Former President Donald Trump held his first rally since surviving an assassination attempt one week ago in Grand Rapids, Michigan, on Saturday morning. The massive crowd of supporters gathered early to show their support for the former president and his new vice presidential nominee, JD Vance.
OANN’s Daniel Baldwin reported that videos taken over six hours before Trump was set to take the stage showed thousands of people eagerly waiting in line. Another video taken later inside the venue revealed that the 12,000-seat Van Andel arena was at full capacity. WZZM13 spoke with several fans of the former president who were excited to see both Trump and Vance take the stage together for the first time.
Edward X. Young, a New Jersey resident who attended 80 previous Trump rallies, drove straight from the Republican National Convention in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, to be at this historic event. He spent the night outside the arena in a folding chair despite the cold weather. The humor is out of it now,” Young told WZZM13 reporters. This is very serious.
Kathleen Smilie also drove into the city early to catch a glimpse of Trump and Vance, expressing her excitement after missing out on their last rally in Muskegon. She even referenced Hillbilly Elegy, the movie based on Vance’s memoir that has been trending on Netflix since Trump announced him as his running mate earlier this week.
Randy Ritsema brought his children to witness the rally and shared his belief that Trump’s triumphant reaction to being shot during last Saturday’s Butler, Pennsylvania, rally makes him a “shoo-in” for the presidency. He’s going to be the president,” Ritsema said confidently. That’s my opinion, but I think it’s a wrap.
The massive turnout at Trump’s first rally since surviving an assassination attempt highlights the strong support he continues to have among his followers and demonstrates their commitment to showing up for him in person, even after such a harrowing experience.