Crowds, Chaos, Conflict At Trump's Tampa Rally

TAMPA, FL – If there were any doubts about President Donald Trump’s popularity in Tampa Bay, last night’s Make America Great Again Rally at the Florida State Fairgrounds put them to rest.

More than 5,000 people packed the fairgrounds Expo Hall to hear Trump speak while an equal number of ticket-holders who couldn’t get into the hall stood outside hoping to watch Trump’s speech on promised JumboTrons. The JumboTrons, however, never materialized.

Outside the fairgrounds, more Trump supporters with tickets to the event were turned away by Hillsborough County Sheriff’s deputies who said parking at the fairgrounds was at capacity and no more vehicles were being allowed in.

Scott Lang, a Trump supporter and disabled Navy veteran from Cape Coral, was among them.

“I left Cape Coral three hours early but that wasn't nearly enough time,” he said. “It took three hours just to get from I-75 to the fairgrounds. The gates were already locked when I arrived. I spent seven hours round trip driving to the Trump rally only to be turned away. They (distributed) 45,000 tickets to a venue that only held 15,000. Thirty thousand people with tickets were outside circling the area. Disappointed? Hell, yes. Happy for the turnout, though. I was especially surprised seeing all the young (25 and under) Trump supporters,”

Not all those inside the fairgrounds were supporters, however.

Indivisible Action Tampa Bay and NextGen Florida set up a “First Amendment Zone” in the fairgrounds parking lot where sign-waving demonstrators were joined by Florida Democratic gubernatorial candidate Jeff Greene armed with a megaphone.

Prior to the rally, Indivisible Action Tampa Bay cautioned protesters to be civil and respectful. But not everyone heeded that request.

After standing for hours in the muggy heat and intermittent rain, some aggravated protesters began hurling insults at Trump supporters.

Trump supporter Rebecca DeBoer said she found their behavior intimidating.

“I was afraid to walk by them,” she said. “They seemed so violent at the end of the rally. I could hear a hate speech regarding white men from a distance.”

"There was some yelling and insults," said Hannah Reid of Tampa, a University of Tampa student and NextGen member. "It got a little heated on both sides. But there were also refreshing moments when protesters and supporters came together and had conversations, trying to understand the opposition's views."

NextGen spokeswoman Maya Humes said she was heartened to see that none of her team of young adults was among those hurling insults.

"Here at NextGen, we wanted to send the message that young Floridians demand better representation of their values and needs from their president," she said. "Our organizers were unwavering but, of course, respectful of everyone around them."

Trump supporters made it clear that protesters and critics of Trump weren’t welcome inside the Expo Hall.

CNN chief White House correspondent Jim Acosta tweeted his surprise at the blatant hostility toward the media and CNN in particular.

“I tried to take a picture with a father and his daughter while people yelled ‘CNN sucks’ in my face. I am sorry that this little girl had to see that,” he said.

Dayna Lazarus was among the four people escorted out of Expo Hall when she protested Trump’s immigration policy.

“We were determined to speak for the thousands who could not be there," she said. "The entire rally had an anti-immigrant atmosphere. People were shouting, 'Build that wall.'"

Lazarus said she and the three other protesters made their way to the center section between the stage and the media and chanted, "Immigrant rights are human rights. Shame on you."

That earned the group a personal escort out of the expo hall by a group of identically dressed men in black suits.

"I'm assuming they were Secret Service," she said. "They physically grabbed us. One twisted my arms behind my back. I've never had anyone put their hands on me like that before."

Images via NextGen Florida

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