Prescott Valley Event Center just before the event began.

Donald Trump held a rally in Prescott Valley, AZ, this week. I figured that this more rural setting would feature less conflict than his many appearances in downtown Phoenix, allowing me to actually chat with some of Trump’s fans. I’ve been #NeverTrump since he descended the golden elevator last June, yet remain intrigued about his primary victory and the passion of his supporters.

Granted, I soured early on the Trump Train due to the death threats, racism, and anti-Semitism of his anonymous online army, but I realize the alt-right crew is a tiny fraction of the millions who plan to vote him. But this late in the game, would he even draw a big crowd?

Prescott Valley is a mid-sized town 90 miles north of Phoenix. The monochromatic community has an outsized share of Republicans, retirees, and the underemployed, so if anywhere ranks as Trump’s southwestern sweet spot, this is it. As a result, the protestors were few (about 75 in number), but tried to make up for it with creative signage and really bad singing.

Protestors serenade the crowd with accordion and guitar renditions of Woody Guthrie songs.

The fenced-in protest area was across a small road from the Prescott Valley Event Center. A second fence further separated the pro-Trumpers from the anti-Trumpers and several police officers stood by to keep the peace. Several rally attendees walked up to the twin fencing to throw insults and mockery at the protestors, which was returned in kind.

Not surprisingly, the old guys in “Deplorable Lives Matter” T-shirts didn’t agree with the young man holding an “America Was Never Great” sign. While profanities flowed, it never got physical. The cops were alert, but didn’t seem overly concerned about unrest between the two angry groups.

Trump fans (left) and Trump haters (right) shout insults across the four-foot DMZ.

Much of the back-and-forth was civil, and the more intense exchanges faded as cops in sunglasses walked between the fences and asked them to simmer down. Ferguson, this wasn’t.

The line waiting to get into the venue was long. Very long. Police officers on site estimated the snaking queue to be a quarter-mile in length and those at the front had camped out for more than four hours. I recorded a time-lapse video of the line, but only made it about a third of the way through (should have worn sneakers). Shortly after, event staff opened the doors and only about a third made it in.

Like those in line, I downloaded a ticket from the web, but seating was first-come, first-served. The fire marshal limited the crowd to 7,500, but police estimated about 20,000 ticket holders. A large screen behind the venue allowed those outside to watch the speakers live.

Two friendly high schoolers played hooky in style. (And asked for a full review on my iPhone 7 Plus.)

I set about asking Trump voters why they liked their candidate. “Hillary’s a crook!” “Hitlery will destroy America!” “That [expletive] is a [expletive] traitor!” The first reaction by nearly everyone was not to praise their guy, but to hurl invective at his opponent. A large segment was deeply suspicious of my questions and several asked “who sent you?” Those I finally convinced of my conservatism (whatever that means these days) would talk a bit more, often as their spouse tried to yank them away.

No, I didn’t understand this sign either.

As I often do, whenever I saw a man with a military service cap, I thanked him for his service. About half of them gave me dirty looks, while the others muttered “welcome” under their breath, put their head down, and hustled off. A middle-aged man with a Submarine Service hat (a rare site in Arizona) tried to ignore me, but I chased him down. Once I told him what sub I served on and where, he flashed a big smile and shook my hand.

This suspicion of others wasn’t limited to pro-Trump types. When I politely joked with protestors, I received hostile stares followed by requests not to photograph their faces. Two dour young ladies held a sign declaring “Without Immigrants, Trump would have no wives.” I said “funny sign” and took a photo, but could almost feel their dead eyes burning holes in my chest. No smiles on that side of the fence.

That said, several of the Trump attendees were having a grand time. They joked about being “deplorables,” gushed over opening speaker Sheriff Joe Arpaio, and shrugged off the fact they didn’t make it in the arena despite having tickets.

“Look at this crowd,” one 60-something woman exclaimed through a smile. “Trump’s winning in a landslide for sure!”