The Trump assassination attempt brings back memories of the 2016 Chicago rally
March 11, 2016
It’s hard to believe it was more than eight years ago. It was long enough I had almost forgotten about the events of that day—almost. This was the day that Donald Trump was going to hold a political rally on The University of Illinois-Chicago campus. It turned into a bizarre evening, to say the least.
I had planned to attend this event for weeks in advance. Most of the people in my life at the time told me to stay away. There were rumors that there would be mass protests. Many people felt that would be trouble—it wouldn’t be safe. Friends were telling me I needed to call them afterward to let them know I was safe. Everyone was turning into my mother.
A little trouble wouldn’t keep me away. I don’t scare easily—at least I didn’t in 2016. I needed to see what this Trump curiosity was all about.
One of my writing colleagues was also interested in attending so we decided to go together. Maybe we figured we were safer in pairs? In public, we were making jokes about how tough/brave we were to go to something like this. In private, we were texting each other about what to do if things got out of hand. She said we needed a safeword or phrase if either of us felt the need to leave. She suggested, “Let’s go get a milkshake." I laughed and replied, “How about ‘let’s get the fuck out of here?’” I think we decided to wing it and see what happens.
What happened was a big nothing!
Yeah, there were a lot of protesters outside the arena but they were calm and peaceful. Yeah, there were a lot of people inside the arena, but the Trump supporters and the Trump haters were also calm and peaceful. The only time there was any stirring at all was when it was announced that the rally was canceled—and that was minor. Everyone left the arena in an orderly fashion. By the time, we got outside, most of the protestors were gone. We walked to her car and headed home.
No milkshakes were needed.
The events of last weekend bring me back to that night at UI-C. Surprisingly, the memories are still fairly clear. They even feel fresh. But, it is also a stark reminder that what occurred in Pennsylvania could have easily occurred in Chicago. For two days, we’ve been hearing constantly about the lack of security and the failure of the Secret Service. It wasn’t much better in Chicago. They quickly ran a wand over my body and made me empty my wallet, but never asked to see my ticket to the rally. Less than thirty seconds later, we were headed to our seats. It wouldn’t have been too hard to sneak a gun past them.
I have no regrets about attending the Trump rally in 2016. I never even had any second thoughts about it. I wonder if the Trump supporters who were in Pennsylvania on Saturday feel the same? Hopefully, they had a safeword. It’s easy to picture many of them saying “Let’s get the fuck out of here!”
Politics in 2024…sigh. Man, I really need a milkshake.