Tulsa: My First Trump Rally

 

Late last year, pre-COVID, I told my family I wanted to go to the next Trump rally anywhere near home (Atlanta). I considered going to the Nov 2018 rally in Macon, GA, Trump held to support Brian Kemp, as it was only a two-hour drive but didn’t adjust my schedule and the opportunity slipped by. A 2019 rally in Panama City Beach, FL, caught my eye, but it was a weekday, and I just couldn’t fit in the five-hour drive. Same problem with the Charlotte, NC, rally in March this year–the last opportunity before everything stopped.

When Trump chose Tulsa to host the restart of his rallies, I realized it would be only a two-and-a-half-hour drive, as the 19th fell in the middle of a work trip to south-central Oklahoma. But with my work schedule and the expected line to get in, there was no way to make it on Friday night. I discover the next day that the rally had been moved to Saturday–perfect, as my client is not working weekends.

I wasn’t sure what to expect for a line, so I got up early enough to get to the BOK Center by 8 a.m., and joined the modest crowd at one of the entrances. I was told that the sidewalk line had just been allowed to fill the blocked-off street in front of the gate outside the security perimeter.

There were a number of vendors of campaign gear, so I took the opportunity to update my attire–I had left my 2016 hat and T-shirt behind. This was my fashion statement for most of the day:

A number of news crews were working the area, both for crowd shots and interviews. And a small number of anti-Trump protesters. I won’t call them agitators, because they weren’t enough of them to be anything but meek in that crowd.

The CNN crew was identified and hassled a bit as “fake news.” I didn’t see anyone talking to them. I saw a Russian TV crew present. A very articulate guy next to me was interviewed by Swiss radio, and I was briefly interviewed by Canadian Broadcasting. That lady pushed a bit on my thoughts on Biden–I summed up my opinion of his presidential ambitions as “multi-time loser.” She liked that comment, but I doubt the CBC will air it. Maybe some of our Canadian members would know.

The crowd had been warned (big electronic sign at the gate) that many items would be prohibited, especially food and drinks. Backpacks and large bags were also prohibited. I returned to my vehicle to leave behind as much as practical. I wore cargo pants to have hands-free space for necessities (especially my cell phone chargers), so it worked out fine for me. The security perimeter opened a bit after 10 a.m. and was surprisingly fast and efficient.

Inside the perimeter, many people sampled the food trucks and took advantage of the porta-potties before joining the line at the arena itself. That line was entertained by a variety of performers, rock early, country later. The weather, while hot, wasn’t scorching, thanks to mostly overcast conditions. It was still hot enough to overcome a few people, which was handled quickly by security staff. Staff also made a lot of free bottled water available.

People in line were happy to hold spots for those who needed a pit stop or a food break. I didn’t see anyone abusing the crowd’s generosity towards those moving back and forth to their places in line. It was close quarters — certainly not “social distancing” — but not a crush. There were quite a few elderly and infirm people that many would think should have stayed away from such conditions. They clearly didn’t care, and some were quite vocal about the subject. We stood in line from 10:30-ish to 2:30-ish, when they opened the arena gates.

Crowd waiting to enter BOK Center's arenaStarting at 2 p.m., the outdoor stage hosted some interviews with various members of the Black Voices for Trump organization, including Herman Cain. Those interviews continued while the crowd (including me) were streaming into the arena, so I don’t have anything to report about that.

I was close enough to the front of the line to get a great seat, with a clear view of the stage from right at center-court. I did a quick video panorama to capture the crowd:

I chatted with my neighbors about the thin crowd and one reported that there were still big crowds outside, according to a friend at home commenting on footage from a TV news helicopter. Anyway, the lower deck filled in slowly, excluding the section marked off behind the TV media stand (that section can’t see the stage due to the very large media structure). The upper deck ended up with just a scattered few.

I did another video panorama during Pence’s warmup speech. The crowd size in the arena was pretty static at this point, about 15 minutes before Trump took the stage:

The warmup speakers were are really good. Dr. Alveda King led off with a beautiful invocation. Heart-stirring but serious, ending with the Lord’s Prayer in revival fashion. It is wonderful to have her in the campaign. I haven’t had any recent occasion to watch/listen to Kimberly Guilfoyle, so her energetic and energizing speech was a pleasant surprise. I think she’s transitioning from news to politics–I won’t be surprised to see her run for office at some point. Laura and Eric Trump made you feel you were seeing a bit into Trump’s family.

Diamond and Silk delivered a barn-burner of a speech, pummeling Biden’s patronizing ways, past and present. Red meat for blacks who care about their freedom and have opened their eyes. They had me chuckling throughout. Pence had the penultimate speech, of course. He’s never out of control, but his passion for the cause leaks from his pores. If the rapport he describes between him and Trump isn’t true, he’s a [expletive] fine liar.

