In my first sixty years, I had never been to a political rally.  Sure, I’d seen politicians speak to 25–30 people at a meeting, waved candidate signs on street corners at election time, knocked on doors, and attended a few BBQ fundraisers.

Then Trump arrived on the scene.  In the last six years, I’ve been to numerous rallies, of Trump and others.  (My first rally was 2018.  I didn’t attend any of his 2016 rallies.)  Sunday, President Trump visited Macon, for his final Georgia rally of this election.  Most people have watched Trump rallies on TV.  However, there’s much more happening than just Trump speaking.  Following are some observations.

First, when one arrives on scene, there’s an upbeat, positive vibe among the crowd.  It’s a concert-like atmosphere with the anticipation of the event, loud music (mostly C.W.) being played from giant speakers, people excited to be there, vendors hawking all kinds of merchandise (mostly Trump gear as you’d expect), large numbers of American and Trump flags, one huge American flag suspended from a crane, and attendees in long lines telling stories about their last rally and politicians they’ve encountered.  Although the crowd is large, it’s orderly.  People are friendly, and openly engaging in conversation.

The attendees are a cross section of America — white, black, Asians, Hispanics, men, women, young, old, from small towns and large cities.  While one cannot tell another’s economic status from looking, most, if not all, appear to be middle-class, everyday Americans — dressed in jeans and their Trump attire, to include MAGA hats and t-shirts, orange sanitation vests, and orange Trump wigs.  One guy was dressed like Trump and doing impersonations.  He was hilarious.  Surprisingly (or not), a large number are young.  The under-40, over-40 age-range appeared to be nearly evenly split, with a slight edge to the younger crowd.  A good number, attending on their own, not with parents, didn’t even look old enough to vote.  They assured me they were.

It was this scene and this crowd that I asked questions to a number of attendees.  Where are you from?  Why are you here?  What do you like about Trump?  Have you voted yet?  Did you vote for Trump or against Harris?  What do you fear if Kamala is elected?  And so forth.

Patrick, a recent Marine from Athens, Ga.: “With Trump, we’re going to get back on the direction where we’re respected internationally, that if you mess with us, they’ll get their just rewards.  We’ll protect our allies and be strong overseas.”  Asked if he voted for Trump or against Harris, “I voted for Trump.”

A Hispanic woman and her friend voted for Trump because of his border and economic policies.  When Trump was president, “gas was how much?” compared to now.

Toby (Knoxville, Ga.) said, “He’s honest, a lot more honest than the other side.  I love his policies and the money we had in our pocket when he was in charge.”

Hans (Macon, Ga.) likes “everything about Trump; the economy, closed border, I feel safe.”  His wife likes “everything about him.  He tells it like it is, and he does what he says he’s going to do.  And he loves this country.  She broke it.  She can’t fix it.  Only Trump can.”

Lisa (Roberta, Ga.) wore an orange sanitation vest.  (Said she came in a garbage truck, but I didn’t believe her, especially when I asked for a ride and she refused.)  She voted for Trump.  “What’s not to like about him?  He’s got great policies.  The last four years under Biden have been horrible for the middle class.  Groceries, I can’t afford to buy red meat, it’s two and three hundred dollars more than it was four years ago.”  Asked about Harris, “I’m afraid she’s going to usher in communism.”  Bobby, Lisa’s son-in-law and a small business owner, said, “Trump slashed needless regulations that helped small businesses grow.” 

Mike (Butler, Ga.) supports Trump and all that he’s gone through.  “Anybody who can endure all that, I support.  He does what he says he’ll do.”  He voted for Trump and voted against Harris.  Marty (Hawkinsville, Ga.) voted for Trump because he’s not politically correct.  “He doesn’t pull any punches.  What you see is what you get.  That’s the opposite of Harris who puts her finger in the air, sees which way the wind’s blowing.”  Marty’s wife, Maddie, likes Trump because “he keeps it real.  He’s honest, sometimes too honest.  He tells you how it is.”

Angel (Forsyth, Ga.) likes that Trump “stands for the people of God.”  If Harris gets in, she thinks we’ll see communism.  Asked if she feared communism, Angel said, “I’m not afraid of anything because I serve God.  I serve a good God, the only God.”

I heard similar comments from all those I talked to.  Trump’s honest; he’s real, not reading off a teleprompter; I’m concerned about the direction of the country and about my children’s future; he’s funny; the economy was great when he was president; good economic policies; can’t afford things today; his border policy; electricity and everything is more expensive; and he’s a smart guy are some of the thoughts shared by rally attendees.  Also, most said they already voted for Trump, not so much against Harris.

The actual rally lasted slightly over three hours because Trump spoke for half of it.  Some rallies have entertainers (Hulk Hogan, for example) or sports figures (Brett Favre).  The Macon rally had Hershel Walker, Heisman winner for UGA and former candidate for U.S. Senate.  Hershel talked mostly about the craziness of men playing in women’s sports.  He asked, “Do you want me playing against your daughter?”  Then a number of Georgia politicians spoke, such as Tyler Harper (ag commissioner), state senator John Kennedy (18th District), Lt. Gov. Burt Jones, and Congressmen Austin Scott (R-8th District) and Mike Collins (R-10th District).  Also, several national figures spoke, to include Senator Marco Rubio (R-Fla.), Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-14th District), and Sarah Huckabee Sanders (governor of Arkansas).  All highlighted Trump’s positive message (he’ll fix the border, the economy, etc.), the importance of voting, and voting for Trump. 

President Trump was the final speaker.  If you’ve never seen him, he could be a stand-up comedian if he hadn’t entered politics.  He’s funny with many ad lib jokes.  He doesn’t give a speech; he talks from topic to topic on immigration, the economy, digressing when and if he thinks of something else, back to the border, an impersonation of “Sleepy Joe,” a jab at “KKamala,” a shout out to someone in the audience, back to immigration, to the craziness of transgenders, another jab at KKamala, and on he goes for 90 minutes.  He ended with this:

We’re one glorious nation under God.  And with your help we’re going to make America powerful again.  We’ll make America wealthy again.  We’ll make America healthy again.  We’ll make America strong again.  We’ll make America proud again.  We’ll make America safe again, and we will Make America Great Again.

The crowd went crazy, waving their Trump signs, and laughing as Trump danced to YMCA.

Image via Pixabay.