For a man who has declared “retribution” against his enemies for the better part of two years, former President Donald Trump had a different attitude at his rally on Monday — he seemed, at times, to be having fun. And it might be justified. If polls are to be believed, he could eke out a victory in Georgia, pulling the presidency very much within his grasp.
As much as the rally may have been important for the Trump campaign, it loomed even larger in the eyes of Tech students. It stands as one of the largest political events in campus history, and classes were canceled or moved online across the Institute. The rally was announced less than a week in advance, and although it occurred on campus, the Trump campaign targeted Georgia voters more broadly rather than just college students.
The news of Trump’s imminent arrival on campus incited mixed reactions from students. Although hundreds were excited for the former president’s visit and attended the rally, some expressed their dismay at Trump holding an event at the Institute. Shortly after a GTENS notification informed the student body of the event, Georgia Tech College Democrats posted a statement to their Instagram page, reading “we do not believe that the Georgia Tech community … has a place for this candidate’s historically and unabashedly vitriolic and dangerous rhetoric.” During the rally, around 30 people protested near McCamish in front of the Graduate Living Center.
“As a public institution, Georgia Tech frequently rents out event spaces, sometimes that includes to political campaigns. Both Presidential campaigns inquired about using our venues and were both offered the same terms and agreements. Ultimately, the campaign for Vice President Harris decided to go elsewhere. This is not a Georgia Tech event; instead, it is a campaign event using our venue,” Institute Communications said in a statement to the Technique.
The Trump train arrived much earlier than he did. The former president was slated to take the stage at 6:00 p.m, but supporters, covered head to toe in MAGA hats, scarves, shirts and flags, flooded campus by 8:00 a.m. At times, the atmosphere seemed more similar to a concert, with vendors lining the sidewalks and eager fans donning matching merchandise, than it did a political event.
Soon after, students joined the fray. By 4:00 p.m., McCamish Pavilion was starting to fill with not just Georgia Trump supporters but hundreds of Tech students who had waited in line since the early afternoon. As attendees continued filing in, more than a half-dozen speakers took the stage over two hours before Trump did.
Former Sen. Kelly Loeffler received a lukewarm response from the arena. “I don’t like Kelly Loeffler,” Jonathan O’Reilly, second-year IE, said. “She stole the senate seat from Doug Collins, so I’m still pretty pissed about that.”
Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, however, captured the attention of the crowd more than anyone other than Trump. Students shoved their way down to the floor just to get a picture with the controversial Georgia representative.
“I love Marjorie Taylor Greene,” O’Reilly said. “She brings good energy — great messaging as usual. [She’s] a really authentic person, not like a fake politician that you see from Washington.”
Greene was one of the only speakers who addressed Tech students directly. “The Democrats have controlled this country for most of your life,” she said to raucous boos. “I want you to never forget — never forget — that it was the Democrats that shut down this country over a virus. They ruined your social life, they canceled prom, they canceled high school graduation… And they forced you to take a vaccine that you should have never been forced to take.” The crowd roared in applause at the line and again when Greene said the Democrats’ “stupid vaccines” didn’t work. The vaccine, however, was released during the Trump presidency through his administration’s Operation Warp Speed and was very effective in preventing deaths from COVID-19, according to the CDC.
Not all of the crowd enjoyed her rhetoric. Matthew Mullis, second-year AE, said, “I think the Republican message needs to be more focused around the last four years versus Trump’s presidency, not anti-vax messages at all.”
After a few more speakers, including the lieutenant governor and the Trump campaign’s press secretary, and an hour-long delay, Trump himself finally came onstage to a much more crowded and energized McCamish Pavilion.
“You know we’re almost finished with this campaign? Can you believe it? We’ve been doing this together for nine years if you think about it,” Trump said.
And it has been a wild nine years for Georgia. Trump won the state by almost five points against former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton in 2016 before the state flipped in 2020, with President Joe Biden winning by just over 10,000 votes. Now, the state looks incredibly close, with Trump having a slight edge over Harris at less than two points, according to the latest polls. But Georgia could go either way on Tuesday.
Almost immediately, Trump began his well-worn attacks on Harris to the audience’s delight. “You’ve accepted some of the worst criminals in the world into our country,” he said. “Kamala, you’re fired, get out of here. Get out of here.” Some of the crowd exploded into chants of “Lock her up,” a throwback to the chants in Trump’s 2016 rallies. “Be nice, be nice,” Trump said with a smirk. A noticeable amount of students did not participate in the chants, but much of the crowd joined the chorus enthusiastically.
“I’m going to wish her well and hope we can say goodbye to [Harris’] radical left, lunatic policies,” Trump said. “If Kamala Harris gets four more years, your family, frankly, will never recover. … You’re going to have a 1929-style depression.”
Most of the rally covered Trump’s greatest hits — the border, illegal immigrants, trade, indictments and endorsements. He also took special aim at Fani Willis, the Fulton County district attorney who brought charges against Trump and is mired in controversy over her “personal” relationship with lead prosecutor on the case, Nathan Wade.
The former president put heavy emphasis on the economy. “The word tariff, to me, is the most beautiful word in the English language,” he said to cheers. He has pledged to put a 10 to 20 percent tariff on all imported goods in order to bring back American jobs.
“I took in hundreds of billions of dollars from China … although, I like China, and I like President Xi. A fierce individual, very fierce. He loves China, he wants to take care of China, but I want to take care of the United States of America.” Trump’s comment comes after he has been criticized for his complementary statements about authoritarians, like Viktor Orban, Vladimir Putin and Kim Jong Un, over the years.
As the remarks went on, Trump meandered — or “weaved,” as he calls it — through various other topics, including “bringing Elon in,” Harris’ skill reading a teleprompter and a prolonged joke about Rep. Greene catching fire in a hydrogen fuel-cell car accident. But several times, he circled back to Georgia elections.
“Boy do I hear we’re doing good … but I don’t want to say it because I want you to keep going,” he said, encouraging the crowd to vote. When he took a survey of the audience, much of the crowd raised their hands when he asked who hadn’t voted yet. It’s indicative of what will likely determine the winner of the election this year: turnout. Trump’s strategy relies on turnout of low-propensity voters, so convincing them to go to the polls and vote will be key.
After the one-hour mark of Trump’s speech, the crowd thinned out as students and other attendees left the event. But for the students that stayed, they were very happy with the rally.
“I think it was really nice how he specifically catered some parts of his speech to women,” McKenzie Chastain, 2nd year BA, said. “As a college student and as a female, crime is awful right now, safety is definitely an issue, and I think it’s great that he is trying to close the border and increase safety.”
“I was very impressed with Trump. He was very energetic; he was funny; he just seemed like a more real and relatable person, and it really resonated with me,” O’Reilly said. “My big issue that I’m voting on is immigration, and that’s why I’m going to vote for Trump for the most part.” Immigration is a massive issue for Republicans. According to a Gallup poll from October, 63 percent of Republicans see immigration as an “extremely important” issue, compared to 23 percent of Democrats. But the spectacle of the whole event was appealing, too.
“[Trump] just brought a lot of energy, a lot of good rhetoric,” O’Reilly said. “And he just proved why he is one of the most unique politicians of our time.”