In The Madding Crowd: A Date with Donald Trump

I thought I had convinced myself that I knew exactly what to expect. After all this was a Trump Rally in downtown Atlanta on a late Sunday afternoon. As a black man with at least half of a functioning brain, I knew I would be ridiculously outnumbered among the anticipated crowd of 10,000 the Trump campaign cleverly emphasized in their promotions leading up to the event.   Days before committing myself to this undertaking, I had read a story about a black professor at Clemson University who was escorted out of a Trump as a result of his head wear. Once outside the security officers that had escorted him out informed him that the “Trump people” had instructed them to remove the professor because he was “no longer welcome” at the event. It was with this in mind that I began to think of ways to ensure that I’d be able to attend the rally from start to finish without being asked to leave. I needed a costume essentially. 

As an alum of Tuskegee University, a Historically Black College
and University, my first thought was to obviously not wear anything promoting my alma mater or anything black and positive at the same time for that matter. Fortunately for me I am currently a graduate student at one of the South’s largest (and whitest) universities, Auburn University. So to blend in, I decided that wearing an Auburn jacket over a plain navy polo with some jeans was more than clean-cut and most importantly disarming. If anything there would likely be Auburn alums that would probably yell War Eagle to me in passing, ideally setting them even more at ease with my presence. In order for this experience to go as smoothly as possible, I had to act as non-threatening as possible and convince everyone I encountered that I was there in sincerity. Given that I grew up mostly around whites and other cultures as a military child, this particular part would not be entirely difficult. 

The event was scheduled to start at 4pm at the Georgia World Congress Center. I arrived roughly around 3:25 pm, anticipating secret service/security checks. What I had not accounted for was:

1. How expansive the interior of the GWCC is. From the parking lot to the rally venue was a series of stairs, long corridors, more stairs, a few escalators, etc.

2. The Bonner Bros. International Beauty Show was also being held in the GWCC in most of the meeting rooms, corridors, open spaces, on the way to Building A where Trump’s rally was to be held.

After passing all types of unique individuals in even more unique clothing/hairstyles etc, and after much walking I made it to building A at about 3:47/3:50 ish. As expected the Secret Service was out in full force, not so expected was borrowed TSA staff and metal detectors from Hartsfield Jackson Airport. In increments we were asked to step forward, constantly reminded to leave our umbrellas, food, drink, etc outside before entering. I mean sure why not…of course I’m going to throw my water bottle and pringles can at Donald Trump right…..(anyway)..

Finally the moment I had been waiting for, I entered the rented space and remember saying aloud almost involuntarily, “Yep…this will definitely hold 10,000 people. The cavernous space (below normal ground level outside I might add) was probably 45% full when I arrived. A sizeable portion of the attendees were standing around in small groups talking among themselves. I decided that finding the perfect spot where I’d be able to get a decent picture of Trump and have a good view of him during his speech was my top priority until Trump was announced. I made my way to the front where a dense group (literally and figuratively) had formed a wall (the irony) in front of the stage area. Secret Service agents walked this fenced off stage area which stretched from one side of the room to the other, making use of a large black curtain. Behind this curtain to the right side of the stage (Trump’s left) were Secret Service vehicles leading me (and almost everyone else) to believe that the right side was where the man of the hour would appear from the curtains to chants like “USA….USA…USA!…” or “Trump Trump Trump!” Most of our people-wall near the stage had clustered to the right of the stage, phones and cameras in air, ready to roll the nanosecond that most fiery toupee burst through the black curtains.

After several rounds of awkward small talk with my neighbors in our wall of humanity, a friend of mine staying in a nearby hotel with a good view of the road directly outside snapchatted a video to me showing Trump’s motorcade making their way to the venue. I shared this bit of intel with those around me and continued to entertain smalltalk. Directly to my right was a man who I decided was likely in his early-mid thirties, he wore a plain button down shirt, khakis, crocs. In talking to him I read his eyes more than I actually listened to his words. He expressed to me that he simply wanted to get a picture of Trump for his wife and leave because he had a flight later that day and wanted to steal a nap first, his eyes confirmed this attitude of not wanting to be anywhere near this space.. To my rear was an older gentleman wearing overalls, a red Star Spangled USA t-shirt, and a ballcap who’s brim masked his eyes. I didn’t need to see his eyes to know his intentions, seeing as he was repeatedly and quite randomly yelling “COME ON TRUMP!!” “SHOW YOUR FACE BROTHER!” “WE LOVE YOU” you would think he knew Trump personally. To my left there was a couple that I decided were probably late thirties/early forties, both brimming with excitement, they were both standing on chairs, with their phones out ready for the man to appear.

