Covering a Trump Rally As a Student Journalist

GREEN BAY, Wis. (April 2, 2024) – I am a student in my second year at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee studying Journalism and thought it would be a great opportunity to report on the Trump Rally in my hometown. However, I did not expect to get threatened to be kicked out by Trump’s team within the first 10 minutes of getting inside after waiting for around two hours outside in the snow.

The line to get in was extensive with people showing up several hours before the doors were even set to open. It wrapped not only around the inside of the building but also all the way across the Main Street bridge.

Once you got inside, there was a security checkpoint to go through, but after that everyone was funneling into one big room that was somewhat divided into sections. The cameras were placed on a tall stage in the center of the room, and parallel to that there were bicycle racks separating the front half of the room from the back. There was also some sitting space in the center of the room, right in front of the main stage.

I was in the first third of the line and was able to get to the standing space in front of the bicycle racks, closer to the stage. I took a few photos of the crowd and the stage from that original position. I took a few photos of the crowd and the stage from that original position. I then turned around and asked to interview a woman who was standing directly behind me.

I was only able to get part of her name written down before I was approached by someone on Trump’s team, and he asked if I was a reporter. When I told him I was a student journalist, he told me I should have filled out a media request and that I shouldn’t have been in the regular crowd. I explained that I had tried to fill out a media request but was denied, and he told me if that was the case I shouldn’t be there at all.

He then escorted me to the back of the room, and I was told I could not interview anyone else or pass the bicycle rack barrier or I would be asked to leave. I was devastated. This was my first time reporting on an event of this size, and I couldn’t even get photos from where he had moved me.

I sat through the entirety of the rally, taking notes and waited until the rally ended to attempt to interview anyone else. I also wrote a story covering the rally: Donald Trump’s Green Bay Rally Takeaways

This proved to be difficult as there was a snowstorm and most people just wanted to get home, or simply didn’t want to be interviewed after asking what school I went to.

I was able to get one interview after I had mentioned that I had been born and raised in Green Bay; with a promise to not spin the interview in any way.

In the interview, I had asked Jamie Cornwell about which of Trump’s policies were the most important to him. He was mostly focused on the economic state of the United States, but also briefly touched on border control.

“I am not happy with the inflation rates,” said Cornwell, an attendee at the rally.

He more specifically mentioned the change in gas prices since the day Trump has been removed from office, as well as how his daughter is struggling to buy a house because of the raised interest rates right now.

Overall, I think it was still a good opportunity. It just didn’t go the way I had expected.