Organizers of a “Maryland for Trump” rally in support of his appearance at the National Guard convention at the Baltimore Convention Center Monday afternoon who called for “over 2,000 people to greet Donald Trump…(and) pack the streets with overwhelming support for the next President of the United States” seemed to fall significantly short of their stated goal. Instead of 2,000 people, Trump supporters numbered closer to two dozen.
Anti-Trump protesters outnumbered Trump supporters at a Donald J. Trump campaign stop in Baltimore on Monday afternoon. (Instagram)
And by 12 noon, an hour before the Republican nominee was scheduled to appear at the Inner Harbor, Trump supporters (who were almost all-White) were outnumbered 2 to 1, by a very diverse (ethnically, racially and sexual orientation wise) anti-Trump force.
“It’s important for me to be here today, because me as an immigrant I feel like people should know the struggles that they go through, leaving their family behind, leaving all they have just so they can come here and make a better living,” said a young woman who identified herself as Brenda, an 18-year old immigrant from Mexico City.
The anti-Trump group was represented by various factions of Baltimore’s activist community including, the Baltimore chapter of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference, The People’s Power Assembly of Baltimore and the West Wednesdays, anti-police brutality group headed by Tawanda Jones.
“To me Trump represents hate, he’s against Muslims, he’s a sexist, racist pig to me and I’m just going to keep it frank,” said Jones. “We don’t need nobody like him. It’s bad enough we’re going through all these injustices happening all around the world…it would be almost like voting Hitler in, we know his (Trump’s) MO.”
Following his appearance in downtown Baltimore, Trump made a surprise visit to a diner in the Baltimore County community of Dundalk, a Republican stronghold.
