As Trump faces uncertain future, so do his rallies
LIT IT Z, Pennsylvania —They began to arrive more than 40 hours before President Donald Trump took the stage in this stretch of rural Pennsylvania where horse-drawn buggies remain a common sight. By 10 p.m., a small group had set up an overnight camp on l awn chairs as a cold drizzle set in.
“I am the crazy Trumper,” declared Kyle Terry, 33. He had been the first to arrive at the IMAX parking lot — at 8 p.m. Saturday for a Monday afternoon rally, his fifth of the fall. “I love it. I've been having the most fun of my life. And I really just don't want this to stop.”
As President Donald Trump faces an uncertain future, so too does a fixture of the American po li tical scene over the last five years: the Trump campaign rally, a phenomenon that has spawned friendships, businesses and a way of life for Trump's most dedicated supporters. His fans have traveled the country to be part of what they describe as a movement that could outlive his time in office.
Some have attended so many rallies they've lost count, road-tripping from arena to arena like rock groupies. They come f or the energy, the validation of being surrounded by likeminded people, the feeling of being part of something bigger than themselves. Sociologists and historians see elements of a religious following.
They are people like Cynthia Reidler, 55, who has been a Trump supporter since he announced his candidacy. She has been to nearly 20 Trump events, from rallies to Fourth of July celebrations on the National Mall.
“The feeling — like it just grabs you,” she said as she waited near the front of the line Monday morning, dressed in a red poncho and headband with tinsel and lights that no longer lit up because of the rain. “I always say it's better than a rock concert. And it's free.”
Re idler, who lives in Pine Grove, Pennsylvania, arrived at Lancaster Airport around 2:30 p.m. the day before the rally and camped out overnight so she could snag her favorite spot up front. The waiting game, for her, is part of the fun.
“It's just a whole lot of excitement that I don' t think you can explain. It brings back a time when our country was just so happy and so positive,” she said, comparing the feeling to the time she marched in a bicentennial parade as a Girl Scout when she was 11.