I have been taking photos of protests here in Chicago for a couple of years now. And I am addicted! One reason I love it is because the opportunity for creative, interesting photos is unlimited at these events. Another reason is that as someone who used to teach journalism, and assigned a book in my classes that was specifically about fake news (Bias: A CBS Insider Exposes How the Media Distort the News by Bernard Goldberg) even over twenty years ago, long before Trump coined the term. I only bring that up because I have had people explain to me that there is no such thing as fake news, that Trump made it up because he didn’t like the coverage about him. I always try to explain that no, the news has always been “fake.” So I really love the opportunity to witness a newsworthy event in person and then compare it to the news coverage. I don’t think there has been a single time when I have felt that the coverage was objective and/or fair.

For those who think I’m exaggerating, I would ask you to think about a time you were involved in what became a news event. How did the media coverage compare to your experience? How accurate were the stories with basic facts? Knowing that the media struggle to report the stories that you actually know something about accurately, you have to ask yourself what evidence there is that would make you assume they get all of the other stories right. But I digress…

Finally, I have always had an interest in current events, probably partially due to having been an English professor. I tried to keep the class readings, discussions, and assignments. So when 9/11 happened, issues surrounding that event were common discussions. Then one day, I realized that the students were actually too young! My examples from 9/11 were no longer effective. They were either so young when it happened that they didn’t remember it or they weren’t born yet. That’s a great way to feel old! But that also meant that I needed to be well versed on whatever the current topics and events were so that I could bring them to class, so that I could be certain that my students also had some knowledge of what was going on in the world around them. I also had a huge fear, especially in my early years of teaching, of being asked a question that I didn’t know the answer to. That isn’t exactly right. More accurately, what I didn’t want was for someone to bring up something in popular culture and for me to be completely clueless about what they were talking about.

So another one of the things I really love about going to these protests is just how much I learn about the world. For example, Sikhs, Ethiopia, Levis. etc. 

For many years, I have been curious about the Trump rallies. So when he began holding rallies for the 2024 presidential election campaign, I put his website on my list of sites that I check daily for protests. I knew he would never come to Chicago. That would, obviously, be a waste of resources. He will never win in Chicago, and therefore Illinois, no matter how much he might campaign in the state. But finally, I saw that he was holding a rally in Racine, Wisconsin, only an hour and a half drive away. It was finally my chance!

The problem was that I had no idea what to expect or how early I would need to get there. Gates were open at 11 AM, and Trump was scheduled to speak at 3 PM. I made the decision to try to get there around 11 AM and then just cross my fingers after that.

I was on the road by 930 AM. I hadn’t driven my car very much in the past six months, so it was no surprise that my battery was dead. But it wasn’t the first time this had happened, so I was more than well prepared. I have a portable charger with jumper cables in my center console. So I quickly started it up and took off.

A tangent on my car – I live in the middle of the city of Chicago. I have no need for a car. But I moved from Los Angeles, where car culture dominates. And the thought of being without a car stressed me out. So even though my car is long paid off and has more than 100,000 miles, I pay for parking each month. But the parking spot I rent (yes, I rent a parking spot!) is about a mile from my apartment because it is about half the price of those spots near me. 

I want the car because sometimes I have events or a friend to visit out in the suburbs, where I would not be able to take the bus or the L. Without my car, I would simply turn down any of those invitations. People have said, “No big deal. Just rent a car.” Let me tell  you, I would never rent a car to drive out to Hinsdale or Aurora. I would just skip it.

I also want the car for road trips! I would be more likely to rent a car for a drive to visit friends in New York or to take the dog and a tent on the Lake Michigan Circle Tour. But I know I would never have rented a car for this Trump Rally.

I really realized just how important my car was during COVID lockdowns. Living in a high rise apartment building a block off Michigan Avenue, I was in what was probably in the top five worst places to be in the United States during those years. The city was a ghost town. And few places were open. I joke that Walgreens across from the Water Tower on the corner of Michigan Ave and Chicago Ave was my only lifeline. I hadn’t realized just how small and lonely my world had become until I went to visit my car and start her up after about four months of never venturing beyond a few square blocks. I rolled down the windows, turned up the radio, and drove aimlessly. And tears immediately spilled down my cheeks. The feeling of freedom was overcoming.

So yes. I have my car that I rarely drive! I know that seems like quite the digression, but it is related to my day.

And as soon as I got it started, I rolled down the windows, turned up my Spotify playlist, and just drove. Very few things make me happier. As I drove, I realized that even if I got to Racine and was unable to get into the event and hear Trumpo, it didn’t matter. The drive in my car alone was worth it!.

When I arrived at around 11, I parked next door to the venue. I saw a ton of vendors with Trump flags, t-shirts, hats, but I didn’t see a ton of people. So I decided to explore. I had seen some counter-protesters a couple of blocks away, so I headed over there. 

The counter-protest was quite small; maybe 25 or 30 people gathered around the Civil War Memorial in Monument Square. It was an interesting group. One woman was giving a speech, and she pointed out that none of them actually like Biden. He’s terrible. She understands that. But this isn’t about Biden. They must stop Trump at all costs. All I could think was “What an inspiring speech!”

The other funny thing was the three elderly men with handwritten signs that they held out facing traffic. One of the signs said, “Biden. Older. Wiser. Sane.”

What?

After I took a few photos, I walked back around the block towards Festival Park, where Trump would be speaking. When I turned the corner, my heart sunk. I swear I had only been gone a half hour, but now the line winded around and down block after block. Ugh. 

At that point I needed to make a decision. Should I continue to wander around and try to get some photos? Or do I get in line and see if I can get inside the venue?

