c/donald-john-trump

Poured $2,000 into a campaign sign order for our local rally and it backfired hard

I really wanted to support the movement so I dropped two grand on 500 custom yard signs for a rally we had planned in Phoenix. The guy I ordered from promised heavy-duty coroplast with wire stakes, but they showed up looking like flimsy cardboard and snapped in the first wind gust. We had maybe 40 people show up and another 30 signs got stolen overnight from people's lawns. On top of that, the city code enforcement actually came by and told us to take down any signs on public property or face fines. I ended up hauling 400 busted signs to the dump myself the next Saturday. Has anyone else gotten burned by paying too much for political merch that just didn't hold up?

Found a number in his 2019 tax returns that made me pause

I was digging through some public records last night and saw his reported business income for 2019 was something like $446 million. That blew my mind because I always figured the numbers were big but not that big. Has anyone else looked at those old filings and found a specific figure that surprised them?

Question about the shift in Trump’s rally style since June 2023

I’ve been watching his speeches for years, but I noticed a big change starting around the Iowa trip in June 2023. The crowd energy seemed different, more focused on specific policy digs like at the Des Moines event. Was that just a one-time thing or did the candidate’s approach actually evolve after that? Curious if anyone else saw the same before-and-after vibe.

Stopped by the old Trump Tower atrium in Chicago last month, felt different

I was in Chicago for a conference last October and figured I'd walk through the Trump Tower lobby, just out of curiosity. Last time I was there was maybe 2016, right before the election, and the place was buzzing with tourists and suits. This time it was way quieter, maybe 10 people just sitting around and nobody really looking at the waterfall. The security guard gave me this long stare when I walked in, like he was waiting for something. I grabbed a coffee at the little cafe inside and overheard two guys debating whether the building still holds its value with all the branding drama. The whole vibe felt like a museum exhibit of a time that moved on. Has anyone else been to one of his properties lately and noticed the same thing?

That specific 'lock her up' chant keeps getting misquoted in media

I was at a rally in Iowa back in 2016, right near the front, and I clearly remember the crowd chanting 'lock her up' after a specific line about email servers. But lately, I've seen news clips splicing that chant onto completely different parts of his speeches, like during tax reform talk. Why do they keep misplacing the context like that, and does it bother anyone else who was actually there?

Tried wearing a MAGA hat to work in Chicago last week

I work in a warehouse on the south side. Wore my red hat on break. Got three guys yelling at me. One guy just gave me a thumbs up from across the lot. The supervisor pulled me aside and said leave it in the car. I told him it's my right. He said it's his floor. Now I'm wondering if standing your ground is worth the hassle or if you pick your battles. What do you do when your job and your beliefs clash?

Vent: Trying to verify a claim about Trump's rally crowd size took me 4 hours of digging through old county records

That time livestreaming a rally crashed my phone

I was at a Trump rally in Phoenix last October and tried to livestream the whole thing on my old iPhone. About 45 minutes in, the phone overheated and shut down completely, right when he was doing his signature hand gestures. I missed the whole closing speech because I was stuck staring at a black screen. Has anyone else had their phone die at a big event like that? What do you do to keep your battery cool when filming?

Had to pick between a Trump rally or a county fair last Saturday, chose the fair

My buddy wanted me to go see Trump speak in Des Moines, but the county fair had a pie contest and a tractor pull. I went to the fair, ate a whole apple pie by myself, and watched a guy flip his tractor. Kinda regret not going to the rally though. Ever make a choice like that and wonder what you missed?

Trump's 2016 rally in Raleigh felt more electric than the 2020 one I went to in Charlotte

I went to both events. 2016 at the convention center had this raw energy, people were fired up and it felt like a movement. 2020 in Charlotte was more structured, scripted even. The crowd was still there but something was different. The 2016 rally had about 10,000 people packed in and you could feel the room shake during his lines. 2020 felt like a rerun of a show you already saw. Has anyone else noticed a shift in the vibe between the two cycles?

Appreciation post: That moment the teleprompter died in Phoenix and Trump just kept going

I was at the Phoenix rally in 2020 when the teleprompter went dark for 3 minutes in the middle of his speech. He shifted to telling a story about his father's business lessons and the crowd went nuts. Do you think he planned for those moments or is he just that good at winging it?

Spent $450 on Trump 2024 rally tickets in Atlanta and it was either the best or worst money I ever spent

So I dropped $450 on two VIP tickets to the Trump rally in Atlanta last month, thinking it would be this epic experience. Got there and the energy was insane, like people were crying and chanting for 20 minutes straight before he even came out. But then we stood in line for 2 hours just to get through security, and half the merch booths ran out of hats by noon. I met some cool folks who drove 6 hours from Alabama just for this, which was wild to see. But I also heard a guy complaining he paid $200 for a parking spot that didn't even exist. So did the ticket price and hype save the day or burn a hole in your pocket? Has anyone else dropped big cash on a Trump event and regretted it or felt it was totally worth it?

