Trying to find a way to pay bills in a 'country going to crap'

(The Center Square) – Surrounded by horse-riding police officers, ice cream trucks, and life-size cutouts of Republican nominee Donald Trump, tens of thousands of people waited in the heat for hours in a 2-mile long line stretching to the freeway.

Roadside trucks sold beer, hats, and Trump-themed rubber ducks to those standing in line for the Trump-Vance rally in Grand Rapids, Mich. It was the first campaign trail stop since an assassination attempt on Trump and his acceptance of the party nomination at the Republican National Convention.

Amanda Miller, a nursing assistant from Marshall, said she came to the rally because she still has hope for the country, even though it has degraded economically and morally.

“It’s still hard to pay bills," she told The Center Square. "I own a home, and no mortgage, so I couldn't even imagine having to pay bills and a mortgage. And I have one 16-year-old son and provide for him. But my main thing is our values. What my son hears and sees in school – from the same school district that I grew up in – it’s totally different. The values have changed, and God is totally out of the school system now. I just hope for a better future, to see that my son can have a good education and make something of himself.”

Santiago, a truck driver from northwest Indiana who declined to give his last name, put it more bluntly.

“We’re here because we’re tired of our country going to crap," he said. "I don't like the gas prices, that our food prices are going up. I don't like the fact that nowadays it's OK to wave the LGBTQ flag and the Palestinian flag , but you're burning the American flag. We’ve got wars, and all our money is going to Ukraine, and you’ve got homeless Americans, homeless veterans. Trump can stop that.”

Dustin Ellswerth, a millwright and veteran from Mount Pleasant, said he feels represented by Trump and likes the former president's positions.

“I especially like the fact that he’s going to help out the blue-collar guy, a guy like me, because he’s going to lower the taxes," Ellswerth said. "I’ll be able to actually work a decent amount of time and I won’t get all my overtime taxed. And I like the fact that he’s improving things for the military members, because I served six years in the Marine Corps myself. So I hope he’s reelected this time, because he’s going to do a lot for the blue-collar and the middle class, and make it livable again.”

Amber Gobel, a hospice nurse from Grand Rapids who stood in line for four hours, has been to a Trump rally before, and supports the former president because of his policies on immigration .

“Close the borders," she said. "That’s what I’m worried about, I want him to close the borders because the people are coming in by the thousands and taking our jobs. We’re working hard for nothing. I lost my job right around COVID, and since then we’ve been struggling to even make ends meet.”

Brian, a health care worker from Grand Rapids who declined to give his last name, said his reasoning for supporting Trump is simple. He believes America is worse off now than it was four years ago.

“I mean look at everything – you can just tell with gas prices, energy prices, crime, economy, border – all of it, just keep naming it,” he said. “So you’ve already had four years of what Trump’s done, you've seen what he can do, and you've also had almost four years of Biden. So compare and contrast – yes, I think Trump’s the better person for the job.”

The Van Andel Arena seats more than 13,000 people, but more than double that number showed up to the rally. Many were unable to enter and spent the time sitting outside, watching from their phones instead.

Dennis Hart, a retired media worker of 40 years from Grand Rapids, said he came to “see what the buzz is about,” and what he witnessed surprised him.

“I’ve been to a lot of these things – I’ve never seen anything like this ever, not even close. This is incredible,” he said.

Hart described himself as “middle of the road” politically, and said he agrees with most of Trump’s policies, especially given the current state of the country.

“You know, I feel the country’s kind of vulnerable right now – there doesn’t seem to be really anybody in charge, or no one that we can ascertain exactly who it is," Hart said. "So Trump’s kind of a strong leader and I think we could benefit from that. I think it’s time for the other side to maybe sit on the bench for a while, and let the other side take a swing at things.”

Vicki Morly, a retired teacher from the Philippines now living in Michigan, said her experience at the rally was “very happy, and very hopeful that the country will go back to the greatness it has been. Because it’s being destroyed. It seems like evil is creeping slowly into our country, and most of the people are just watching what is going on.”

To Morly, education policy has gone downhill during the Biden administration.

“All of the policies of the left are just so out-of-touch, so out-of-touch from the ordinary American," she said. "And all the value they are injecting into our school system – instead of developing good and responsible individuals, they are developing kids to be crazy! Why should they not be taught to ‘do good things, not just what you want to do?’”

When asked if they felt nervous due to the assassination attempt at the last rally, everyone interviewed replied that they weren’t afraid – in fact, on some the incident had the opposite effect.

Katie from Grand Rapids, who works in finance and declined to give her last name, said she felt more inspired to attend the rally after what happened to Trump.

“Obviously it’s such a heinous act, you would have to go and support the leader for who he is, having reacted that way to the attempt,” she said, referring to Trump’s fist-pumping response after getting shot.

Ben Abraham, a dye and printing industry worker from Grand Rapids, felt the same way.

“He doesn’t sit down for us, he took a bullet for us ," he said. "I’m not afraid today at all, I refuse to be afraid, I will live my life. This is my first rally and I’m so proud to be here.”

Hart, the retired media worker, thinks most at the rally are not ultra-conservative, but just average citizens who don’t like the way the current administration is treating them and see Trump as a man who gets the right thing done.

“These people are middle class, hard-working people, and this used to be the Democrat constituency,” he said. “There’s been like a polar shift in the parties – I never thought I’d say it, but I think the Republican Party is the party of the working man .”