Trump supporters, opponents take to downtown Erie in advance of rally

Edward Young believes in Donald Trump’s political comeback.

So much so that Young plans to watch it play out in person whenever he can.

Young stood outside Erie Insurance Arena Saturday afternoon with hundreds of other red- and blue-clad Trump supporters, several hours before the former president’s scheduled political rally there.

It was a stand-by ritual fueled by Trump loyalty that the Point Pleasant, New Jersey, native has been through dozens of times before.

“This is my 59th Trump rally and this is my birthday weekend. It’s a birthday present,” Young said while standing on the Erie Insurance Arena lawn. “I’ve gone to them as far north as Maine, as far west as Ohio, as far south as South Carolina and I was in Erie before in 2020.

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“America has been sinking for a long time. On the verge of dying,” said Young, who works for a debt consolidation company and occasionally acts in independent horror films. “We have the wrong people in charge. Donald Trump got elected in 2016 and gave us the greatest economy ever… He is the only one who can save this country.”

'They're persecuting him'

Downtown Erie on Saturday morning was bustling with men, women and children eager to cheer on Trump, who was scheduled to take the stage at 6 p.m.

Trump’s campaign paid $25,000 to rent Erie Insurance Arena for the rally, according to Gus Pine, the executive director of Erie Events, which oversees the venue.

Trump is the GOP frontrunner despite being the subject of both state and federal criminal indictments and having been impeached twice.

The 45th president is seeking to reclaim the White House after losing a 2020 election to Democratic President Joe Biden that Trump claims was stolen from him via widespread election fraud.

Those claims have been widely debunked by various sources, including state and federal election officials across the U.S.

Despite Trump’s legal troubles — he could face a third indictment within days over attempts to overturn the result of the 2020 election — Young and other Trump supporters who came to Erie for Saturday’s rally refuse to waver.

In fact, Young said, the criminal cases against Trump “make me want to support him even more. They’re persecuting him. These are piddly little insignificant things they’re charging him with… If Trump steps on a crack in the sidewalk, they’re going to try to indict him over it.

“It makes me mad. The Democrats think we’re going to run and pull support over the indictments. The more they torment (Trump) and his family, the stronger my support is for him.”

Nancy Kibbey, 57, agreed.

“They’re scared to death of this one man who’s trying to make America great again,” said Kibbey, a Girard resident who also attended Trump’s October 2020 campaign rally at Erie International Airport. “He’s been bombarded since Day One.”

Kibbey called Trump “the best president I’ve voted for,” and said his major accomplishments as president included “energy independence, tax reform and lifting up the economy.

“He has lifted every American of every color,” Kibbey said of Trump. “He’s just relatable.”

Barry Hughes, who lives in Sheffield, Warren County, is a retired U.S. Army veteran who stood in line outside Erie Insurance Arena on Saturday, waiting to hear Trump speak in person for the first time.

“I couldn’t make it to the other ones, as much as I wanted to. But I’m retired now, and I’m an ultra-MAGA,” Hughes said. “So I’m here now.

“To me, I don’t care what party you belong to, every politician needs to be MAGA and should be behind that philosophy,” Hughes said. “Trump was doing a damn good job when he was in office the last time. He’s a businessman. America needs a businessman as president.”

“He’s coming back. I believe he’ll get voted back in after getting ripped off (in 2020),” Hughes said. “I want to hear him talk about what needs to be done in this country.”

Trump 'more than just divisive'

Not everyone who gathered in downtown Erie on Saturday afternoon was cheering on Trump’s candidacy.

The Democratic Socialists of America’s Erie chapter, along with members of the social justice organization Erie County United and other Erie progressives opposed to Trump’s campaign, took part in a protest and food drive at Perry Square on Saturday afternoon, a few blocks northwest of Erie Insurance Arena.

Billed on Facebook as a “positive counter to Trump’s hate,” organizers asked those who attended to bring food donations, signs and banners, and to refrain from engaging with Trump supporters.

Cole Schenley, co-chair of the Democratic Socialists of America's Erie chapter and member of Erie County United, said earlier this week that Trump tries to sell voters "a message rather than follow through on promises."

Katie Dickey, a disability and mental health activist in Erie, spoke at Saturday’s event in Perry Square.

“I see Donald Trump as more than just divisive. I see him as dangerous to our communities and to our friends and families,” said Dickey, who lives with gastroparesis, a condition that reduces the ability of the stomach to empty its contents.

Dickey said Trump has been “pushing a lot of anti-homelessness and institutionalization points” at his rallies recently regarding America’s homeless and those who battle mental illness.

“That’s very dangerous,” Dickey said.

Dickey added that political campaigns “aren't just a competition of a game of rhetoric. They're not just an 'us vs. them’ thing.  People’s lives are involved here.”

Michael Milk of Erie, 39, also attended the Perry Square event.

"It's important to meet for something positive, while taking a stand for something that is overwhelmingly negative," Milk said.

"I don't like how divisive (Trump) is. I feel like he damages communities by getting people really angry at each other and causing fights, when we really need to come together and be looking out for one another," Milk said.

Vendors and fans

The Trump event also drew dozens of souvenir vendors to downtown Erie, hocking T-shirts, MAGA baseball caps, buttons, refrigerator magnets and other Trump memorabilia.

David Holmes, 63, was one of them.

"I work these whenever I can," said Holmes, who lives in the Tampa, Florida, area. Holmes has been selling Trump caps at rallies since 2016.

When asked what he likes most about Trump, Holmes said: "He sells lots of hats.

"I think his prospects (for 2024) are good," said Holmes, who said he typically sells "a couple hundred of hats" at each Trump rally. "Why not? Who else is there?"

Buffalo-area resident Jessica Ortiz, 37, came to Saturday’s rally with friends and her three children, who range in age from 7 to 11 years old.

Ortiz said she likes "everything" about the embattled former president.

“I support his policies on police, economics, and he created peace in the world,” Ortiz said of Trump. “I want my children to see that there's still good in the world.”

Contact Kevin Flowers at kflowers@timesnews.com. Follow him on Twitter at @ETNflowers.

This article originally appeared on Erie Times-News: What was downtown Erie like in the hours before Trump's rally?