Empty seats are pictured during a Trump campaign rally (Picture: AP)
It might not feel like it, but it is a recent phenomenon that American elections are judged by the size of rallies and crowd-drawing power.
This spectacle, pioneered by Donald Trump, has become synonymous with his brand. However, ironically, by Trump’s own measure, the curtains are closing on this tired, unoriginal, boring circus, a dwindling sideshow losing its once hypnotic power—and I witnessed it firsthand.
As an advisor to senior political figures, I pride myself on keeping in touch with all sides of the argument, and I was, in a twisted way, ready for the fireworks, eager to witness firsthand why his base finds him so compelling.
My heart was racing as I approached. Whenever I locked eyes with someone, I felt they knew I was a traitor. What awaited me on the other side of the security check? The greatest show on Earth? A carnival of charisma? Or perhaps, as I soon discovered, an overhyped snoozefest.
Trump’s latest rallies have been accused of being low-energy and incoherant (Picture: AP)
Stepping through the gates, I was immediately confronted by a sea of red hats. I kept my head down, trying not to stand out, but the atmosphere was palpable. People were excited to experience the bombastic spectacle that characterises Trump rallies.
But, as it turns out, Trump was late—90 minutes late. The crowd grew increasingly restless but stuck it out, fidgeting, chatting and scrolling social media. A series of support acts took to the stage to fill time, echoing the same lines we’d heard a thousand times before. Democrats are destroying America. The country has never been in worse shape. We need Trump. It was like a broken record, spinning tirelessly with nothing new to say.
When Trump finally arrived, the crowd erupted—a brief surge of energy—before settling into what felt like a monotonous circus act gone wrong, a tired ringmaster trying to hold together a fraying show. He stood there, completely still, soaking in the applause. He didn’t wave, didn’t smile—just stood, staring, waiting for the adulation to peak.
It was oddly unnerving and lacked any warmth. When he finally did start speaking, I realised quickly that the wait had been for nothing, and I settled in for the long haul. The man who once commanded rooms and controlled headlines was now a tired performer going through the motions.
During a rally in Pennsylvania, Trump spent an extended period stroking his bulletproof glass (Picture: Reuters)
For over ten minutes, he talked about the thickness of the bulletproof glass surrounding him, almost like a circus strongman bragging about how thick the bars of his cage were. ‘To get me, somebody would have to shoot through the fake news, and I don’t mind that so much. I don’t mind that,’ he said, gesturing towards the press area, prompting laughter and boos from the audience. He called the ‘fake news’ bloodsuckers and threw out the usual rhetoric about enemies of the people. It’s …read more
Source:: Metro
