Politics donald trump mike lawler new york state

I went to a Trump rally and lived to blog about it – notes from inside the orange & distended belly of the beast

Saul Hutson. Updated May 26th, 2026

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Breaking out a few greatest hits

– Trump is now complaining about having to buy toothpaste behind “expensive glass” at the drug store.

– Transgender athletes get the biggest cheers, but his new pet nickname for his opponents, “Dumocrats”, gets the biggest laugh.

– He claims he created the name based on minority leader, Hakeem Jeffries, because he’s a “low IQ person.” Not surprisingly, the casual racism has the entire crowd cackling.

– Trump polls the crowd on which derisive nickname they like better, “Sleepy Joe Biden” or “Crooked Joe Biden.” He even throws in a “Crooked Hillary” mention for good measure. The crowd erupts for each name. It’s 2026 and Trump doesn’t need to update his material to rile up his base.

– A woman walks by in a “Gulf of America ‘25” t-shirt.

– The crowd breaks out into a “4 more years!” chant.

– Trump tells the crowd he did great with the gay vote because he dances to “YMCA,” a song he calls the “gay national anthem.” The crowd gets noticeably uncomfortable at this point.

– A second protestor is led out of the event after getting on a chair to shout his message. He leaves peacefully, but Trump yells into the microphone, “Go home to mommy!” Everyone cheers.

– Even though that’s already the second protestor of the last 15 minutes, Trump says, “That’s the first time that’s happened in years.” Everyone cheers.

– Trump offers an update on Iran. He says, “They want to settle so badly.” Everyone cheers.

– A third protestor is led out. You’re never going to guess what the crowd did.

– Trump directs the entire gym to turn around and look at the press pool assembled on a riser. He calls them all fake news and incites the crowd to boo them. They happily oblige.

– For the first of many times, Trump offers a non sequitur about wanting to look like Jaxson Dart. Creepy Uncle Donald has entered the chat.

– Trump goes back to spelling out “dumocrats” for the fans before calling himself the smartest guy you’re ever gonna meet. Everyone erupts into cheers.

– It’s been 40 minutes. There are a lot of people milling about, getting bored. Some have been talking the entire time.

– Trump is now bragging about his cognitive tests. He gets a big cheer for saying he aced it.

– That’s my cue to leave. The entire event feels like a gathering of brainwashed idiots looking to reassure themselves that they made the right decision by voting for this man who is quickly dismantling democracy at home and abroad.

– I’m not the only one leaving early. I follow a guy with a “Trump was right about everything” hat exiting the gym as Trump prattles on about cognitive tests.

– I wish my experience shone more light on how this man continues to worm his way back into the most powerful position in the country, but all I got was another long string of endless negativity and self-involved ramblings. The small turnout and limited engagement seems to suggest that the overall energy for the Maga movement is waning. That’s the hope at least.

– I start my own, “Two more years!” chant by myself in my car on the drive home.

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Source for extra clips: Twitter @atrupar

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