MAGAReport for 9/19/2024 - Long Island Trump Rally

Some scenes from yesterday's Trump rally on Long Island

Yesterday, Trump held a rally at the Nassau Coliseum on Long Island in the Democratic stronghold of New York. Parking opened at 9 a.m., doors opened at 3 p.m., the rally started at 5 p.m., and Trump was scheduled to take the stage at 7 p.m. When I looked out my window at 9, lines were already forming, and by lunchtime, there was quite a crowd.

The mood was different from a lot of the rallies I’ve been to. They were a bit more aggressive, with a lot of people checking the press credentials hanging on my neck trying to figure out where I was from. When I told them I was freelancing and named the photo agency that puts my pictures on the wire, a couple people asked me “is that real news or fake news?”

There was a false report of a bomb being found in a car that morning which a lot of them were talking about. I saw new “Missed me once, missed me twice” shirts, even though last week’s would-be assassin in Florida did not fire his weapon or even have Trump in his sights. As I mentioned in the last MAGAReport, there’s almost this craving for threats against Trump among his supporters, I think because it shows him as powerful in the face of danger and because it furthers the victim-oriented narrative that they embrace. One man shook his head but clearly also had some glee when saying “We couldn’t have two in a week, could we?!”

My attempts to talk to people were mixed. A lot said no, some were on the aggressive side. Others were very excited for me to take their picture or were friendly and wanted to talk about their core issue. I speculate the main difference here is just cultural. New York is a very different place than much more rural Johnstown and Harrisburg, PA, and also quite different than Milwaukee or Miami. In terms of topics, the largest difference I noticed - which is not surprising given the area - was a strong Jewish presence. There were a lot of supporters with MAGA hats and Israeli flags chanting “Bring them home!” Beyond these small differences, it was a pretty typical Trump rally.

Online, there are two main trends right now. After months of being scattered across rage-bait topics of the moment, the conversation has coalesced around the “immigrant invasion” and voter fraud in the upcoming election. Trump pays attention to what his followers are saying online, so this has really been an iterative process of his campaign and right wing news putting out immigration stories that do well with the MAGA base, which leads Trump to say more extreme things and his base to pick up on it. If you’re not following the news on this closely, Trump is planning a visit to Springfield, OH. The town has been inundated with threats and disruption since his '“they’re eating the dogs, they’re eating the cats” lie at the debate, and now the state police are there protecting schools. The mayor of Springfield has asked him not to come, but that has not changed his plans. If Trump plans this as a rally, I worry about whether there will be violence, threats, or property destruction that spills over into the community.

I’m also gearing up for a very contentious election period. Given how much the rumors are starting up about fraud across the country, I expect at least pockets of on-the-ground demonstrations from the Trump crowd. There are no specific plans right now, but it’s on the top of my watch list.

That’s it for today. Let me close with a few more pictures from outside yesterday’s rally.