Forget the multimillion-dollar fines against him and the questions about whether he’d protect U.S. allies.
When it comes to the supporters of former President Donald Trump, a chance to be near the man — even if it’s only across a crowded airport hangar — is like a Sunday revival.
“It’s like going to church,” said David Zoellner Sr., a 61-year-old investment adviser who was among the throngs lining up in sub-freezing temperatures not far from his home in Waterford to hear Trump speak Saturday night. “Everyone kind of believes the same thing and everyone is happy to be together.”
Hours before the 7 p.m. speech, traffic on M-59 near Airport Road was backed up for blocks as the Trump faithful looked for places to park near the Elite Jet Center at Contact hangar at Oakland County International Airport where he was set to speak. Partisans sported red, white and blue scarves and “Trump was Right” ballcaps on the sunny, if cold, afternoon.
Trump was making his first visit to Michigan since last September, when he addressed the UAW’s strike of the Detroit Three automakers at a nonunion plant, railing against President Joe Biden’s push — and the auto industry’s intentions — to produce and sell more electric vehicles. This time, it was ahead of the Feb. 27 Republican primary where Trump is the prohibitive favorite over his former ambassador to the United Nations and former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley to win both the primary and, ultimately, the GOP nomination to face Biden in the fall.
But while a Trump rally can be a raucous event, Saturday’s trip comes after a bad week, legally speaking, for the former president: On Friday, a New York judge fined him some $450 million, including interest, and barred him from doing business in the state for three years for illegally inflating his financial statements; earlier in the week, another New York judge decided Trump would stand trial in March — even as he seeks the Republican nomination — on criminal charges associated with hush money payoffs to an adult film actress before the 2016 election.
It also comes after Trump has been widely criticized, especially by Biden, for saying he told a leader of a country in NATO, the North American Treaty Organization, which defends Europe from threats, that if they didn’t pay their fair share of the costs, he would encourage Russia to do whatever they wanted. The Biden campaign took out an ad in Michigan on Friday blasting Trump for his remarks.
None of that, however, mattered much to the Trump supporters gathered outside the event site on Saturday. Zoellner, who was wearing a T-shirt over a sweatshirt with the word “Bull-” and a caricature of U.S. Rep. Adam Schiff, D-Calif., who was a central figure in the investigations into whether Trump colluded with Russia during the 2016 campaign and was a frequent target of the former president’s went he was in office, said he didn’t see any merit to the cases against Trump.
“I think that they will do anything to stop him from being on the ballot,” he said.
He said he hoped to hear Trump address his current legal troubles but that he was attending the rally more for the atmosphere more than anything.
At least one of Trump’s Michigan supporters who made it to the rally has made headlines herself in the past: Christina Geiger, a 48-year-old Traverse City hairdresser who was charged with discrimination last year after making a social media post in which she said clients who identified as “anything other than a man/woman please seek services at a local pet groomer” and were unwelcome at her Studio 8 Hair Lab.
She said she is a longtime supporter but feels even closer to Trump now because she believes she has been targeted because of her politics.
“I had no idea that one statement I posted on my business page on Facebook would go viral within five days worldwide,” she said. “I know that that was pushed by the left and they have an agenda.” She said she stands by her comments and insisted they are protected speech.
The crowd that gathered outside the event was peaceful but there were reminders of Trump’s support by some extremist groups. At least one person wore a coat with the words “Proud Boys,” emblazoned on it — the name of a group that saw some members convicted for taking part in the Jan. 6, 2021 attack on the U.S. Capitol as Trump attempted to stop the election from being certified for Biden.
Nearby, a protester held a makeshift sign that said “TRUMP: Lies, Corruption, Insurrection, Tiny Hands.” Another had a sign that said “No War.” But it was a far cry from the group of Pro-Palestinian protesters that were outside a UAW rally of Biden’s earlier this month demanding he call for an Israeli cease-fire in Gaza.
Meanwhile, Missy Prill, a 37-year-old stay-at-home mom, left her Grand Rapids home about 10:30 a.m. Saturday to make the trek across the state with her two children, Oliver, 8, and Kayleigh, 10, in tow.
“He wanted to see Trump,” she said as she patted her son on the head.
Prill said that she voted for Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton in 2016 while her husband had voted for Trump.
“We watched the elections results in separate rooms,” she said of the 2016 election, which Trump won as he carried Michigan by a slim two-tenths of a percentage-point margin. “But over the next few years I began to realize that maybe a lot of the things I’d been told about him weren’t true. Then COVID came and that just did it.” Prill said she wasn’t a fan of what she sees as big government and unnecessary mandates.
Prill said she voted for Trump in 2020 — when he lost to Biden in Michigan — and will vote for him again.
“When he was in office, things were going so much better,” she said. “They’ve been going downhill ever since.”
Sandy Gennari, 65, who lives just 3 miles from the airport, took an Uber to avoid having to find parking. She wrapped a red, white and blue blanket — emblazoned with the words “God Bless America” — around herself to keep warm.
She said she embraced Trump as a candidate in 2016 and that, when she votes for him in the Feb. 27 primary, it will mark the fifth time she has done so counting primaries and general elections.
“He’s got the smarts, he’s a business guy and he wants to make America great,” she said. “He knows what it takes.”
She also dismissed the legal cases around the country against Trump as politically motivated. She said that while she considered voting for Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis this year before he got out of the race, as Trump’s legal troubles mounted, it only increased her resolve to back him again instead.
“He’s got a target on his back,” she said.
Polls have indicated that Trump not only is the prohibitive favorite to win the nomination but also that he is leading Biden in several battleground states, including Michigan. A Fox News poll this week showed Trump leading Biden 47%-45% in a head-to-head matchup in the state, though that was within the poll’s 3-percentage-point margin of error.
Contact Todd Spangler: [email protected]. Follow him on Twitter@tsspangler
Elaine Hadley is a dedicated journalist covering the ever-evolving landscape of U.S. news. With a keen interest in politics and a commitment to uncovering the truth, she provides insightful commentary and in-depth analysis on domestic issues. When not reporting, Elaine enjoys exploring the diverse cultures and landscapes of the United States.
