Inside chaos at freezing Trump victory rally
Huge numbers of tickets were issued to Donald Trump’s “victory rally,” yet thousands were left outside in freezing conditions as the man came on stage.
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He was MAGA and he was mad as all hell.
As the snow pelted down on Washington DC and temperatures sank to -1C, colder with the wind chill, the Donald Trump supporter said he and his wife had been waiting for 10 hours to get into Donald Trump’s “victory rally,” which was held the day before he was inaugurated as the US’ 47th president.
But by the time Mr Trump took to the stage, they were still seven blocks away and likely two hours wait from the doors of the Capital One Arena.
“There were people cutting in the line and the police just threw their hands up in the air,” the Florida man, who didn’t want to be named, told news.com.au.
“And then there were the so-called tickets, which they’re not even checking on the door”.
It’s likely tens of thousands of people – all with tickets and confirmation texts – also didn’t make it into the arena. It was one of the few major spectator events in Washington DC after Mr Trump moved Monday’s inauguration ceremony indoors precisely because of cold weather.
It may have been well-behaved chaos in the US capital, but it was chaos nonetheless. MAGA hatted Americans waited for hours in freezing temperatures, wondering what they would experience first – Donald Trump or hypothermia.
If there’s one image that sums up the disarray in DC, it was scores of people still queuing to get into the arena covered in snow just minutes before the man they had come to see was about to go onstage.
After the announcement of Monday’s cancellation, Mr Trump’s Sunday rally had become the hottest ticket in town, closely followed by a hastily convened event on Inauguration Day itself at the same venue where the ceremony would be aired live.
But, as many pointed out, this was no better solution to beat the cold.
“We can stand for hours outside Capital One Arena to see it on a screen but we can’t stand outside for a couple of hours (at the original inauguration) with tickets?” said one person online.
With a capacity of 20,000, only a fraction of the 220,000 people who had tickets to the inauguration would be able to fit inside.
Confirmation text
To get a ticket to the victory rally, which kicked off at 3pm, supporters had to apply on the Trump Vance Inauguration Committee website.
If they were successful, they were then sent an email which stated that it “will act as a ticket for the event”.
On the day, a text message was sent saying the person was “confirmed” for the event. It suggested arriving by 10am.
Seasoned Trump rally goers knew to get to the stadium early, if nothing else to grab the best seats. There were reports of people arriving at 4am, and long queues at 7am.
At 1pm, Jennifer and Thomas O’Donnell, from Houston, were several hours into queuing.
Mrs O’Donnell said she was “hopeful” of getting in but by no means certain.
“These tickets, they’re not barcoded, so they are ‘hey come one come all’.
“But we came out here knowing that”.
If she didn’t get in, Ms O’Donnell said she’d watch the rally in her hotel room.
However, not everyone knew that the so-called tickets were not actually tickets at all. As such, they had arrived far later than the early birds.
In the hours that she had been waiting, Amy from Port Angeles near Seattle, had shuffled around the arena itself and several city blocks.
“We were under the impression that our tickets that we’ve got, that we applied or, were going to get us in,” she told news.com.au.
“We didn’t know it was first come, first served. We’re glad we came when we did”.
No loos, no warmth
There were no portable toilets along the route. That meant coffee shops were rammed as more queues formed to use their bathrooms.
As the afternoon wore on the temperatures fell. First it hailed, then it rained and then thick snow fell.
People began diving into restaurants and shops just for a few minutes of warmth.
As the rally began, several thousand supporters remained on the streets.
Some people who had arrived at 7am were still out in the cold.
Part of the line ran tantalisingly close to the Capital One Arena, over the road from its bright lit front entrance in the heart of Washington’s downtown.
But it was just a mirage. The queue continued on for another seven blocks.
“This has been a classic bait and switch,” fumed a Trump supporter with his wife and teenage son.
Just after 5pm, as Mr Trump was due to start speaking, they gave up the line. What was the point in waiting now?
“We thought the tickets were tickets but they’re not, they’re just so they could get a headcount”.
A giant screen was relaying the speech to people outside. His wife wanted to stay and listen. But their freezing son was done. It was time to leave.
News.com.au has contacted the Trump Inauguration Committee for comment on how many tickets were distributed and if they did indeed guarantee entry.
Melanie from North Carolina was also in the line with her friends, her clothes caked with furry snowflakes.
They had been waiting only since 2pm, a mere three hours.
Melanie knew she wasn’t going to get into the arena but had queued up nonetheless.
“We were going to stand around all day for the inauguration anyway, so why not just be here and meet other people from across the country?
“I’ll watch it on YouTube later,” she added.
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Originally published as Inside chaos at freezing Trump victory rally
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