A Week of Contrasts: Observing Harris and Trump on the Campaign Trail
Supporters of both presidential candidates in Atlanta, Georgia.
One week in Atlanta, and two campaign events at the same location: one by Kamala Harris and the other by Donald Trump, the two presidential candidates for the US elections in November. As iconic as they both were, they were equally different:
Kamala –“When we fight, we WIN”– Harris
Hot, hotter, Atlanta! The weather app shows over thirty degrees, but people have come and are patiently standing in long lines to see their new icon live and in person: Kamala Harris. Even a heavy rain shower (that's summer in Atlanta) did not drive people out of the line. Eager helpers from the Harris campaign. The crowd was diverse: black, white, brown, young, and old. Many wore T-shirts and buttons with the inscription "Harris for President" and held signs with slogans like "Herstory in the Making." The mood inside resembled that of a graduation party in a gymnasium. A DJ heated things up with hip-hop songs, and it was a big celebration. There was dancing, laughing, and hugging. My radio colleague pointed to the crowd and said, "I haven't seen anything like this from the Democrats in a long time. The turnout, the atmosphere. It almost feels like 2008, Obama."
The hours passed, with speeches from Democratic senators and representatives from Georgia. They hailed the, at this point, not officially confirmed new presidential candidate. And then it got wild: Megan Thee Stallion, one of the most successful rappers in the country, stormed the stage with her booty-shaking backup dancers and shouted to the crowd:
"I know my ladies in the crowd love their body. And if you want to keep loving your body, you know who to vote for." – Megan The Stallion
Comparable scenes at an appearance by Olaf Scholz or a conservative candidate – unthinkable and probably cringe. But here it fits into the setting. The Stallion, born in 1995, appeals mainly to Gen Y and Z, who are strongly represented here.
Then it was time: Kamala Harris, until recently "only" Vice President, took the stage in a sky-blue pantsuit, pearl necklace, and a broad smile. "She looks very presidential," murmured a press colleague next to me. And yes, I have to agree. An impressive and forcefully delivered speech, just under 20 minutes, in which Harris talked about her experience as a prosecutor, which qualifies her to defeat Trump. She would also like to do this in a debate, which Trump has so far refused, except it would take place on Fox News:
"Well, Donald, I do hope you’ll reconsider to meet me on the debate stage because, as the saying goes, ‘If you got something to say, say it to my face." – Kamala Harris
Harris's appearance, for me the very first US campaign event, set the bar quite high for Trump's appearance in the same setting.
Donald –“Make America Great Again”– Trump
Same place, different crowd: a few days after the Harris rally, Donald Trump graces the scene. Thousands have come again, many from the neighboring southern states, as I find out from a non-representative sample. Many had already come at 9 a.m., although admission only began at 1 p.m. They brought camping chairs, and I get the feeling that the crowd knows the procedure and is prepared for it. The crowd is predominantly white, middle-aged, and adorned in red. Almost everyone wears a shirt, cap, or even socks decorated with "TRUMP", "MAGA", or the now-iconic image of Trump with a raised fist after the attack on him. The people I talk to, who enthusiastically welcome me to their country after I tell them I'm from Germany, tell me they admire Trump. As a billionaire, he could just lie on the beach and sip champagne, but no, he is fighting for the USA, Sue, who has come from Alabama, explains to me.
"Kamala Harris is weak, failed, and dangerously liberal" – displayed in the Georgia State Convocation Center during the Trump Rally
Finally inside, I am honestly a bit disappointed. Instead of a dancing crowd, everything is crammed with rows of chairs where people have been sitting for hours waiting for their presidential candidate and his VP. There are no live acts either: I had at least hoped for Kid Rock. However, the US anthem is performed live. A strange moment because, first, I am in the bathroom, and second, when I come out of the stall, all the women are standing still, their gazes misty-eyed towards the speakers, and their right hands pressed to their hearts. Okay, America.
Otherwise, there isn’t much entertainment. Between the preliminary speakers, YouTube videos of the Beach Boys and Queen are projected on the wall. Also, ABBA and YMCA by the Village People play through the speakers. I couldn't help but wonder if Freddie Mercury and the Village People would support this event. The posters being distributed say, "Too Big To Rig" and "Lyin' Kamala – You Are Fired". The first slogan refers to the allegedly "stolen "2020 election by the Democrats, and the second slogan is self-explanatory. Interesting, when the woman, who is certainly the first highlight of the evening for the crowd, almost exclusively spreads lies. Marjorie Taylor Greene aka. MTG: long blonde hair, toothpaste smile, and southern drawl. She is a member of the United States House of Representatives and notorious for her conspiracy theories: QAnon, Pizzagate, you name it. When she took the stage, the crowd went wild: her stories of millions of migrants coming into the country daily are taken as truth here.
Then finally comes the man of the evening. He kept his audience waiting for an hour before he made his entrance. Donald Trump strides onto the stage to "American Bad Ass" by Kid Rock. Other entertainers – like Kamala Harris – he doesn’t need today, as he had already announced in advance, and he delivers, his Trump Show:
Of course, this is not my first time hearing Trump, but in this sports arena, which is almost full, the aggression in his words becomes almost tangible for the first time. Unlike Harris, he attacks his opponents, becomes vulgar, and goes below the belt. He insults Joe Biden and especially his new opponent: Kamala Harris: She has a low IQ and is the "dumber version" of Bernie Sanders. After fifteen minutes, I find it hard to follow. The speech becomes erratic. It talks a lot about "immigrant crime", a term Trump coined, which of course has no basis. Then it goes back to people in the past who have wronged him. He speaks for 90 (!) minutes. I get the impression that he likes his own voice very much. I myself stopped listening long ago, and the Trump fans around me have too. Some have nodded off, and several are slowly leaving the stands. My neighbor mutters to me that these must be infiltrated Democrats who want to make Trump look bad. I find it a bit too much effort for a Democratic stunt, but hey, for the man next to me, it's the truth. This flexibility of fact-based reality drives me crazy. I can't endure the 90 minutes and look around outside the venue: the counter-protest participants have left, but the people who couldn't get in or didn’t have a ticket are following the event on a screen outside. I also find the stands set up on the approach road interesting: Trump and his slogans on caps, T-shirts, bags, there are cardboard cutouts, and so on. I wonder if the exclusively black vendors are also Trump supporters, but they don't want to say. Do they follow Trump around and sell in whichever city he and his entourage appear? Unclear. At the end of the day, I spent seven hours at the campaign event, tried to get a glimpse into the mindset of the people, and understood a little better what his supporters see in Trump. Probably the same thing that Kamala Harris supporters see in her: a savior who is supposed to save America. Which pill will they swallow: the red or the blue one? Unclear for now.
Context: I am very fortunate to be a fellow at the Arthur F. Burns Fellowship this year. I couldn't have chosen a more exciting year. Just one day after my arrival in the US, Joe Biden withdrew from his candidacy, clearing the way for Kamala Harris. I am spending August and September at the radio station WABE in Atlanta, Georgia. I definitely wanted to be in a swing state, and so far, I can only congratulate myself on that choice, as all eyes were on the southern state this week, where not only Kamala Harris but also Donald Trump held a campaign event.