GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. (WOOD) — A crowd of former President Donald Trump’s supporters continues to wait in line ahead of his rally in downtown Grand Rapids Monday night.
Doors open for Trump’s campaign rally inside Van Andel Arena at 6:30 p.m. The rally doesn’t kick off until 10:30 p.m.
News 8 saw at least 100 of his supporters gathered at around 10:30 a.m.
When Trump came to Grand Rapids eight years ago for a rally right before Election Day, Grand Rapids resident Roger Young was there. As Trump returns once again, Young didn’t want to miss it.
“He ended up winning, so I figured I wanted to bring some good luck and show up again,” he told News 8.
Young believes Trump exemplifies his Christian values and that he’s a strong leader. He said he likes Trump because he does what he says he will.
“I like his stand on the economy,” he said. “I like his stand on peace through strength and I think that’s critical. We gotta have somebody who knows how to deal with these tyrants around the world and who they fear. I don’t see the other candidates striking fear into anybody.”
This is Trisha Rose’s first political rally. The Wyoming resident believes our country and Western civilization are at stake in this election.
“I am supporting President Trump because he has made great strides in the past, currently and promises in the future he will end a lot of the evil that (is) permeating and saturating our country, our culture and in particular in the government,” she said.
“I have an ancestor that was at Valley Forge with Gen. George Washington,” she added. “I believe Donald Trump is the George Washington of our current day.”
Young added that a Trump reelection would help put “biblical morals back into the framework.”
Meanwhile, U.S. Sen. Debbie Stabenow, Senate Majority Leader Winnie Brinks and former Congressman and Republican Fred Upton made one last push for Vice President Kamala Harris at a campaign event in southeast Grand Rapids.
“Trump’s own vice president is not supporting him,” Stabenow said. “His chief of staff is not supporting him. His defense leaders are not supporting him. The people who have been the closest to him day in and day out watching him listening to him.”
Upton said he’s one of 33 former House Republicans voting for Harris. He said he disagrees with Harris on plenty of issues, but he believes she has the best interests of the American people at heart.
“This is more than just about policy,” Upton said. “It’s about decency. It’s about integrity. It’s about honesty and true patriotism.”
Upton, who spent 36 years in Congress, says he never voted for a Democrat until now.
“I know a number of other Republicans that are voting for Harris (who are) not coming out forward,” he said. “But there’s this statement I always lived by, for evil to exist, good people have to be silent. I’m not gonna be silent.”
