off him, he’s cool’ force in society. Can’t argue with that.

Anyway. Be good to one another. Understand what’s real and what’s not. Love your fellow man. Peace.

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