Saw something off at the Trump rally in Tampa last weekend

I went to that rally in Tampa on Saturday and noticed maybe 20 people in the back section just holding up their phones recording the whole thing but not cheering or anything. It was weird because everyone else was going nuts. Anybody else catch that kind of thing at his events or was it just my section?

Can we talk about that Trump rally in the rain last month?

I was at that event in Butler on July 13 and the storm came out of nowhere. My umbrella snapped in half about 20 minutes in and I was soaked through my jacket. I ended up just leaving early to dry off in my car. Anyone else stick it out through weather like that for a speech?

Blew $500 on a Trump rally ticket and merch, total waste

I paid $300 for a last minute ticket to a rally in Dallas back in 2022, then another $200 on a hat, shirt, and some overpriced bumper stickers. The whole thing was a carnival, not a political event. He spent more time bragging about his crowd size than talking policy. Has anyone else walked away feeling like they got fleeced?

Caught myself defending Trump's golfing habit for years before a buddy set me straight

I used to argue Trump's golf trips were just diplomacy in disguise. Said it was networking, dealmaking, all that. Then a friend pulled up the count from his first term - over 300 rounds versus Obama's 98. Hit me like a truck. Am I the only one who had to unlearn defending everything he does?

Appreciation post for the retired teacher who made me rethink tariffs

Had breakfast at the diner on Main Street yesterday and this old history teacher spent 15 minutes explaining how Trump's trade policies actually helped small manufacturers in Ohio, and now I'm not so sure my whole 'tariffs are always bad' take was right - anyone else have a conversation that flipped their view on something?

My buddy said Trump's 2017 tax cuts would just help the rich. I argued they'd help small business. Who was right?

Back in 2017, my friend Mike told me the Trump tax cuts were a giveaway to corporations and wouldn't do jack for guys like me running a small moving company. I argued back that lower rates would let me reinvest in equipment and hire more guys. Fast forward to 2019, I had bought two new trucks and added 3 part-time workers because my effective rate dropped about 4%. Mike's a bartender and saw zero change in his paycheck, so he still says it was a rich-guy move. I get his point, but I was literally able to expand because of it. So who's got the clearer picture here - the guy who saw direct benefit or the guy who saw none? Has anyone else been in a debate like this where your real-world experience either backed up or contradicted what you heard?

Hit my 100th rally sign tonight and realized I've been holding them backwards for months

I've been volunteering at Trump rallies in Phoenix since last fall, holding up signs at the entrance. Tonight after event number 100, some lady finally told me the words were facing me, not the crowd. She laughed and said everyone could see the blank white side. Guess I'll flip it around for the next one in Tucson. Anyone else have a dumb moment like that at a rally?

I finally understood the 'fake news' thing after my local paper got a story completely wrong about me.

I was at a town council meeting in Scranton about a zoning change for a new park. The local paper ran a piece saying I was against the whole project, but I was only against the part that would have cut down a dozen old trees. I called the editor and asked for a correction, which they printed, but it was buried on page 7. The original headline is still the first thing that comes up online. Has anyone else had to fight a small but really public mistake like that?

Just read he was on the cover of TIME magazine 14 times. That's more than any other person. Found that in an old article from 2017.

Hot take: I finally figured out how to find the real poll numbers everyone else misses

For months I kept seeing these wild polls saying Trump was down by like 15 points, and it just didn't match what I was seeing in my town. I got so frustrated I started digging into the crosstabs myself. The trick was looking at the 'likely voter' screen questions. A poll from a big name last week had him down 12, but their screen asked if people voted in the '22 midterms. I checked the actual voter file for my county, and turnout was way lower than usual that year. So that screen cut out a ton of his voters. When you adjust for that, the race is basically tied. Has anyone else tried pulling apart the poll methodology like this and found something similar?

Just dropped $75 on a 'Make America Great Again' themed phone case that cracked the first time I dropped it.

The thing shattered worse than a china plate at a bull sale, so maybe stick with the regular rubber ones, anyone have a brand that actually holds up?

Warning: I saw a huge change in how many people show up to his rallies now compared to 2016.

I was at the rally in Dayton, Ohio back in 2016. The arena was maybe half full, and you could walk in pretty much right up to the stage. I just watched the one in Wildwood, New Jersey from last month, and the crowd was massive, stretching way past the boardwalk. That's a difference of tens of thousands of people, easy, over eight years. It feels like the energy and the sheer number of folks willing to stand out there for hours has completely changed. What do you think caused this shift? Is it just media coverage, or something bigger?

Drove past the old Trump Tower in NYC and the street felt totally different

I was in the city for a job last week, wiring a new coffee shop near 5th Avenue. I took a walk down 57th Street and passed the tower, you know, the one with the big gold letters. It was weird, the whole block used to be packed with people and news vans, especially back in 2016. Now it's just another fancy building, mostly tourists taking pictures. A security guard was out front and we got to talking for a minute. He said the crowds really died down after 2020, which I guess makes sense. It just got me thinking about how much the energy around that whole spot has shifted. Has anyone else visited a place tied to him lately and noticed a big change?