Suddenly a metallic voice made its way over the loud speaker, instantly every phone in the building shot into the air, everyone was alert, fingers ready to tap those snapchat record buttons to get a shot of Trump. All cameras were directed at the right side of the stage area ready to see Trump. The voice we were hoping for had not yet come, this was a disclaimer and warning that sounded strange at first until the point became clear as glass. The voice (probably of one of Trump’s staffers) welcomed us all to the event, it welcomed us to come forward into the great hall so that more people could come in, then the comedy began. “Mr. Trump believes that all Americans are entitled to freedom of speech. Mr. Trump believes in the 1st amendment just as fiercely as he does the 2nd amendment. However this event is a private event, to which you are all invited and welcomed guests of Mr. Trump. This private event is paid for exclusively by Mr. Trump, any and all disruptions of this event by members of the audience is unallowed and you will be asked to leave. If there is a person disrupting the event near you, please begin chanting ‘Trump…Trump…Trump..’ we will identify your location and direct security officers to you so they can escort the intruder outside. Thank you and Let’s Make America Great Again” and it was gone.

When the metallic voice returned its tone was very different, the first voice was comparable to that of a bored Six Flags roller coaster operator telling people to keep their hands in feet inside the vehicle at all times for the millionth time that day. This new voice incensed the crowd, in a small way even I couldn’t help being a little excited, this new voice very easily could have filled in for Michael Buffer introducing the fighters for a Heavyweight Prize Fight. “LAAAAADIES AND GENTLEMEN…THE MAN THAT IS GOING TO MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN….YOUR NEXT COMMANDER AND CHIEF…..THE NEXT PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA!!!!! MR. DONALD…J….TRUUUUMMMP!!!”

The entire building exploded…I wouldn’t be surprised if we could have been faintly heard at the top of Stone Mountain. People had been chanting loudly for Trump almost an hour before he even arrived (also because he was almost an hour late…) now he was here. Their fiery headed champion of xenophobia, machismo, and bullying had finally come to them, bathing in their adoration and allowing them to love him for several deafeningly loud moments in time. Once it died down he began to talk to the people. Trump was fresh off his overwhelming victory in South Carolina and likely had came to Atlanta straight from there.

He began by discussing “our victory” in South Carolina in what was seemingly a very gracious tone. He didn’t seem to feel the need to bash and belittle his opponents which I was fully expecting him to do. He even congratulated them all saying they all did a great job. After talking briefly about South Carolina he began to pick up the intensity in his voice as he started talking about how important Georgia would be on Super Tuesday, urging the crowd to get out and vote. For a solid 7 minutes I believed that Trump might actually sound like a serious Presidential candidate that might actually deserve an iota of consideration for the highest office in the land.

As if he could possibly hear my thoughts or maybe sense that he was actually making sense , Trump shifted gears, killing all hope that maybe just maybe in some alternate universe Trump could be remotely palatable as the current Republican frontrunner. Trump then began to seemingly run through a laundry list of individuals and groups to lambast. First on the list was the Pope for calling Trump unchristian a week before. Trump’s way of breaching the topic itself was almost as unorthodox as the response he got out of the crowd. “You hear what the pope said about me?” The moment he uttered the last syllable of “pope” the entire audience was booing…”Who the hell boos the pope”I thought to myself, assured that these people were now officially punching their tickets straight to hell. After almost every statement about what the pope had said about him, boos and chants erupted from the crowd in a very call and response cadence. Even before the words Mexico or wall came from his own mouth, there was a group of young obnoxious and possibly drunk college age guys behind me that were randomly screaming “BUILD A WALLLLLLL!!!” “KICK EM’ OUT!!!!!” “MEXICO SUCKS!!!” So you can probably imagine their excitement once Trump actually began talking about Mexico and his proposed wall. Once again, Trump seemingly couldn’t say or do anything wrong as more and more people began to chant “BUILD A WALL” and “Trump Trump Trump” among others. Even our group of exuberant guys behind me began changing their chants to “YOU’RE MY HERO TRUMP” and “IN TRUMP WE TRUST!!!”

In between all of the loud chanting and random fits of nonsense from various pockets of supporters around the room, a man wearing a Sailor Moon outfit was eventually cornered and reported to security and asked to leave. Some of his neighbors in the crowd began chanting “TRUMP TRUMP TRUMP TRUMP..” and he was eventually forced out. To put into context just how big this room was and how well attended this event was, I didn’t see the man in the outfit or know that he had been kicked out until seeing images of him on facebook two days later.

