Thousands of Donald Trump supporters flocked to Grand Rapids, Michigan, on Saturday for the former president’s first campaign rally since the failed assassination attempt a week ago in Butler, Pennsylvania.
Crowds of Trump supporters began lining up downtown early in the morning and by early afternoon, the line to enter the event stretched for several city blocks as people came from across Michigan and elsewhere in the state to see the Republican presidential nominee speak.
Security measures for the demonstration were tight outside the Van Andel Arena. Dump trucks blocked the streets surrounding the venue and fences were also erected outside.
Local and state police patrolled the perimeter on bicycles and horses.
This is the first demonstration since a gunman opened fire at Trump’s rally in Pennsylvania a week ago, grazing the former president’s ear with a bullet, killing one rally-goer, Corey Comperatore, and seriously wounding two others.
The gunman was immediately taken out by a sniper, but the horrific shooting has raised questions about how a man with a gun could get so close to Trump as the election season heats up.
Trump supporters chanted “fight, fight, fight” as they waited in line for his rally, a reference to the former president’s words as he stood up after last week’s failed assassination attempt in Pennsylvania. The event in Grand Rapids is his first rally since the shooting and security has been heightened.
Unlike the Pennsylvania rally, Trump’s Michigan rally will be held indoors. The presence of federal, state and local law enforcement has also been beefed up for the event as officials consider the best security strategy going forward.
“We approached Saturday’s event the same way we do the countless events, large and small, that take place in Grand Rapids: with sound operational planning, effective deployment of resources and an unwavering commitment to the safety of the community we serve,” Grand Rapids Police Chief Eric Winstrom said before the rally.
The Secret Service was keeping watch on the crowd that gathered outside Trump’s rally site on Saturday. Federal, state and local law enforcement were on the scene to ensure the safety of the rally.
Police monitor the scene outside Van Andel Arena in Grand Rapids from the roof of another building.
Trucks block streets around Van Andel Arena in Grand Rapids ahead of Donald Trump’s rally on Saturday
Attendees lined up outside the Van Andel Arena in Grand Rapids to hear Trump speak on Saturday. Some told DailyMail.com they arrived in the early hours of the morning to ensure they could get in.
Law enforcement officers were applauded by the huge crowd waiting to enter the event as they made their way through the streets of Grand Rapids.
Saturday’s event is the first rally since Trump officially accepted the Republican presidential nomination at the Republican National Convention in Milwaukee, Wisconsin.
It is also the first rally since Trump chose Ohio Sen. J.D. Vance as his running mate. Vance will make his first appearance as a Republican vice presidential candidate at the rally alongside Trump.
Despite the horrific events of a week ago, MAGA enthusiasts told DailyMail.com they were not worried on Saturday as they began lining up to enter the Van Andel Arena early Saturday morning. Some brought their own lawn chairs and other ways to stay relaxed as they waited outside the venue.
“I think after what happened last weekend, I felt like this was a historic moment to be here,” said Andrea Myaad of Holland, Michigan. She’s a longtime Trump supporter, but this was her first time attending a rally.
Trump rally-goers told DailyMail.com they had been lining up since early Saturday morning in hopes of getting into the former president’s first campaign rally since last week’s shooting.
Steve Dougan, from outside Lansing, Michigan, attended three other Trump rallies before heading to Grand Rapids on Saturday.
“I am extremely concerned about what happened last week – the colossal failure of strategic planning and implementation,” Dougan said as he waited in line.
He is scheduled to tune in to Capitol Hill hearings on the failed assassination attempt, as lawmakers prepare to question Secret Service officer Kimberly Cheatle about security lapses on Monday.
Dougan praised Trump’s reaction after the shooting when he stood up and raised his fist in the air, calling it “incredible.”
“How many presidents in history would have had the courage to do that?” he asked.
Rally attendees wore T-shirts depicting Trump raising his fist after rising again following the shooting in Butler, Pennsylvania.
The Grand Rapids rally would be Sue De Young’s seventh. She said she cried over last week’s shooting in Pennsylvania and was looking forward to attending the Michigan rally.
“I’m very proud of Trump and how he overcame all of this,” she said. “He’s a fighter and I’m very excited to see him again. I think he has a very good chance of winning now.”
