Logan Church: 3 things I learned at Donald Trump's rally

There is no show bigger than a Donald Trump rally.

The former President has been campaigning hard, hoping to turn his mounting legal losses into a political win by galvanising his loyal Republican base.

One of his most effective tools for doing this is his rallies - loud, boisterous, and a platform for Trump to be what he truly excels at - a showman.

When I found out a rally was planned in Philadelphia, I applied for media accreditation to film the event. Several days later, I received an email that said it had been denied. So, I applied for tickets just to go as a punter, genuinely interested to find out what drove Trump’s MAGA movement.

It certainly caused amusement for those in the line with me that a random Kiwi had turned up, yet all I spoke to were eager to explain to me why they keep turning up for the former president, ignoring a record-setting heat wave and lines of loud anti-Trump supporters kept away by a line of police.

Hours before Trump was supposed to start speaking, people were already filling up the fenced areas where police were managing the line. There were signs that people had spent a lot of time there, too – from discarded camping chairs to piles of empty water bottles. Someone had deposited bags of cold bottled water along the line – much to the relief of those – me included – waiting under the sun.

Once inside, everyone was presented with airport-level security run by the Secret Service. No one was taking any chances, with an extensive “banned items” list ranging from flags to appliances such as toasters. (If anyone knows the person who brought a toaster along to a rally and made that rule necessary, please get in touch).

The Liacouras Centre at Temple University usually holds basketball games and can hold more than 10,000 spectators. And Trump filled almost every seat in the spaces that were made available, with volunteers racing around trying to find empty spaces for new arrivals.

As a Kiwi with experience of New Zealand political rallies – which by comparison could barely be called rallies – it had the air of a rugby final, a rock concert, and a university graduation all rolled into one.

Here are three things I learned after spending a day in the MAGA movement.

Aside from the heavy police presence, the most noticeable thing about the space outside the arena was the huge number of people selling Trump-branded merchandise.

Most set up trestle tables, laden with Make America Great Again Hats, posters, flags, magnets, and bobbleheads, while others walked around with piles of Trump-branded tee shirts piled over their arms.

Some had movable carts that almost looked purpose-built just for these rallies.

“All made in China by a three-year-old - $10!” shouted one man, making those around me laugh.

After I strolled around the area for a while - which resembled a weekend market - I ended up speaking to a man walking around with Trump magnets for sale on a large metal sheet, who told me he’d turned these rallies into his own mini enterprise.

“It's a business, and Trump's good business - you can't make money with the Democrats, so you gotta stay with the Republicans.”

I felt like I should buy something. I paid US$5 (NZ$8.18) for a golf ball with Donald Trump’s picture on it. It was mine for 30 minutes until the Secret Service confiscated it inside, worried I might throw it at the former president.

Every single person I spoke to believed the US was at a turning point - and not electing Trump as President would spell disaster for all.

Many were struggling to make ends meet.

“Look at the economy - we've needed a businessman to be President for a long time - when he was there, the economy was doing good, jobs were plentiful, now we are paying $200 a week for the basic necessities,” said magnet man, after I asked why he supported Trump.

Everyone also believed immigrants were ruining the country - in particular, illegal immigrants crossing the US-Mexico border.

“In order to save the next generation, I think Trump is the best,” another supporter told me near the fried food bar on the concourse (they ran out partway through the event).

Another man, who sold Trump t-shirts outside, believed that youth held the key to victory.

“We're trying to get the young vote - it's all fun and games at the rallies, but it's more important when they register to vote.”

All are also united in the belief that Donald Trump actually won the last election (which he didn’t), that Joe Biden stole the presidency (which there is no evidence of), and was now using the US Department of Justice to attack his political rival (which there, again, is no evidence of him doing - that same DOJ just won a trial prosecuting Biden’s son for firearms-related charges).

As we waited in line to enter the building, a woman was handing out pamphlets with a QR code.

“2020 election fraud - find out what happened. It's free and no charge,” she said.

I took one, but when I pulled it out of my pocket after I got home, my sweat had made the ink run, and the QR code was ruined.

There is a very good chance Donald Trump could win back the presidency - and with that comes the title “leader of the free world”.

If Donald Trump wins this election, he will inherit a world much more economically and politically volatile than what it was in his last term. The protracted war in Eastern Europe. Recent escalations in the Middle East. The growing power of China in the Pacific.

At the Philadelphia rally, Donald Trump used the above examples to paint a picture of how bad, he claims, Joe Biden’s global leadership has been. The question, though, then turned to what Trump would do differently, which is a relative unknown at this stage. In Trump’s own words, he wasn’t supposed to win in 2016, with most predicting a Hillary Clinton victory.

That meant that once in the office, there was a lot of – to put it bluntly – figuring out what they were doing. Trump knows the office now. The people around him do, too. A new Trump presidency would likely be more calculated, more planned, and more efficient at achieving the MAGA movement’s goals.

That has implications for all countries - including ours. I’ve sat in war games where the US military has simulated war in the Pacific - an area that is our backyard. The US dollar also drives the world economy. Everyone – even its foes in some ways – relies on the United States of America.

The MAGA faithful I spoke to believed that Trump could solve all these problems, and they will do everything in their power to make sure he gets elected to the position that will make that happen.

What that means for us non-Americans remains to be seen.