People listen to singer-songwriter Grace Miller Moody as she performs on stage at The Great American State Fair, in Washington, D.C., U.S., July 3, 2026. REUTERS/Ken Cedeno REFILE - ADDING ENT SUPP CAT
President Donald Trump's fans arrived at his "Salute to America" event four hours before doors were set to open, causing such a problem for police that they had to disperse the crowd, reported News Nation's Libbey Dean.
Trump, who isn't set to speak until 9:45 p.m. E.S.T. typically has fans show up to his rallies early to ensure they can get front row seats. The gates don't open for this event until 5 p.m. For Trump fans, the rallies feel like an event where they spend the day together, meeting people and sharing their own stories and experiences from previous events.
"Police going over loud speaker attempting to disperse crowd gathering outside Salute to America event four hours before it opens," Dean posted on X.
Saturday is supposed to be among the hottest days of the year, reaching a severity so great that the city canceled it's afternoon parade. Inside the security perimeter, there will be free water and food available for purchase, but that may not be the case outside of the area.
Inside, Dean showed that picnic tables and umbrellas have been set up, along with metal bleachers.
For those at the state fair, the military flyovers that began at 1.p.m. and will continue all afternoon into the lead-up of Trump's speech.
Trump, who typically wears a navy suit and white shirt, will speak from the stage around the time the temperature drops to 81 degrees and the humidity reaches 69-71 percent, the hourly forecast showed.
Scholar and author Janja Lalich, who has extensively studied the MAGA following and the kind of emotional reinforcement that the gatherings provide for the people.
“The people around Trump, and the Republicans in Washington, absolutely kowtow to him, either out of fear they’re going to anger him, or out of adulation. That behavior is very typical of a cult," she said in a Pacific Standard interview in 2018.
"He’s showing him in their presence—being there for them, talking to them, relating to them. All of that helps to solidify their cult membership, so to speak. It reinforces the idea that they’re a special group of people following this very special man. With Trump, it’s not a religion, but there’s the same kind of fervor," she added.
She compared it to a kind of collective ritual like a church service with songs and chants that all help reinforce the "us vs. them" mentality.
