Public parking was at an industrial/tech park near Rochester Airport, with attendees jumping aboard school buses (provided by the local school district) for a 10 minute ride to an airplane hangar adorned with a podium and massive American flag. We arrived at the parking area ~ noon and there were already well over 1,000 people in line (Trump was scheduled to speak at 3pm). There appeared to only be half a dozen school buses in use, so it was good that we got there when we did. Wait time was ~ 30m and the line grew severals times during that half hour. A local politician said 23K tickets had been released ... upon arriving at the hangar, we noted capacity to be 5K-8K, with 50% already there and waiting patiently. 1,000s of people were turned away from the bus pick-up when the hangar was filled, with reports ranging between 7,500-9,000 total. Police presence was MASSIVE, with NYS troopers everywhere, supplanted by municipal LEOs and Secret Service/SWAT.
Attendance was mostly Western NYS blue collar, ages 30s-60s, and 99.99% Caucasian. Men and women, children of all ages, made up the crowd, and the mood was very upbeat. The first speaker was an older gent who did not give his name, but appeared to be a Union rep or Veterans Group leader. He gave a short speech and spoke to Trump's appeal and commitment to his constituents. The second speaker was pastor Mark Burns, who led a rousing introductory opener and got the crowd cheering. Burns is an important asset for Trump as he is an African American religious leader, and is evidence that all those charges of racism are Bravo Sierra.
3pm sharp Trump appeared to an enthusiastic reception, and spent the next hour working the crowd with charisma, humor, and a genuine charm not seen in most politicians. He spoke mostly about international trade & jobs, citing numerous area-specific stats, but also took some hilarious shots at the media, with the NY Times and Boston Globe getting the brunt of his criticism. There were no pointed policy pronouncements, and the event was more high school pep rally than stiff political appearance. There were a few dozen protestors on the road leading to the airport, but the hangar was SRO with Trump supporters.
Pay no attention to the contrived nonsense the MSM dishes out ... 7,500-9,000 good and decent Americans showed up with not a hint of aggression, racism, or backwoods backwardness ... rather they collectively boasted an energized passion for the candidate they believe in. It was an interesting experience, and one that was well worth the time and effort to attend. Ironically, being there in person, I was struck by the similarities in the Trump and Sanders campaigns. Political stances aside, both men have tapped into the frustration and anger of the citizenry, and address how the system has become broken, resulting in we the people getting the shaft on a consistent basis. They have each attracted their respective demographics of voters with much the same focus on the corruption of the establishment. Capitalist and Socialist have never been so close.
Attached photo shows my proximity to Trump ... ~ 30 yds. And of course my three for $10 campaign button set.
Trump rally - Rochester NY 4-10-16
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