MILWAUKEE, WI: Former President Donald Trump’s microphone is out of the race, but that’s not stopping his loyal supporters from rooting for the Republican nominee.
Mr Trump hosted three rallies on Saturday. First in Greensboro North Carolina then Salem Virginia and finally Milwaukee Wisconsin. Assuming Mr Trump stayed in Nevada on Friday after his rally, the former president covered a distance of around 3,100 miles (5,100 km) throughout the day, not including his helicopter flight after his last rally.
A helicopter flew over the stadium just after 7pm local time, but there were no screams from fans as 16,000 people were already packed into the Fiserv Forum, anxiously waiting to hear from Mr Trump.
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A sea of red hats emblazoned with the words “Make America Great Again” filled the stadium, some wearing high-vis or costumes for the event, one impersonating Mr. Trump working at McDonald’s, another who came as the “wall” at the border.
Mr Trump immediately took control of the crowd, telling them: “I don’t want your money. I want your damn vote.” He continued with his usual rhetoric, saying Vice President Kamala Harris has ruined the country, that he’s going to stop immigration, and that he’s going to crack down on immigration.
At that point, Mr. Trump’s microphone stopped working. He continued to speak without realizing it, even occasionally waving his fist in response to shouts from the crowd that begged for the sound to be fixed.
The irony of the big screens displaying the message “Trump will fix it” over a close-up video feed of the former president was poetic.
Parts of the crowd erupted into rage and shouted into the hall, while others tried to calm them down to avoid a rally scene.
Eventually Riley Gill, 24, who was wearing a high-visibility vest inspired by Mr Trump’s response to President Joe Biden calling Republican voters “garbage”, began chanting “Fix the mic”.
Her efforts quickly paid off, with the entire stadium erupting in cheers as the former president realized he was speaking in a vacuum.
“Oh, the microphone,” Mr. Trump said as he plucked it from the stand and held it in his hand.
“I don’t want much. The only thing I want is a good microphone,” he said.
Mr Trump went on to explain how similar problems have happened before, then acted out an unusual scene where his microphone stands were too low.
Almost 10 awkward minutes passed before an official pushed a working microphone toward Mr. Trump.
“Is that better?” he asked, raising his voice.
“I’m so angry I’m boiling upstairs. I’m working my ass off with this dumb mic.
After a soldier continued while holding the microphone, he paused, saying, “I’ve never held a microphone this long in my damn life.”
“You want to see me beat people up backstage?” he joked.
Ms Gill later said she started the chant because she was “frustrated” she couldn’t hear “my president”.
“He did hear it,” she said.
The registered nurse is hurt by the amount of money the government takes out of her paycheck every week and believes ‘fake Kamala Harris’ can’t make a difference.
“The last four years have just been terrible,” she said.
“We cannot survive a Kamala Harris presidency.”
If Ms. Harris wins, Ms. Gill plans to leave the country, or at least further south to somewhere “redder.”
Although many in the audience were “disappointed” because they wanted to hear from “the next president of the United States,” as most called him, they just wanted to be caught up in the Trump-mania.
The energy at a Trump rally is more than electric. The crowd is eating up his every word, even when they can’t hear it.
If elections were about parties and not political parties, Mr. Trump’s is the only one you’d want to attend.
From energetic tunes like Party in the USA or some more emotional subtle digs at the current administration like Time To Say Goodbye by Sarah Brightman and Andrea Bocelli, the audience was more engaged than the superstar’s music concert, even when he took time out.
T-shirts fired into the crowd from giant cannons, and Trump fanatics got their moment of fame dancing or wearing it on the big screen.
Mr Trump was about two hours late for the rally in Wisconsin. He left a rally in Warren, Michigan after he was supposed to start.
Speaking in Warren, Mr. Trump doubled down on his earlier comments about the former Republican congresswoman turned Ms. Harris supporter, Liz Cheney.
On Friday, Mr. Trump called the former Wyoming representative a “war hawk” and suggested she might be less inclined to send troops to fight when “guns are pointed in her face.”
“She always wants war. She is tough,” Mr Trump said on Saturday.
“But if you give Liz Chaney a gun and put her in a fight facing the other side with guns pointed at her, she won’t have the courage, the strength or the stamina to look the enemy in the eye.
“She like Kamala is a stupid person. It’s easy for her to say she wants to start a war from the comfort of her nice home.
Unrest began to grow in the Wisconsin crowd when Mr. Trump’s timeout ran out and around 9:00 p.m. a man finally appeared, not Mr. Trump but Robert F. Kennedy Jr., who made a surprise appearance .
RFK Jr ran as an independent candidate in the 2024 US election until he dropped out and endorsed Mr Trump.
“The only way you’re going to see me in the White House is if you vote for Donald Trump,” he said.
He made an impassioned plea for votes, talking about his desire to fix health care and stop the “mass poisoning” of Americans.
“I started working on this issue 19 years ago. I prayed to God to put me in a position where I could stop the epidemic of chronic disease. God sent me Donald Trump.
Mr. Trump’s late arrival appears to have tarnished the experience of some Republicans. Some said they felt “disappointed” when they left the stadium, blaming its busy schedule for their diminished experience.
A group of young voters who stopped at a local chicken shop left ecstatic about the Republican candidate’s visit to their town.
Nick Gross, a college student, fully agrees with Mr. Trump’s policies.
“I’m an ordinary American citizen, and I’m also a student,” he said.
“I will have to buy a house soon and I want a family. Trump $75,000, Kamala $145,000. These are things that affect everyday Americans, especially the younger generation.
“If I have children, I don’t want them to be killed by members of the MS15 gang from Venezuela. We have to close the border.”
Mr. Gross said he no longer believed in the American system and feared Ms. Harris would win.
“I don’t want that to happen,” he said. “I think they will rig the election,” he added, explaining the doubt cast on the 2020 outcome.
“I don’t think the woke left cares about American citizens.
“They are power hungry. I think they will do everything possible to win the election.
Wisconsin is one of seven states considered the most likely path to the White House.
For years, political commentators have said that to win an election you have to win Pennsylvania, but this election changed that.
The importance of Pennsylvania is still relevant, but many are now saying that Wisconsin is the Pennsylvania of this election. The idea should catch on with the candidates as well, as both held rallies in the same neighborhood at the same time on Saturday. This is one of the highest-profile races in the election.
A recent poll of 538 showed Ms. Harris leading the state of Wisconsin by just 0.8 points (48.2% to 47.4%).
The must-win condition is still called a roll.
Uber driver Morris was in the area taking people home and couldn’t understand why people were out supporting Mr. Trump.
“He keeps saying ‘Make America Great Again,’ but how was it great? America was never great. The country has always mistreated people,” he said.
“He does not accept that he lost the election and told these people to destroy the capital,” he added, referring to the January 6 riot.
“You can’t rig an election,” explaining the hoops Americans must jump through before voting.
Morris is a staunch supporter of Ms Harris but has yet to vote, citing three-hour waits at most polling stations.
“He fooled them, man,” he said.
“They (Americans) got a stimulus check during the pandemic. They think he will give them more money.
“People think about money. No, it can’t.