If people had told me 10 years ago that Donald Trump, the billionaire entrepreneur, reality show host and part-time wrestler, might become the president of the United States of America — the leader of the free world — I don’t think I would’ve believed them.
But here we are, approaching the 2016 general election, and Trump is now leading most Republican polls and has accumulated an alarming amount of supporters.
The Donald’s Super Tuesday loss to Ted Cruz in the Sooner State reinforces the idea that Trump exists, for many in Oklahoma anyway, as more of a sideshow spectacle than a serious presidential nominee. Still, Trump won seven states on Tuesday, boosting his total to 10 for the primary. In Oklahoma, more than 130,000 people voted for The Donald.
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On Friday, four days before Super Tuesday, Trump made a campaign stop in Oklahoma City. During his speech, he discussed his usual topics: immigration, lobbyists, international trade, etc. As his speech went on, the audience displayed a full spectrum of responses to what Trump had to say, from awkward applause when he tried to compliment Oklahoma’s “football team” to excited pandemonium when he promised to preserve the Second Amendment.
Many attendees to the speech, however, were only there to witness what makes Donald Trump a spectacle. I was told by several of the people I interviewed that they planned on voting for Bernie Sanders or Ted Cruz. Some took it one step further, though, by creating a scene and protesting loudly in the middle of Trump’s speech. These protesters were quickly singled out in the crowd and escorted away by security as the crowd roared, though Trump criticized the response speed of police at the event.
At this point in the election cycle, the pure absurdity of Trump running for president has been lost on many people; however, I still find myself in awe of this fact at least once per day. I mean come on: The guy had a roast on Comedy Central.
So, in an effort to preserve this baffling part of American history, I attended his Oklahoma City rally. Armed with a press pass and a camera, I tried my best to capture the general atmosphere of a good ol’, one-of-a-kind Donald J. Trump campaign rally.
Enjoy what makes Donald Trump a spectacle, or recoil in horror. Your choice.
