Long lines, late nights, adulation: What it’s really like inside Trump’s midterm election rallies
Polls suggest voters are shifting away from Republicans amid high fuel prices and a perception the president is not focused on them. But among the MAGA faithful, Trump worship is as strong as ever.
“And then they sent me his full name, and actually, his middle name is Mohamed. One good thing – if you call somebody from that part of the world ‘Mohamed’, you’re about 65 per cent sure to get it right.” The mostly white audience laughs along.
But it is Trump’s tendency to say outrageous things others would not – especially at these rallies – that endears him to his biggest fans.
“I think we all speak a little bit real,” says Tracey Eberhart, 55. “And I think politicians that are polished, they’re lying to me half the time. So I like that he talks to me like he’s a real human being.”
Eberhart wears a pink T-shirt that says: “I would love a mean tweet and $1.79 gas right now.” She confirms it dates to the Biden administration, when conservatives rounded on the president for record petrol prices and skyrocketing inflation after COVID-19.
