Posted: 2024-11-05 02:46:57

A Donald Trump rally has the atmosphere of a music festival.

The hype songs and their basslines pump through the sound system and rattle the press pen.

There's merchandise, long lines and a lot of waiting around.

It's not always easy for foreign press to get media accreditation for these rallies, but in this last run-up to the election in Green Bay, Wisconsin, I was in the media pack as Donald Trump donned a high-vis vest and took to the stage.

This is just one event on his intense rally schedule heading into tomorrow's vote.

But from my vantage point, I could see in much detail the show that is Donald Trump.

The stadium is packed with Trump supporters, many donning red MAGA hats and various other Trump paraphernalia.

But if you look closely in the sea of people, you can start to get a feel for just how carefully orchestrated these rallies really are.

Like the Team Trump campaign staffers who swarm the event during set-up. One of their key roles is trying to get the media in the right spot, or perhaps more importantly, not having them in the wrong place.

The crowd is also dotted with various levels of security. This guard was wearing a staff lanyard and appeared to be private security — as opposed to law enforcement officers, who were in uniforms.

There's also the local staff and volunteers. When the Trump circus comes to town, the local or state level campaign resources are pushed to where the action is.

Sometimes they're given less than 24 hours' notice as plans rapidly change, especially so late in the race. These team members were ushering crowds earlier in the day.

This is the VIP section. NFL and Green Bay Packers legend Brett Favre was here campaigning for Trump. The former president quipped on stage that he was upset that Favre had received bigger applause from the local crowd.

Surrounding the stage is Trump's close protection unit. It's estimated that as many as 80 Secret Service staff members are assigned to the former president.

This was the rally in Green Bay that happened just after Donald Trump's garbage truck stunt. In his address he explained he got to the arena and asked his staff, "Where's my jacket? I want to get out of this thing." They told him "it would be unbelievable if you could wear it on stage", wanting the performance to continue.

Trump initially said "no way", but then one quick-thinking staffer told him, "You know it actually makes you look thinner." Trump says: "And they got me." Here he is on stage, looking nothing other than more orange.

This is a chart showing US-Mexico border crossings during both Trump and Joe Biden's time in office.

It's the same chart he turned to look at a split second before a bullet flew past his head and grazed his ear in Butler, Pennsylvania back in July. He says it saved his life and now it's his favourite chart.

Media aren't allowed to roam around the event. The arena doors open early in the day for staff, crew and law enforcement, and media are allowed in for an hour to set up their equipment, before they're kicked out until a few hours before the rally starts.

During that time security agencies sweep the gear that's set-up here on the riser to make sure there are no risks. The first speeches started around 4pm and media are locked in this pen at that point until the rally is over.

This is Tera Dahl. She's with right-wing American media organisation Real Voices for America. There was a reserved spot for this crew at the front of the media riser

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