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Thousands wait hours in Albuquerque to see Trump at last-minute campaign visit
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Thousands of Donald Trump supporters spent hours in traffic and waiting in line for a chance to see the presidential candidate in Albuquerque on Thursday. Some had traveled from Las Cruces, Truth or Consequences and even Arizona.
There were so many people eager to attend Trump鈥檚 last-minute campaign visit to New Mexico that thousands were left outside of the rally, watching Trump鈥檚 speech on a large screen that initially did not have sound.
Down the road, a group of approximately 40 protesters chanted their objections to the former president.
Vendors with Trump hats and rubber-duckie plushies with Trump鈥檚 signature hairstyle walked up and down the line offering their wares. A man sold T-shirts of Trump鈥檚 opponent, Vice President Kamala Harris, which read 鈥淪ay No to the Hoe.鈥�
Veronica Lieffring of Albuquerque and Jerome Von Holland of Santa Fe made friends while waiting in line. Lieffring has voted for Trump since his first run for president in 2016. Sometimes her support has been 鈥渨obbly,鈥� she said, because of Trump鈥檚 aggressive attitude, but she believes he鈥檚 the one 鈥渨e need to go in the right direction.鈥�
Nearby, Jason Kinnaman and his wife, Johanna, brought their seven children, aged 5 to 17, from their home in Arizona to the rally.
鈥淣o president is our savior, right? Jesus is our savior 鈥� but we do need good leadership,鈥� Kinnaman said.
Timo Chacon of Santa Fe was wrapped in a Trump flag. He believes a Trump presidency will be better for his wallet, and that Trump could usher in lower grocery prices and inflation rates.
鈥淵ou can鈥檛 argue with somebody who鈥檚 been shot, and vilified by the press and the media,鈥� Chacon said.
In an American flag suit, wearing a ghoulish mask and a baseball cap with the message, 鈥淢ake America Ghouls Again,鈥� Brent Morris of Albuquerque said he was there to show the Trump supporters what they will get if they reelect Trump.
鈥淚 don鈥檛 believe in his policies. I don鈥檛 believe in his hate. I don鈥檛 believe in his lies,鈥� Morris said.
Trump supporter Chris Flores of Albuquerque stopped to say hi to Morris, shake his hand and ask if she could 鈥済ive an American a hug.鈥�
Not all interactions were so polite. A group of approximately 40 protesters shouted and drummed near the end of the rally line. In an intense moment, some protesters and rallygoers shouted in each other鈥檚 faces. Tensions calmed when the protesters moved farther away from the parking lot shuttle drop-off.
The protest鈥檚 chief organizing group was The Party for Socialism and Liberation, which has its own candidates, Claudia De la Cruz for president and her running mate, Karina Garcia, in the 2024 election.
Marisa Sedillo, a PSL organizer, noted her party showed up to protest Trump because his policies are harmful, particularly to immigrants.
Sedillo and her group wanted to send the message that the Republican presidential candidate 鈥渋s not welcome in Albuquerque.鈥�
As members of PSL sent their message to Trump outside the rally, so did Couy Griffin, the former Otero County commissioner who was convicted of illegally entering the U.S. Capitol grounds at a 2022 bench trial at U.S. District Court in Washington while being acquitted of disorderly conduct.
Griffin was sentenced to 14 days and given credit for time served after his arrest in Washington in the days leading up to Joe Biden鈥檚 inauguration.
Separately, Griffin has been banished from public office for aiding in insurrection at the Capitol under a state district court ruling. The U.S. Supreme Court in March refused to hear an appeal of the ruling.
On Thursday, while riding a horse named Red, Griffin said he showed up, not to attend the Trump rally, but, 鈥淚 feel like my place for this is more to visit with the people. Being outside in the line, that鈥檚 good enough.鈥�
Griffin, who has attended past Trump rallies and showed off pictures of him with the former president in the Oval Office during an interview, said he believes the 2020 election was 鈥渃ompromised,鈥� and that not enough investigations were conducted.
鈥淚 pray the truth eventually still comes out,鈥� Griffin said. 鈥淲hen you take your oath before God and you honor your oath by voting in a way to honor your oath, there is never anything to be afraid of.鈥�
Several Trump supporters speaking to the Journal waffled on whether President Biden won the 2020 presidential election 鈥� a fact Trump has disputed since his loss four years ago.
Linda Archuleta of Albuquerque said, 鈥淵es, according to the numbers,鈥� Biden won the last election.
鈥淣umbers don鈥檛 lie 鈥� that鈥檚 the good thing about statistics,鈥� Archuleta said. 鈥淲hen he (Trump) brought that up, it was questionable, the numbers; but again, many people did respect the process, and we saw what happened when Biden and Harris were elected and what they did to our country.鈥�
Albuquerque resident Jesse Jaramillo, a Republican, said he believes Biden won the last election, but that election officials in numerous swing states, like Arizona and Georgia, 鈥渃ould have done more鈥� to either validate some votes or toss others out.
鈥淭hat process wasn鈥檛 done,鈥� Jaramillo said. 鈥�(Biden) won by changing it. The election was rigged.鈥�
But he said he will accept the outcome of the 2024 presidential election, just like he did last time.
鈥淲hoever is in office, that鈥檚 the person we need to be praying for,鈥� Jaramillo said.
