Inside the Chicago Donald Trump Rally

Like many, I had heard about the absurd things that happen at Donald Trump's rallies from the news and social media.  I had heard of protestors being kicked out, beaten up, and ridiculed by Trump himself.  I had heard of the attendees pledging their support to Trump.  I had heard of the hateful, ignorant, and outright racist and sexist things that Trump had said.  So, when I heard that Trump was coming to Chicago, I knew I had to go.  I hate Donald Trump and everything that he stands for, but I wanted to witness everything people were talking about firsthand. 


I got my tickets a week beforehand, and leading up to the event, most people joked about Trump's scheduled appearance in our town.  While I knew that he was leading in the polls and he obviously had a large amount of supporters, I still couldn't imagine who would actually like this guy. 


The ticket said that doors were scheduled to open at 3 p.m. and the event was supposed to start at 6.  I arrived at around 4:30 and was immediately shocked by what I saw.  Though the doors had already been open for an hour and a half, the line to get in was incredibly long and wrapped around the entire building. 


As I walked to the end of the line, I looked at who these Trump supporters were.  I didn't expect that great of a turnout in the liberal city of Chicago, but they were here, his loyal followers.  They wore American flag pants, "Make America Great Again" hats, and shirts with Donald Trump's scowling face on it.  There were men, women, and children there, and almost everyone was white.  Most were smiling, excited to see their fearless leader in the flesh. 


Up and down the line were people selling Donald Trump merchandise.  There were shirts that said "Hillary Clinton for Prison" and buttons that said "Bomb the Hell Out of ISIS".  The supporters were quick to hand over their dollars for these souvenirs. 


Once in line, I was nestled in-between some pretty serious Trump supporters.  In front of me was a group of five young men that could not have been older than 21.  They wore American flag T-shirts, work boots, and sweatpants.  Behind me were two men who appeared to be in their forties, who proudly sported the infamous "Make America Great Again" hats.  The things that I heard come out of these people's mouths were incredibly disturbing and eye-opening to what kind of people support Trump.  While in line, the occasional protestor would walk by with a sign that expressed their distaste for Trump.  Each time one of these protestors walked by, the two men behind me would say something incredibly hateful and offensive.  A Hispanic protestor passed and one of the men said, "Well they're getting deported," and both laughed.  A female protestor would walk by and they would share the sentiment that they found her wildly unattractive.  And it was not just protestors who were targeted, but random people walking to the back of the line.  They would ridicule their appearance, race, gender, sexual orientation - anything. 


Once we reached the front of the building we saw thousands of protestors.  Unlike Trump's supporters, these protestors were of all races, religions, and sexual orientations.  They remained peaceful, and police were there to make sure they remained that way. 

The real stomach-churning horror began once I got inside of the venue.  Rock songs from the 80's played over the speakers as thousands of attendees walked around trying to find the perfect seat.  I sat near the back and took in my surroundings in disgust.  All around were Trump supporters.  There were not many protestors at this point, but the few who revealed themselves as anti-Trump faced immediate backlash.  They wouldn't do anything outrageous or violent; just start a chant or hold up a sign, and Trump supporters would start yelling at them until security escorted them out.  As the protestor was being removed, people would throw food at them, yell obscenities, and the entire arena would cheer.  It was horrifying.


Trump was supposed to start talking at 6, and it was now 6:30.  The crowd was growing restless and started chanting "We want Trump."  Eventually, a man walked up to the podium in the front of the arena and the crowd went wild, thinking they were about to hear Trump speak.  So, when the man announced that the rally would be postponed for a different day, madness ensued.


Half of the crowd took off sweatshirts to reveal anti-Trump shirts and whipped out hidden posters with the same message.  This half of the crowd rushed the floor and started cheering.  It was a huge celebration.  They chanted everything from "We stopped Trump" to "Bernie! Bernie!", and even began singing Kendrick Lamar's "We Gonna Be Alright". 


This did not sit well with the Trump supporters.  Because of these protestors, they would not be able to see The Donald.  They began to boo and yell at the protestors.  Some went down to the floor to pick a fight with the people that scared away their "fearless leader".  While the protestors were being peaceful, a Trump supporter would get in their face and say racist or derogatory things, causing a sometimes violent reaction.  Over the speakers, a voice insisted that the arena was closing and everyone must leave.  When that didn't work, police arrived.  Many protestors were arrested and carried away.  The crowd was joyous as they left the building.  People were smiling and continuing their chants of "We Stopped Trump".


Things were different outside though.  The number of protestors had only grown, as had the number of police.  Trump supporters yelled offensive things at them as they left.  One person in front of me yelled at a young black man to "enjoy welfare", to which the young man turned to his friends in disbelief, stating he was not even on welfare. 

While it was amazing that so many people showed up who were against Trump that the rally was actually canceled, this was still an eye-opening experience to what America might be like if Trump became president.  Those who were against him were thrown out and ridiculed.  However, the people saying offensive things to the protestors and throwing things at them were encouraged.  Trump says he is all about free speech, but he cannot handle anyone with an opinion that differs from his own.  America is so beautiful because of its diversity.  But Trump likes to blame all of America's problems on its diversity, which could not be further from the truth.  The America that I saw inside that rally, one divided by race and full of hate, is not an America that I ever want to experience again.