Trump took the stage shortly after 7 p.m. I’d never seen him speak in person, and was impressed. His style is very casual. Much of his time was spent telling stories to set up his points. Particularly points highlighting the habit of “fake news” to lie by omission. Lots of red meat on topic after topic. The key message from the night: Trump succeeding in Making America Great Again before Covid-19, and Trump can Make America Great Again Again with America’s support.

The video:

My assessment: very well done indeed. This won’t be my last Trump Rally.

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  1. JustmeinAZ Member
    JustmeinAZ
    @JustmeinAZ

    Thanks for the report. I wish I could go to one but neither of us could stand for that long waiting to get in. Dang it!

    • #1
  2. Richard Easton Coolidge
    Richard Easton
    @RichardEaston

    Thanks for the excellent report. I know that you reported that there were few people in the upper deck. Assuming capacity is 19,000, how many people do you think were there.

    • #2
  3. Full Size Tabby Member
    Full Size Tabby
    @FullSizeTabby

    Richard Easton (View Comment):

    Thanks for the excellent report. I know that you reported that there were few people in the upper deck. Assuming capacity is 19,000, how many people do you think were there.

    According to PJMedia, the Democrats are proud that they sabotaged the ticket process to prevent people from attending. Link provided by @rodin .

    President Trump disputes the basis for the PJMedia account. https://www.foxnews.com/politics/trump-campaign-rejects-idea-that-tiktok-k-pop-fans-sabotaged-rally-dont-know-what-theyre-talking-about

    • #3
  4. Phil Turmel Inactive
    Phil Turmel
    @PhilTurmel

    Richard Easton (View Comment):

    Thanks for the excellent report. I know that you reported that there were few people in the upper deck. Assuming capacity is 19,000, how many people do you think were there.

    Based on the visual size of the sections, and amount visible in the upper deck, I’d say about 12,000 were present.

    • #4
  5. Kevin Schulte Member
    Kevin Schulte
    @KevinSchulte

    Phil Turmel (View Comment):

    Richard Easton (View Comment):

    Thanks for the excellent report. I know that you reported that there were few people in the upper deck. Assuming capacity is 19,000, how many people do you think were there.

    Based on the visual size of the sections, and amount visible in the upper deck, I’d say about 12,000 were present.

    And for the crow’rs on the left and the NT”s over the empty seats.  Has a Demoncrat ever had 12,000 at one of their rally’s ?

    • #5
  6. MichaelKennedy Inactive
    MichaelKennedy
    @MichaelKennedy

    Tik Tok is a Chinese company. Just saying.

    • #6
  7. namlliT noD Member
    namlliT noD
    @DonTillman

    MichaelKennedy (View Comment):

    Tik Tok is a Chinese company. Just saying.

    So the Dems colluded with the Chinese to meddle in an election?

    • #7
  8. Stad Coolidge
    Stad
    @Stad

    Phil Turmel:

     

    You hottie you.  I’m waiting for @bossmongo to say, “I’d tap that.”  Hehe . . .

    • #8
  9. Full Size Tabby Member
    Full Size Tabby
    @FullSizeTabby

    namlliT noD (View Comment):

    MichaelKennedy (View Comment):

    Tik Tok is a Chinese company. Just saying.

    So the Dems colluded with the Chinese to meddle in an election?

    That’s what the Democrats are claiming, and claiming to be proud of. I think they should be asked about that.  

    • #9
  10. namlliT noD Member
    namlliT noD
    @DonTillman

    Thanks for the report!  And the photos!

    Was there any sort of medical screening as you entered?

    Did they check that you had a ticket?

    How were the conversations with the folks?

     

    • #10
  11. Phil Turmel Inactive
    Phil Turmel
    @PhilTurmel

    namlliT noD (View Comment):

    Thanks for the report! And the photos!

    You’re welcome!

    Was there any sort of medical screening as you entered?

    Temperature check before security screening.

    Did they check that you had a ticket?

    Yes, kind’a.  I was too slow fumbling with my phone to bring up the barcode and they waived me through. /:

    How were the conversations with the folks?

    Wonderful!  And exchanged contact info with a number of new friends.

     

    • #11
  12. Manny Coolidge
    Manny
    @Manny

    Fantastic Phil!  Thanks for sharing. I doubt he’ll have a rally in the NYC area but if he does you’ve inspired me to try to make it. 

    • #12
  13. CarolJoy, Above Top Secret Coolidge
    CarolJoy, Above Top Secret
    @CarolJoy

    The following is a much copied and re-published account on social media re: what went down in terms of individuals who stood in line in order to get into  the arena.

