The Atlantic
Trump Rallies Were a Preview of the Capitol Attack
Those following the president’s events around the country for the past four years were not surprised by the mob violence that unfolded in Washington.
Bill Clark / CQ-Roll Call, Inc / Getty
My first Donald Trump campaign rally was memorable in all the wrong ways. I can’t recall anything Trump said that night in Pennsylvania during the 2016 race, but I won’t forget a tense exchange with one of his supporters. Minutes after I walked in, a man who looked to be in his 20s spotted the press pass pinned to my jacket: “Are you Jewish?” he asked. I bristled and, for the first time covering a political rally, wondered if I’d make it home safely.