My decision was to get in line. I also decided I wasn’t going to worry too much about getting photos of Trump fans. I will actually be going to Milwaukee for the Republican National Convention in July, and I figure I will have the opportunity to get plenty of photos then. This day, I would primarily just try to get in and live the experience. 

Not surprising, I made some friends with the people around me…since it took two hours to get through the line (but I did get in!). Part of the entertainment was the vendors with carts of Trump merchandise walking up and down the line. 

The funniest line came from a black guy selling hats and chanting, “If you don’t buy a Trump hat, you ain’t black!”

The mood was upbeat, everyone was friendly and cracking jokes, and not a single counter-protester was in sight the entire rest of the day.

Another entertaining moment in line was when an ABC reporter asked a man standing behind me if he was willing to be interviewed. He agreed to it. I assume she was from the local media because she didn’t have a camera person with her and filmed him herself with an iphone mounted on a stick.

It should be no surprise how the questions were framed, which is really important to listen to when watching mainstream media. Her first question had to do with something Trump said at a rally the day before, and she described it as divisive. She asked the man if he supported Trump’s divisive rhetoric at that rally. The man handled it very well. He said he would not take her word on it, he didn’t see what Trump said himself, so he would not comment on it. 

She also asked him if he accepted the results of the 2020 election. He laughed. And again, handled it well. He said he of course accepts that Biden is the current president. But he also said that he can believe that there was corruption during the election. She scoffed at him, and he came back and said, “Listen, I’m from Chicago. Believe me, I know that there is corruption in politics!” Good point.

Vivek Ramaswamy had walked by the entrance right before I got into the park, and he was greeted with huge cheers. When I got inside, he was on stage speaking. I wandered around for a bit, and then I found myself in a spot in the middle right behind the last row of seats. That seemed pretty lucky. So again, I sacrificed taking photos and planted myself in that spot for the next hour waiting for Trump.

That hour consisted mostly of music and videos of live performances. The song list was very curious. From Andrea Boccelli to Johnny Cash to Billy Joel to Celine Dion to Beach Boys to Queen. Oh, and even Louis Armstrong singing “What a Wonderful World” and Oliver Anthony singing “Rich Men North of Richmond.” The audience was singing and dancing to all of it!

Finally, Trump arrived. Apparently at some point, they did stop letting people in, and crowds stood outside the fences trying to get a glimpse inside.

Really, the only thing I can say is that he was exactly as I expected. He spoke for over an hour and a half. He began with the statement, “I love Milwaukee! I was the one who picked Milwaukee,” a reference to the media’s recent claim that he called Milwaukee a “horrible city” in a meeting with House Republicans. Trump and others in the meeting have said he was specifically referring to crime in the city.

The first part of the talk was mostly about how badly Biden is doing as president. And the second half was a discussion of everything he will do when he is president. And throughout, his speech was peppered with jokes, like when he said he’s been indicted more often than Al Capone. (Coming from Chicago, that got a chuckle out of me.)

Trump is obviously a great public speaker. He jokes around. He does have teleprompters but he clearly doesn’t robotically stick to the script. It almost seems as if the teleprompters have bullet points rather that every word of a speech. He also interacts with the crowd. Sometimes when people shout out, he responds. A couple of times someone in the audience jumped up in excitement or agreement with something Trump said. And both times, he acknowledged them and spoke directly to them in response. He also  made sure to occasionally turn around and direct comments to those standing behind him.

And that was it! It was a fairly uneventful, albeit an entertaining, day, in all honesty. I am glad I decided to not worry about photos and to just be in the moment. And I am glad I finally had a chance to attend a Trump rally myself. 

HERE is a video of Trump’s speech in Racine on June 18, 2024.

Oh, and as an aside, this is only the second president I have seen speak in person. The first was Ronald Reagan. And that’s kind of a crazy story, in case anyone’s interested.

Right out of college, I started dating someone who was working for the reelection of President Reagan. So when Reagan came to St. Louis for a rally on November 4, 1984, he was obviously involved in the organization of the event. I was able to not only attend with him but stood right up at the stage for the speech. At 22 years old, it was pretty exciting stuff!

HERE is a video of Reagan’s speech down at the arch that day.

Then, Reagan won in his landslide reelection. As a reminder, he won 49 states – losing only Minnesota – and 525 of 538 electoral votes. In more recent years, such results are unimaginable. 

And now for a bit of a civics lesson in case you need a refresher. On the first Tuesday after the second Wednesday in December after the general election, the electors from each state meet in their respective capital cities, where they cast their votes for President. The electors, those who actually cast the votes, are chosen by the state party according to the rules outlined by each state. The number of electoral votes each state is given is equal to the total number of representatives and senators the state has in Washington DC. As can be imagined, electors are usually people with influence in the state party apparatus or are those who have made significant donations.

One day while my ex-boyfriend was in the office, the news came in that one of the electors had a stroke and would not be able to travel to Jefferson City to cast his vote. The people in the office looked around and decided that my ex-boyfriend should take his place and be the elector. Of course, he jumped at the chance. And even better news was that he could bring a guest, which meant I was able to witness Missouri’s electors cast their vote for Ronald Reagan. 

Then came a really crazy twist. As I told my parents about the situation, they suddenly realized that the elector who had a stroke was our next door neighbor. Small world.

Just to finish the Reagan story, when Reagan died in 2004, his body was accompanied by a motorcade that drove throughout Los Angeles and up to the Reagan Library, where he is buried. That was close enough to our house that I decided I would take my children, then eight and five, to witness the motorcade drive by on a side street in Simi Valley. I thought we ought to witness history, and they still remember that day. 

That’s it for now. My plan is actually to travel to Milwaukee to cover the Republican National Convention and then to be one of the few locals to stay in Chicago for the Democratic National Convention. Stay tuned…