Thousands of Donald Trump supporters gathered in Grand Rapids, MI on Saturday for the former president’s first campaign rally since the failed assassination attempt a week ago in Butler, PA.
Lines of Trump supporters formed early in the morning downtown. By afternoon, the line for the event was several city blocks long. People from all over Michigan and out of state came to see the Republican presidential candidate speak.
Security for the rally was intense outside the Van Andel Arena, with dump trucks blocking the streets around the venue, while fences were also set up outside.
Local and provincial police patrolled the border on bicycles and horseback.
This is the first rally since a gunman opened fire at Trump’s Pennsylvania rally last week, hitting the former president in the ear with a bullet, killing one of the attendees, Corey Comperatore, and seriously wounding two others.
The gunman was immediately taken out by a sniper, but the horrific shooting raises questions about how a man with a gun could get so close to Trump as the election campaign gets underway.
Trump supporters chanted “fight, fight, fight” as they lined up 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 stepped up
Unlike the Pennsylvania rally, Trump’s Michigan rally will be held indoors. There has also been a ramp-up of federal, state and local law enforcement for the event as officials consider the best approach to security going forward.
“We will approach Saturday’s event the same way we approach the countless events, large and small, that take place in Grand Rapids: with solid 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 ahead of the event.
Secret Service is monitoring the crowd outside the Trump rally site on Saturday. Federal, state and local law enforcement were all on site to secure the rally
Police monitor the scene outside the 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 Van Andel Arena in Grand Rapids to hear Trump speak on Saturday, with some telling DailyMail.com that they arrived in the early morning hours to ensure they got in.
The police officers were cheered by the massive crowd waiting to enter the event as they walked through the streets of Grand Rapids.
Saturday’s event will be the first gathering since Trump officially accepted the Republican nomination for president at the Republican National Party Convention in Milwaukee, Wisconsin.
It is also the first rally since Trump chose Ohio Senator J.D. Vance as his running mate. Vance will make his first appearance as the GOP vice presidential nominee at the rally alongside Trump.
Despite the horrific events of a week ago, MAGA enthusiasts told DailyMail.com they weren’t worried as they lined up early Saturday to get into the Van Andel Arena. Some brought their own lawn chairs and other ways to relax 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, MI. She has long been a Trump supporter, but this was her first time attending a rally.
Attendees at the Trump rally told DailyMail.com they had been lining up since early Saturday morning in hopes of attending the former president’s first campaign rally since last week’s shooting.
Steve Dougan, who lives just outside Lansing, MI, attended three other Trump rallies before heading to the one in Grand Rapids on Saturday.
“I am very concerned about what happened last week – the massive failure of planning and strategic enforcement,” Dougan said as he stood in line.
He plans to attend hearings on Capitol Hill into the failed assassination attempt as lawmakers prepare to question Secret Service agent Kimberly Cheatle on Monday about security lapses.
Dougan praised Trump’s response after shots were fired, when he stood up and raised his fist in the air, calling him “terrific.”
“How many presidents in history would have had the courage to do that?” he asked.
The rally participants wore shirts depicting Trump raising his fist in the air after standing up following the shooting in Butler, PA
The Grand Rapids rally would have been Sue De Young’s seventh rally. She said she cried last week in Pennsylvania over the shooting and couldn’t wait to attend the Michigan rally.
“I’m just so proud of Trump and how he pulled through,” she said. “He’s just a fighter and I’m so happy to see him back. I think he has a really good chance of winning now.”