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Hart: Modern-day barnstorming at a Trump rally

Lee Greenwood sings "Proud to Be An American," as Vice President Mike Pence and President Donald John Trump take in the scene of a capacity crowd at the outset of the MAGA Rally Sunday night at McKenzie Arena.
Lee Greenwood sings "Proud to Be An American," as Vice President Mike Pence and President Donald John Trump take in the scene of a capacity crowd at the outset of the MAGA Rally Sunday night at McKenzie Arena. Lee Greenwood sings "Proud to Be An American," as Vice President Mike Pence and President Donald John Trump take in the scene of a capacity crowd at the outset of the MAGA Rally Sunday night at McKenzie Arena.

By Ron Hart 4 min read

When President Trump stopped for a rally in Chattanooga, Tennessee, one of the papers that carries my column got me a press pass to go. So, in order to better understand this slice of Americana, I went.

It was fun being in the press cesspool during the rally, with Trump pointing at us and calling us “Fake Media.” Although our roots are in England, getting a nickname from Trump is the closest thing we have in America to being knighted.

The crowd was huge; thousands could not get in and waited outside in the rain to hear his speech, blasted to them on a loudspeaker. The crowd was whiter than a Barry Manilow concert – and more polite.

photo Ron Hart

There have not been that many cheering people in the UTC basketball arena since Brandon Born ruled the courts in the 1990s, when upwards of 225 people would show up.

And there have not been that many white Southerners cheering a philandering billionaire since Tiger Woods was in contention at the Masters.