Trump’s words became less and less clear as the “speech” continued, the frequency of the chanting throughout the hall was so close together that for the rest of the event there was a noisy buzz over the crowd which could erupt into screams and chants at virtually any given second. This buzz made Trump’s already distinctive tone and style of speaking (mumbling/babbling) harder to understand. This troubled me slightly because if I couldn’t even make out much of what he was saying, how could the people standing nearby me hear it AND cheer? Trump likely could have said “All women are stupid” and everyone in the audience including the women would have cheered. He could have said, “I hate the blacks” and the three genuine black people in the audience (not me of course) would have continued to cheer. It was in this moment that I went from laughing at this sea of ingnorance before me and their leader, to becoming very afraid.

As a black man with mostly black friends that were engaged with me during this ordeal on social media, many were warning me to stay safe, be on the lookout, watch out, etc in what I think was genuine concern with a twinge of laughter at what I had decided to do. I was not fearful of my life or being harmed in any way. I was more concerned with blending in and being the most republican acting black dude these people had ever seen. My terror came when I began to think about this experience as it was unfolding around me. These Trump supporters around me are just like anyone else. These are not Klan members, they didn’t burn a cross in Peachtree st before coming into the rally. These are people just like many you probably encounter in your daily lives, in walmart, at the store, getting gas, at your job, etc. These are Americans. These are teachers, doctors, lawyers, etc. Trump’s rhetoric and tough talk exudes confidence, strength, masculinity, bravado, American exceptionalism (and superiority). For Republicans, Trump appears to be the Maverick John McCain was supposed to be without the actual policy knowledge (or experience). Trump’s confidence mirrors that of President Reagan who made Republicans feel proud to be American. Trump’s projected masculinity and bravado reminds me of the type of rough and toughness that likely endeared men like Dwight Eisenhower and Teddy Roosevelt to voters (even though Trump has no comparable military experience).

Trump’s appeal and popularity are somewhat barbaric in nature. Despite his non-existent policy experience, these people love him. They believe in him. They flock to him because of this perception of strength and firmness. In comparison to the dwindling Republican field Trump has been the most consistent at keeping and gaining support by simply being himself. Other candidates have attempted to sink to his level of “politics” in order to keep up. New Jersey Gov Chris Christie began shifting away from talking about actual politics to resorting literally to name-calling calling Pres. Obama (who isn’t even running) a “feckless child.” Florida Gov Jeb Bush (Trump’s usual debate punching bag) even tried to step up his own bully game by actually attempting to stand up for himself on a few occasions and lashing out (if you can call it that) unprovoked at Trump and others on the campaign trail. The Republican race’s landscape is shifting, more and more candidates are devolving from the statesmen that had won past elections to become Governors of actual states, and Senators in the actual United States Senate into essentially lesser playground bullies trying to unseat Trump atop the monkey bars.

I’ve never been invited to a Klan Rally and probably never will, and I’m too brown and too young to have heard Hitler speak, but I imagine these Trump rallies are as close as I’ll ever get. What was initially a lighthearted adventure on my part, a chance to see how the other side lives and what they believed became a very real wake up call. Its one thing to disagree with Trump because you have seen him on television or you hear him say this against Mexicans or that against Muslims. Its one thing to disagree because he has no experience in public office. Its another thing to look into the eyes and faces of his supporters as they listen to this charismatic leader that in their eyes is a savior of what they believe is the American dream. On these faces you see a hunger to “Make America Great Again” to make America white again. You see that simply the sound of this man’s voice has inspired their base instincts, channeling the same energy, the same hatred, the same passion that their ancestors might have had at Woolworth’s Five and Dime Store in Greensboro North Carolina, on the bus-lines of Montgomery Alabama, Kelly Ingram Park in Birmingham Alabama, on the Edmund Pettus Bridge in Selma Alabama, in the Macon County Courthouse in downtown Tuskegee, and many other Civil Rights battleground sites. I imagine the same charisma and charm Trump has for his supporters can be comparable to that of Governor George Wallace in Alabama. Wallace presented himself as a champion for White conservatism and as a defender of White hegemony in the South. Whether he believed this or not is a separate matter altogether, what is important is that back then people found hope in this brand of politics. To this black man, it appears Donald Trump has tapped into a style of politics that is very dangerous for democracy and all of America’s promise.  This election’s importance becomes more and more important with each victory speech Trump makes on his way to the convention. It is imperative that we (everyone) vote.