On Saturday, Oct. 26, president-elect Donald Trump held a rally in Novi, a Michigan city that is part of the greater Detroit area. The campaign hoped to raise support in a key area of the swing state, or a state that could swing either way in the election due to both sides having similar levels of support. 

Dimitri Agdanowski and I made the cross-state journey to this rally with hopes of being able to include it in our election coverage and to have more stories to write as new topics revealed themselves.

The U.S. through most of the 2024 election cycle. Election Day – Nov. 5, has come and gone, and both major candidates, Donald Trump and Kamala Harris, have intensified their campaign efforts in Michigan. Harris held rallies in Grand Rapids, Kalamazoo and Ann Arbor, while Trump hosted events in Traverse City and Novi. While Harris’ rallies were well organized events that ran smoothly, Trump’s rallies were quite the opposite. Tardiness, poor communication and general disorganization characterized his appearances in Michigan.

These themes were very apparent upon our arrival in Novi. Event staff and volunteers were lacking basic information, even telling us that the event organizers hadn’t told them much. When we searched for the press check-in, we found out that the location had been moved. The staff said that they did not know why it moved or where it had been moved to. 

Lacking press access, we took our cameras and entered the general admission line, which was just as chaotic and confusing. There was not enough security staff available which contributed to the chaos in the crowd around the doors.. Different vendors pushed their way through the crowd, carrying large boxes full of  Trump merchandise, adding to the chaos. 

The event organizers tried to mitigate this problem by spreading the line out in an attempt to create space. However, there were already too many people and too much going on for this to be effective.

After we took our spots in line, we waited for the doors to open. We got in line at about 7:15 a.m., 45 minutes before the doors were supposed to open at 8 a.m. When the clock struck 8:00, and a massive screen lit up with instructions about entry, the crowd erupted with a cheer, anxious to escape the chilly air. However, the burst of excitement from the crowd was premature: the doors remained closed, and the line stayed stagnant. 

An hour and 15 minutes later, event staff opened up the doors, allowing those in line to start moving into the building. Inside, there were only two metal detectors which limited the flow of people into the event area. 

After almost three and a half hours in line, Dimitri and I entered the building. However, as we were approaching the metal detectors, we got bad news. We were not allowed to bring any cameras in, something that directly contradicted what we had been told by event staff while we were outside. Dimitri left the event center to take the cameras back to the car while I continued on. 

At this point it was 10:45 a.m., event speakers who were supposed to have started at 10 a.m. were just starting because everything was late. This was not the first time Trump has been late to a rally. He was also late to his rally in Traverse City on Oct. 25, because he was making an appearance on the Joe Rogan podcast. I arrived in the event room just before 11 a.m., realizing that it was just as much of a mess inside as it was in the line outside. Conducting interviews became impossible, speakers were beginning their presentations, the crowd was rapidly growing in size and volume.

When it comes to politics, especially in a swing state, having successful rallies is extremely important. Every vote matters, especially in a state like Michigan, which doesn’t consistently vote one way or another. Late arrivals, delayed starts, poor communication and general chaos characterized Trump’s appearance in Novi. 

Organization is a key if you want to experience political success, and ensuring that scheduled events start on time and run smoothly should be the top priority. Giving clear instructions to all people who are in attendance and to the event staff is another key to having a successful event. Trump and his event organizers failed to adhere to these principles, making the event unenjoyable and stressful. Despite these difficulties, Trump won the presidency, claiming Michigan and its 15 electoral votes.