Following either a continuation or a conclusion of his political journey, the former U.S. president, Donald Trump, is nearing a pivotal landmark in his career: the termination of his energetic campaigning rallies that have, in no small measure, dictated the course of his political life and influenced American electoral processes. Regardless of the election’s outcome, Trump has declared an end to his campaign runs. This implies that the series of voluminous rallies since 2015, culminating in the fleets on Monday in the strategic states of North Carolina, Pennsylvania, and Michigan, mark the grand finale, the end of an era, as the ex-business mogul and TV star aspires for another term at the helm.
A quintessential element of Trump’s political machine, these rallies, have been a platform to inspire his base, recruit new voters, and simultaneously draw reproach due to contentious statements targeted at adversaries, women, and minority groups, often punctuated by provocative rhetoric. These campaign meetings are primarily political, transcending policy matters, and predominantly designed to stir up his devout supporters than engage in substantive discourse. ‘One of the most captivating days in our nation’s history,’ was how Trump expressed his anticipation for Election Day, while imploring his supporters to rally their acquaintances to vote against the ruling vice president, Kamala Harris.
Largely, Trump’s venues of choice for his campaign affairs have been open-air spaces such as stadiums and fairgrounds. However, in recent times, owing to security concerns and a reduction in crowd-size, these gatherings have been hosted mostly at airports and indoor arenas. Over the past few weeks, Trump has initiated his speeches with a famed interrogative statement that Republican candidate Ronald Reagan posited against Jimmy Carter in 1980: ‘Are you better off now than you were four years ago?’
Earlier in his campaign, Trump drew attention to escalating inflation and the rising cost of living. More currently, he has identified immigration as the key challenge that the nation is grappling with and regularly refers to reported criminal activities committed by undocumented immigrants. As part of his strategy, Trump frequently tries to resonate with local sentiment.
In recent times, he has welcomed victorious local sports teams to his stage, seemingly in alignment with ongoing discourse around transgender sportspeople. Notably, in Salem, he welcomed the Roanoke College women’s swimming team on stage. According to a computation analysis published in The New York Times at the beginning of last October, Trump’s addresses have substantially lengthened, averaging 82 minutes compared to 45 minutes four years ago.
Jennifer Mercieca, a historian specialising in American political rhetoric at Texas A&M University, identifies Trump’s rallies as ‘the heart of his campaigning tactic’. These are crafted to dominate news headlines, connect with his followers both in person, and through screens, while displaying the vigor of his political movement. Contemplating the future, Trump appears to be more engrossed with the fleeting nature of time than his potential successor.
During a recent rally in Warren, Michigan, Trump stirred nostalgia amongst his supporters, saying, ‘we’re not going to have this too much longer.’ Signifying a sense of closure, Trump added, ‘we’re winding down’.