By Michael Glassner
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President Trump’s appeal to Middle America cannot be overstated. The mammoth turnout for his latest Keep America Great rally in Wildwood, New Jersey reflects just how much ordinary Americans — even in traditionally “blue” states — appreciate everything this President has done to improve their lives.
I’ve been producing Trump rallies, under the President’s direction, for nearly five years. In that time, I’ve seen countless stadiums and major sports arenas packed to capacity; I’ve seen parking lots filled with thousands of supporters who couldn’t fit inside, but stuck around to watch their President speak via outdoor jumbotrons; I’ve met people of every imaginable background, all united behind Donald Trump’s vision of American Greatness.
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Yet, even I wasn’t fully prepared for the outpouring of support for Donald Trump in my adopted home state of New Jersey.
It’s one thing for President Trump to draw tens of thousands to rallies in states like Texas, Florida, or Georgia — places that are widely understood to be “Trump Country.” But “Trump Country” isn’t limited to a few deep-red states; “Trump Country” is the entire United States of America, and even in the bluest regions, the America First movement has deep roots.
The President chose to hold this rally in New Jersey to lend his support to New Jersey Representative Jeff Van Drew, who courageously switched parties rather than go along with the Democrats’ politically motivated impeachment farce. But I’m sure he also had an inkling of just how much pent-up demand there is, even in the heart of the Mid-Atlantic region, among voters eager to see their President in person.
People came from Boston, Philadelphia, New York, and other East Coast liberal bastions where the mainstream media wants you to believe that Donald Trump is more-or-less universally reviled. Their presence in Wildwood demolished the left’s assumptions about Trump supporters, showing just how prevalent they are in places typically assumed to be “#resistance” strongholds.
More than 150,000 people requested tickets for the rally at the Wildwoods Convention Center — a venue that holds about 7,500. We’re used to overflow crowds, but this was truly a sight to behold.
It’s common for attendees to start lining up for Trump rallies about 24 hours in advance, which is why the line officially opened for the Wildwood rally at 3:00 p.m. on Monday. But demand was so great for this rally that people started lining up a full 48 hours in advance arriving at Fox Park on Sunday afternoon for a Tuesday evening rally. Now, that’s dedication.
It’s also common for a sizable portion of the audience at Keep America Great rallies to be made up of Democrats, many of them blue-collar workers who never even considered voting for a Republican before Donald Trump became the first political candidate in their lifetimes to actually understand and address their interests and concerns. The same was true in Wildwood, where over 26 percent of those who requested tickets were Democrats, and over 10 percent didn’t vote in the 2016 election.
The folks who showed up for the Trump rally in Wildwood were patriotic Americans eager to demonstrate their appreciation for the peace, prosperity, security that President Trump has delivered. Even though most of them hail from “blue” states, they’re representative of the formerly forgotten Americans all over the country who sent Donald Trump to the White House in 2016, and will do so again in November.
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Michael Glassner is Chief Operating Officer of Donald J. Trump for President, Inc.
