Galería de Fotos | 18 Fotos Peter Eversoll
The Donald Trump Presidential campaign has been making many visits to North Carolina during the final weeks before the election given the state’s status as a swing state. On November 3rd, Trump held a rally in Selma, an agricultural town located in Johnston County, approximately 30 miles from Raleigh, the state capital. This is “Trump Territory” given the area reflects his strongest demographic of support: white middle class males without a college education. Another signal of his dominance in this area was the turnout, an estimated 5000 people.
The principal theme of the event was the military and the Trump team had several veterans speak and brought onstage twenty generals and admirals, plus another 12 Medal of Honor recipients to serve as a backdrop for Trump. Also very notable was the presence of “Women for Trump” supporters, a coach bus with that exact slogan on the side, pulled up and emptied excited women carrying pink signs. While waiting for Trump to appear, several local politicians praised the candidate and Rolling Stones songs played on repeat over the PA system along with a recorded message of how the crowd should deal with protesters “surround them, raise your signs and chant ‘Trump.’”
Surprisingly, there were many families, youth, people of color and well-dressed folks in attendance, a broad mix of supporters that challenges many pre-conceived notions about Trump’s greatest and most fervent base. Throughout the nearly 5 hour event, the crowd cheered both happily and angrily, mixing chants of “Trump” with “Lock Her Up” and “Drain the Swamp,” even at one point turning towards the media stage to point fingers and boo. The many “Silent Majority Stands With Trump” signs, however, spoke volumes about what this crowd really had on its mind.