This week鈥檚 Democratic debates didn鈥檛 offer many hints about who will be the face of the party next year. In fact, they highlighted how far the Democrats are from deciding what their pitch will be to voters and who will make it.
On the Republican side, however, it was clear at President Trump鈥檚 campaign rally Thursday night in Cincinnati, that the general election is already underway.
I hadn鈥檛 been to a Trump rally since 2016 鈥� right before he won the South Carolina primary and long before he had the nomination wrapped up. Back then, voters were drawn to Trump鈥檚 message with the hope that he could deliver for them.
On Thursday night, I arrived at the arena with lines snaking around the block full of adoring supporters who say they trust President Trump completely 鈥� and are already energized to re-elect him.
Dolores Scardine and Barbara Bergdall saw our microphones and came right over.
鈥淲e love Trump!鈥� they shouted in unison.
鈥淚 like Trump because he鈥檚 hardcore,鈥� Scardine added. 鈥淗e talks like I鈥檓 talking to you now. He鈥檚 rough around the edges and that鈥檚 what I am. I鈥檓 rough around the edges, and whatever comes to my mind, I just say whatever comes to my mind.鈥�
I asked Ronnie Gilbert about Trump鈥檚 tweets鈥渁 disgusting, rat and rodent infested mess,鈥漜omments widely denounced as racist.
鈥淚f the shoe fits,鈥� Gilbert said, who was wearing a shirt that said, 鈥淪top Getting Offended.鈥�
鈥淗e鈥檚 given [Rep.] Elijah Cummings鈥� district $16 billion this year and where鈥檚 it going? What鈥檚 it going to?鈥� Gilbert said. 鈥淸Trump] is trying to do good for America.鈥�
One of the first things you notice at a Trump rally is that nearly everyone in attendance is white. In a crowd approaching 20,000, I saw a few dozen nonwhite people.
Alicia Kemp was one of them. She arrived with two of her six children.
鈥淚 immigrated from the Philippines when I was six, and I became a citizen the legal way,鈥� Kemp said. 鈥淚 have kids that are going to school here, we pay taxes and I don鈥檛 want to pay taxes for things that I don鈥檛 think I should have to, so that鈥檚 why I鈥檓 here.
鈥淚鈥檓 a conservative, so I鈥檓 fiscally responsible,鈥� she added. 鈥淚鈥檓 conservative in our social values. We鈥檙e Catholic.鈥�
I asked Kemp why she thinks there are so few nonwhite people in line for Trump鈥檚 rally.
鈥淧eople are afraid,鈥� she said. 鈥淵ou don鈥檛 know what the people who don鈥檛 think properly are going to act like, because a lot of people act immature when they come to these rallies.鈥�
The line to get into the rally two hours before the event snaked around the side of the U.S. Bank Arena and then back again. Almost everyone in line was wearing a Trump T-shirt of some kind. The slogans included, 鈥淭he Democrat Party is the enemy of the people鈥�; 鈥淚f this is what winning looks like, another four years of Trump will kill us. Lol;鈥� 鈥淪tand for the flag, kneel for the cross.鈥�
Or in the case of Eric Staeuble, 鈥淐OLLUSION DELUSION.鈥�
鈥淚 think it鈥檚 a false narrative all the way through. They haven鈥檛 been able to prove anything,鈥� he said when asked about that shirt. 鈥淭rump鈥檚 been right all along.鈥�
Many of the people I spoke with mentioned Fox News when asked where they get their news, but if you looked closely, you鈥檒l see that some wore T-shirts, hats or pins that had the letter Q on them. It鈥檚 a reference to thethat claims a deep state plot against President Trump and his supporters, among other things.
A man who would only give his name as Jared was wearing a shirt that called Qanon 鈥渢he new American Revolution.鈥� I asked him what attracted him to Q.
鈥淭he fact that it鈥檚 exposed government corruption, and what they鈥檙e doing behind closed doors and Americans don鈥檛 even know about it,鈥� he said. 鈥淚f you actually dig close enough, you can find factual evidence on the United States government websites like the Department of Justice and other things that Q points to and other things of that nature.鈥�
The president made no mention of Q in his speech, which went on for 80 minutes and touched on everything from the coal industry to the pronunciation of Lima, Ohio.
But the crowd was electrified by his words, which were very much on message 15 months ahead of the 2020 election. Trump, Vice President Mike Pence and Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine touted themes and slogans such as, 鈥淧romises made, promises kept;鈥� 鈥淛OBS! JOBS! JOBS!鈥� and talked about a crop of new conservative judges in the federal courts.
Whatever brought voters to this rally, the president used it to unite them against his eventual opponents, whom he is already branding. Trump鈥檚 voice boomed in the packed arena.
鈥淣o matter what label they use,鈥� Trump said, 鈥渁 vote for any Democrat in 2020 is a vote for the rise of radical socialism and the destruction of our great, our beautiful, our wonderful American dream. We鈥檙e not going to let our country ever go down the route of socialism.鈥�
That was one of many applause lines drawing enthusiastic cheers from the tens of thousands of people gathered in this crucial swing state of Ohio.
produced and edited this story for broadcast with . adapted it for the web.
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