It’s always fascinating to see how people from other countries view our political system. Most of the time, foreigners on the outside looking in don’t understand the American system. Many observers can’t grasp the importance of the First Amendment or the Second Amendment. They often don’t understand our electoral system, and they particularly don’t comprehend the rise of Trumpian populism.
One X user named Sam, whose bio identifies him as “an australian in boston [sic],” decided to see what American political rallies are all about. He recorded his observations of a Donald Trump rally in a fascinating thread, so let's break down what he had to say.
Please note that the capitalization and punctuation quirkiness is all his, so think of this sentence as a pre-[sic].
So as an Australian in America during an election I decided I had to go see the show. Flew to Duluth, Georgia to see the Trump rally last night. Thread of a few takeaways: pic.twitter.com/5bwdrefoVp
— Sam (@Dollarydoos_) October 24, 2024
Sam wrote that he “picked the trump rally because frankly it seemed like it would be more interesting. Also they’re all listed on his website and while they ask for you to register, you can just turn up. Kamala seems to make you jump through a few hoops to find her schedule.”
Sam remarked that the crowd size was impressive and that the venue was full, including people standing in the aisles. Many people who came early to take part in the rally couldn’t get in.
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He noticed another phenomenon: people leaving early. We’ve heard it before, generally from unfriendly media trying to discredit crowd size or make fun of the rallies. But Sam found out that people are leaving early for two reasons: the sheer length of the rally and a familiarity with Trump’s message.
“I spoke to a couple of women at my hotel after who had left early and they said they loved it, but watch all the rallies on YouTube so knew the speech and after a long day they were happy to call it early,” he wrote.
Sam also observed that although the crowd was predominantly white, it wasn’t difficult to spot black, Hispanic, and Asian rallygoers in the crowd. He also noted that the “Vibe was positive and friendly overall.”
He admitted that it’s tough to compare the political issues in the U.S. to Australia, but he said that “90% was [of the content] pretty normal political rev-up that you’d see in australia.”
What Sam had to say next was one of the most telling things about the rally and about the Trump moment in general:
Trump’s speech was long and he rambled and told stories. But he is still very funny at times, he’s surprisingly self-depreciating too. Crucially, he’s really a symptom not the cause. He’s tapped into something real and become the Main Character of the world for 9 years.
— Sam (@Dollarydoos_) October 24, 2024
Sam didn’t identify what specifically Trump has “tapped into,” but we all know what the MAGA movement is about: everyday Americans who are sick and tired of the elites running roughshod over this country. Sam did point out that “the enthusiasm doesn’t seem dimmed. And whatever he’s tapped into won’t go anywhere if he loses.”
Additionally, Sam stated that despite Trump’s age, “he’s still with it,” and the left’s attempts to compare Trump with Joe Biden are foolish. He also concluded that he had fun experiencing the rally.
In the closing days of this campaign, it's nice to see that Trump is still displaying energy and fire at his rallies. And it's especially nice to see people who aren't as well-versed in American politics noticing that fact as well.
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