1:45 p.m.: Our ‘superhero president’
Edward Young has big expectations for the moment Donald Trump takes the stage in Wilmington Friday night.
“My expectations are that something big is going to happen,” he said. “It’s not just going to be the same old rally.”
That’s one reason Young drove 12 hours through the night to get to Wilmington from his home in Point Pleasant, N.J. He wanted to be in the front row for his 55th Trump rally, he said.
What to know:From tickets to security, what to know ahead of Donald Trump’s visit to Wilmington
Young said he’s supported Trump since he announced his run for president. He volunteered for Trump’s campaign in the early days for his presidential bid and attended his first rally at Trump Tower, he said.
Past visits:Trump’s past Wilmington visits: From viral news clips to ‘the proudest day of my life’
The crowd gathering around 1 p.m. looked “light,” Young said, compared to the number of people Trump has drawn during his campaign and presidency.
Young, who said he works in finance and acts on the weekends, said he was drawn to the “show” Trump puts on during his rallies.
“There has never ever, ever been a political candidate like this and nobody’s going to follow this act,” he said. “Donald Trump is our first rock star, superhero president.”
But he’s still anticipating Trump’s announcement of his presidential run in the 2024 election.
“We’re all waiting with baited breath…to hear him say, ‘I am running,’” he said.
11:30 a.m.: ‘I’m a Trump girl’
Just before 11 a.m. Friday, Linda Knight sat in a lawn chair outside a motorhome with the words “Trump Girls” printed on its windshield. Knight is one of several women who travelled to Wilmington Thursday from the Myrtle Beach area to attend Friday’s Donald Trump rally.
The motorhome, which is decorated with stars and stripes, is owned by Robin Holley. Holley, who lives in Georgetown, S.C., formed a group called “I’m a Trump girl” shortly after Trump announced his first presidential bid because “everyone said that women didn’t like Trump.” The Facebook group now has more than 30,000 members, Holley said.
“I wanted to do everything I could to support him,” she said.
The interior of the motorhome, too, is decked out with Trump memorabilia from rally buttons, photos of Trump and pictures of the group’s members. A framed painting at the front of the bus even appears to show the former president walking on water.
Both Holley and Knight said Trump is more than another candidate to them.
“The first time I shook his hand, there was something so spiritual that went from my toes to the top of my head,” Holley said. “I’m not saying he’s God, but I think what he did for our country, our United States of America, was fabulous.”
Knight said she considers Trump a friend even though she’s never met him personally. At Friday’s rally, the “Trump Girls” will be sitting within feet of Trump, Holley said. They have VIP tickets and plan to sit just a few rows behind him during the speech.
“We’re all excited, just waiting,” Knight said.
10 a.m.: Festival-like atmosphere
As people started filing into a holding area outside the Aero Center around 9:30 a.m. Friday, the grassy field took on a festival-like atmosphere as oldies, classic country and show tunes blared and food vendors set up shop.
Outside the holding area, Colleen Funston, Vicki Wescott and Angela Robinson stood watching rally-goers enter.
This will be the second Trump rally Funston, a small business owner from Shallotte, has attended in Wilmington. Her first was Trump’s 2020 speech from Battleship North Carolina.
Funston said she’s a long-time supporter of Trump and believes in what he stands for, including efforts to “put America first.”
“Trump is an American citizen who wants to do right by our country,” Funston said. “People want to make it seem like we’re all cultist and stuff and we’re not…
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