Guest blog written by Michael Insuaste, Trump Supporter
A Fist Full Of Trump Supporters Packs The AAC In Dallas Texas!
On the day the Trump camp announced a Dallas Texas rally at American Airlines, my Facebook timeline literally blew up with friends excited and haters spewing their usual noise. Not me, I got a hold of the link and grabbed me two confirmed tickets! I was finally going to attend my first Trump rally in the great state of Texas!
As we got closer to the October 17th date, the anticipation was building up among some of my friends who were planning on camping out to make sure they would get in and grab a good spot. American Airlines Center holds 22,000 capacity, and we were all expecting a sell-out, but nothing what we expected, the final attendance broke records, it was incredible!
The local news reported some Trump supporters began lining up around noon, Wednesday, October 16th, the day before the really. Crazy! My Trump buddy, Andy Cain, who was excited since they announced the rally, got to the AAC at 4:30 am and claimed his spot. He texted me and said he was there with a few hundred in line at this point, but they were steadily coming. I also discovered my friend, Aaron Rocha, Marketing for Patriot Mobile was one of the first waiting patiently overnight for a coveted spot for his US-based colleagues. I arrived at 12 noon on the day of the rally and by now it was fantastic fun!
Once I parked, about ten blocks away, I headed to the AAC, following a flow of people who were wearing their MAGA hats, Trump shirts, and some carrying signs. The vibe was growing on me as I could hear the excitement in the voices all around. It didn’t really hit me until I took a hard left on Victory Park Lane and saw the THOUSANDS of people lined up, leading all the way down Victory Plaza. It was ON BABY!
As I continued to walk, I felt a sense of camaraderie among the people all around. White, Hispanic, Black and Asian folk everywhere. Vendors lined up selling Trump swag, and I am sure most if not all, unofficial. No matter, the need was there and supporters were buying! God Bless America!
I kept walking and made a hard stop in front of the media trucks that were parked at the foot of Victory Plaza. Cameras, satellites, and reporters all around filming, interviewing people and reporting the event. What I didn’t see were protesters. Where were the protesters? I knew there had to be some but there were very few.
After figuring out how to get closer, I finally found my friend Andy sitting, waiting patiently. By now it was close to 2 pm. A live band performing on stage and lines of people who have been waiting for hours all there with the same purpose, to see and hear our President speak! Such a great sight to see all the people in line patiently waiting to be let in the venue. People talking sharing stories taking photos of themselves, their signs and Trump swag!
They said the doors would open at 4 pm, but surprisingly, they began allowing the people to enter at 3 pm. As you can imagine security was super tight. Once you checked your confirmed rally ticket, you had to open yourself to a full pat-down and check of all items. After walking through the metal detectors, you were confronted by another security who waved a wand while you waited for your items. They looked through your wallet, and made sure nothing got through that wasn’t allowed. It took about 1-2 minutes per person to walk in and completely through security.
Once in we found a spot on the lower balcony and relaxed as the arena slowly filled up. It was 3:30 pm at this point.
We could see the podium where Trump would speak and the ramp leading to the center stage. Huddles of people were willing to wait, standing up close to get a better view. The excitement was in the air and you could feel the joy everyone had all around us, many sharing stories where they were from, and how some have traveled hours away and even from other states to be here. By now it was close to 6 pm and the AAC was filling with just the top balcony barely touched. Many empty seats were still visible.
With an hour to go before the main man to arrive, I spent my time walking around talking to people, getting a better feel on the mindset at hand. Folks were happy, calm, smiling and downright friendly to one another. The lobby of the AAC was filled with Trump supporters from the young to the old, people from all walks of life gathered here to support the one man who has taken this incredible feat to fight the Washington DC Establishment. It was truly a great atmosphere of people with the same purpose.
At this time I kept receiving text from some friends who were waiting in line and stressing, fearing they were not going to make it in. The time was ticking down and from what I could see, the lines were packed, literally thousands of people outside the venue windows and security not moving any faster. By now the upper balcony was filling up and capacity was reaching its end!
7 pm hit the clock and we were all expecting the introductions to begin. Lieutenant Governor of Texas Dan Patrick made a quick announcement, followed by Texas Senator John Cornyn and finally, Trump’s 2020 Campaign manager, Brad Parscale said a few more words and at the 7:35 pm mark, President Trump enter the American Airlines Center to a grandstanding ovation, applause and cheers that could be heard by the thousands waiting outside the AAC. He walked the ramp waving, pointing, nodding his head and smiling to the huge crowd at hand. It was truly a great thing to see and feel!
In the house, on the sidelines were a few heavy political hitters, Senator Ted Cruz, Secretary of Energy Rick Perry, Senator John Cornyn, First Daughter Ivanka Trump and Congressman Louie Gohmert. One of the best parts of the rally for me personally was hanging with Mr. Louie Gohmert who joined the people in the crowd that was upfront around the President’s center stage. He took the time to speak with the supporters, took pictures and was quite the humble and genuine person he appears to be. He remained in the crowd for the full 90-minute Trump speech.
What can I say about Trump or what he talked about that night that many have not heard? The man speaks straight up, truthfully and feels comfortable delivering his message to the people. He tells it like it is and holds no punches calling out the corrupt politicians, the fake media that were all huddled in the back of the room and the lunacy going on in Washington DC. His energy is infectious! His delivery is on point! And he remains spot on!
He left the room making eye contact to all around him who waited hours to hear his speech and when it was all said and done, this stop in Dallas Texas was one of the largest attendance to be held at any Trump rally! With the 22,000 capacity inside the ACC and the thousands standing outside watching it on the big screen it’s hard to say how many actually attended but it was a YUGE NIGHT for President Trump!