    These were people who did not get there early in the day, but much later. I have no idea as to the veracity of this account. However it seems peculiar to me that die hard Trump supporters would not have been filling up every seat inside the arena, unless there were various circumstances preventing it.

    The account:Jeannie and I had reserved tickets to attend the rally. Although somewhat chaotic with people driving by yelling obscenities at us as we walked, a mean mug or two and a fight or two breaking out around us, everything wasn’t actually that bad. However, finding a gate entrance was quite the task…nothing was clarified – and NO..no protesters were blocking entrances.

    We finally found how to get in. At the exact moment we approached the first barrier (police tape) there were police lined up at the tape and at the opening we were greeted by the Secret service or contract military (not sure who they were) at 6:05 p.m. who told us, along with a multitude of others at our gate (there was three separate entrance gates at various locations) that we could not enter.

    We asked why? They said that the BOK had reached its capacity and the temperature checkers had left prematurely and acted pretty smug about it which I thought was strange. Some who waited with us said they had friends on the inside who text and told them that there were still many empty seats available. So, we waited at the police tape entrance dumb founded for 20 minutes until the police line started backing up and went through a 10 foot fence and chained and locked the gate. No other explanation.

    Further, no one was even allowed into the jumbotron area to watch the rally and speeches outside. We walked with a man on our way back to our car, who was on the inside but decided to leave, who also said that there were many more seats available. This is the absolute first hand truth.

    So, we drove home to watch what was left of the rally on TV. We saw many empty seats in the background, hearing nothing but lies from reporters stating that the Trump rally didn’t have the turnout that they expected inside and no one even turned out to rally outside to watch the jumbotron (which is exactly what a supporter waiting with us said the media would say). Nothing but lies! We were lied to! They locked a multitude of us out! They even reported that Trump was surprised at the low turnout. If I can get a message to the President, I will tell him how they duped him at this rally and how he is getting played by those who surround him.”

    *copied*

    • #13
  14. CarolJoy, Above Top Secret Coolidge
    CarolJoy, Above Top Secret
    @CarolJoy

    Kevin Schulte (View Comment):

    Phil Turmel (View Comment):

    Richard Easton (View Comment):

    Thanks for the excellent report. I know that you reported that there were few people in the upper deck. Assuming capacity is 19,000, how many people do you think were there.

    Based on the visual size of the sections, and amount visible in the upper deck, I’d say about 12,000 were present.

    And for the crow’rs on the left and the NT”s over the empty seats. Has a Demoncrat ever had 12,000 at one of their rally’s ?

    Why, Hillary’s staff and their excellent use of green screens gave her crowds over 100K at some of her more well attended speeches!! (As long as you didn’t figure out that it was all green screened.)

    • #14
  15. Bryan G. Stephens Thatcher
    Bryan G. Stephens
    @BryanGStephens

    wow. Locked out?

    • #15
  16. CarolJoy, Above Top Secret Coolidge
    CarolJoy, Above Top Secret
    @CarolJoy

    Bryan G. Stephens (View Comment):

    wow. Locked out?

    Seems like that is the case. I have also heard reports that one or two protest marches blocked hiway traffic coming in.

    • #16
  17. Boss Mongo Member
    Boss Mongo
    @BossMongo

    Stad (View Comment):

    Phil Turmel:

     

    You hottie you. I’m waiting for @bossmongo to say, “I’d tap that.” Hehe . . .

    Well, yeah

    • #17
  18. Giulietta Inactive
    Giulietta
    @giuliettachicago

    Thank you for this! Even if it wasn’t filled to capacity, let’s take in the last Biden campaign event for a moment: (I hope you can at least see the picture- it’s amazing-)

    A telling excerpt:
    ”Then, Mr. Biden appeared. He arrived with such little fanfare that I didn’t even notice him enter the room. There was no introduction by an organizer to pump up a crowd that wasn’t there, as is typical with campaign events. He just stood behind a lectern, pasted with the placard “Reopen Right: Safer and Stronger,” and began reading a speech off the teleprompters, assailing President Trump.”

     

     

     

    • #18
  19. Ansonia Member
    Ansonia
    @Ansonia

    Thank you for posting this, Phil Turmel. The crowd size is a big surprise. I think I was led to believe that the crowd was much smaller than the included video makes it obvious it was. And the truth is heartening news.

    I especially loved watching, and listening to Trump tell the story of the day of his speech at West Point. Not only was it hilariously funny, but it so beautifully illustrated that the mainstream media, when not worthless, is detrimental to our understanding of what’s going on in the country.

