Donald Trump’s supporters were left confused when a last-minute change of plan dashed their hopes of catching a glimpse of the former commander-in-chief.
Dozens of supporters, some of whom had traveled overnight, were eagerly waiting outside the planned campaign event at the Discovery World Museum in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, just to be told by US Secret Service officials that the previously billed public rally would be a closed press conference due to security and capacity concerns.
“I don’t know what to believe, so I’m just going to wait until I’m arrested or get a signed Donald Trump hat,” Lucas John, one of the ticket-holding supporters, told WISN.
Tom McAuliffe, who spent two hours traveling to the event from Orland Park, Illinois, said he had been waiting since 5.30am.
“There was nobody else here, which was surprising to us,” he added.
The Trump campaign told WISN that it had notified ticket holders of the change via email. The Independent has emailed the campaign for comment.
But ticket holders said they had a different email stating that the event would be highly restricted due to capacity limits. Importantly, they still believed a small number of guests could enter the museum starting at 3pm.
Despite news of the late change filtering through, people continued to show up throughout the day, trying to shoot their shot at being let inside the event space, such as Megan Bearder, who traveled from Chicago.
“As soon as I pulled up, my friend called and said ‘oh, it’s canceled to the public,’” she explained. “But we’re all still out here and having a good time. And we really care about this country.”
Peter School, another supporter, said he had spoken to both law enforcement and US Homeland Security officials who told him people had received the email by mistake and no one would be let inside.
“It was always a private event,” School said he was told. “Which I don’t totally believe. But it is what it is.”
Others, such as Forrest Benson, who was in Milwaukee for work, still chose to wait for hours, hoping to spot the former president.
He said: “Even if I get a wave or a thumbs up at him, to me, it’s a way to show gratitude for what he did for our country for four years.”