    • #19
  20. 9thDistrictNeighbor Member
    9thDistrictNeighbor
    @9thDistrictNeighbor

    Slight tangent, but the only Presidential candidate rally I’ve been to was for Mitt in Celina, Ohio in late October when he was hustling to have rallies anywhere.  We took our son as a sort of civics lesson.  No ticket needed, walk through a magnetometer outside.  Anyone who says that Trump’s rally in Tulsa was a dud needs to remember the intense lack of energy days before the 2012 election.

     

     

    I sincerely hope to be able to attend a Trump rally.

    • #20
  21. drlorentz Member
    drlorentz
    @drlorentz

    Giulietta (View Comment):

    Thank you for this! Even if it wasn’t filled to capacity, let’s take in the last Biden campaign event for a moment: (I hope you can at least see the picture- it’s amazing-)

    A telling excerpt:
    ”Then, Mr. Biden appeared. He arrived with such little fanfare that I didn’t even notice him enter the room. There was no introduction by an organizer to pump up a crowd that wasn’t there, as is typical with campaign events. He just stood behind a lectern, pasted with the placard “Reopen Right: Safer and Stronger,” and began reading a speech off the teleprompters, assailing President Trump.”

    This is a link to the NYT picture since the article may be paywalled for some users.

    Edit: Archived link to the NYT article in case anyone should want to read the whole thing. The link may not work on the Brave browser for reasons not worth explaining.

    • #21
  22. SpiritO'78 Inactive
    SpiritO'78
    @SpiritO78

    A friend of mine volunteered and said between 10 and 15 thousand roughly showed up. The organizers weren’t sure where to hold the event but based on the number of tickets requested they went with the BOK center. The Cox convention center was a better choice (much smaller) but no one knew at the time. 

    • #22
  23. Giulietta Inactive
    Giulietta
    @giuliettachicago

    drlorentz (View Comment):

    Giulietta (View Comment):

    Thank you for this! Even if it wasn’t filled to capacity, let’s take in the last Biden campaign event for a moment: (I hope you can at least see the picture- it’s amazing-)

    A telling excerpt:
    ”Then, Mr. Biden appeared. He arrived with such little fanfare that I didn’t even notice him enter the room. There was no introduction by an organizer to pump up a crowd that wasn’t there, as is typical with campaign events. He just stood behind a lectern, pasted with the placard “Reopen Right: Safer and Stronger,” and began reading a speech off the teleprompters, assailing President Trump.”

    This is a link to the NYT picture since the article may be paywalled for some users.

    Edit: Archived link to the NYT article in case anyone should want to read the whole thing. The link may not work on the Brave browser for reasons not worth explaining.

    Thank you for linking the picture! I didn’t realize that was supposed to be a campaign rally at first…pathetic isn’t it?

    • #23
  24. Sweezle Inactive
    Sweezle
    @Sweezle

    Thanks for the photos and in-person reporting.  You look fetching in your fashion statement photo.

    • #24
  25. Phil Turmel Inactive
    Phil Turmel
    @PhilTurmel

    Boss Mongo (View Comment):

    Stad (View Comment):

    You hottie you. I’m waiting for @bossmongo to say, “I’d tap that.” Hehe . . .

    Well, yeah

    Hmmmph.  Well, my wife wouldn’t approve of such sentiments from any of the Ricochet ladies’, so I guess I should take the compliments I can get. (:

    • #25
  26. Chet Ross Member
    Chet Ross
    @ChetRoss

    Very good report. It is refreshing to read a first person account. The dems efforts to tamper with ticket registration demonstrates why the US does not want mail in voting only. Thank you for the validation.

     

    • #26
  27. Front Seat Cat Member
    Front Seat Cat
    @FrontSeatCat

    Phil – good pictures and story! I was surprised to see very few masks with thousands close together – it has me a bit worried.  Trump was all in – he took no prisoners!

    • #27
  28. The Scarecrow Thatcher
    The Scarecrow
    @TheScarecrow

    Wow, that huge crown of people massed outside for four hours. I love all the energy – the chanting, the looting, the graffiti, the pointless, wanton destruction!

    Oh wait, these are Conservatives.

    • #28
  29. MichaelKennedy Inactive
    MichaelKennedy
    @MichaelKennedy

    Newsweak could not even wait for the incubation period to announce a spike in Covid cases after the Trump rally.

    https://www.newsweek.com/oklahoma-reports-highest-ever-daily-covid-19-cases-after-trump-tulsa-rally-1512486

     

    • #29
  30. OmegaPaladin Moderator
    OmegaPaladin
    @OmegaPaladin

    MichaelKennedy (View Comment):

    Newsweak could not even wait for the incubation period to announce a spike in Covid cases after the Trump rally.

    https://www.newsweek.com/oklahoma-reports-highest-ever-daily-covid-19-cases-after-trump-tulsa-rally-1512486

     

    At this point, I do not recommend trusting any reporting on COVID-19.

    • #30
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