“For too many of us, it’s become safer to retreat into our own bubbles, whether in our neighborhoods or college campuses or places of worship or our social media feeds, surrounded by people who look like us and share the same political outlook and never challenge our assumptions. …And increasingly, we become so secure in our bubbles that we accept only information, whether true or not, that fits our opinions, instead of basing our opinions on the evidence that’s out there. ” – President Barack Obama in his farewell address
President Donald Trump’s March 28 visit to Grand Rapids, and all the images of supporters wearing Make America Great Again hats, had me flashing back to a year ago. It’s especially relevant as I try to teach my College Success class about critical thinking and learning to see all sides of a situation – regardless of your own personal opinion. Sometimes it helps to stand in the thick of it.
The divide in our country on so many important issues – climate change, immigration, health care, living wages, social injustice, gun rights, a woman’s right to choose and so much more – only continues to deepen thanks to Trump’s lies and polarizing rhetoric. Even so, it’s starting to seem likely that he could pull out another victory. It’s baffling to think these Trump supporters are also family members, friends, colleagues and classmates. Surely, there is a lesson?
Flashback to a year ago as I stood among them:
Barely awake, I rolled over and acknowledged my boyfriend spotted my photo on the internet – standing on the road, front row, smiling as I waited for Trump’s motorcade of all things.
Breitbart.com? Wait. What?
Recovering from a seven-day vacation to the Florida Keys, it wasn’t until the day after we arrived home that I realized, yes, indeed, my photo was plastered on a pro-Trump, alt-right, misogynistic website that goes against everything I stand for as a person and journalist.
Before I had time to cry “fake news” and get angry about feeling violated because my photo was taken without my permission and posted under the headline “Crowds of supporters flock to see Donald Trump motorcade in Key West,” I started laughing. Laughing at the irony of it all.
Say what? Trump to visit Key West
It’s no secret I’m not a Trump supporter. I found myself in heated debates before (and since) the election, deleting and unfollowing friends and relatives on Facebook, and looking at my mom and boyfriend with a sense of disdain and disbelief. I respect their right to vote for whomever they want, so we’ve had to agree to disagree and just not talk politics. It’s been a contentious time in my relationship with both of them. It was, and still is, a hard truth to swallow.
And yet, there I stood with a front-row view of Trump’s quick and historic visit to Key West last week. I had no idea Trump was going to visit the Keys, and based on the limited media coverage, it seems all involved kept it pretty tight-lipped.
It almost felt like a cruel joke. This was a long-awaited, much-needed getaway from emails and computer screens and politics and the worries of being a freelance writer. It was a reward for surviving sixth months of Michigan winter. We had to depart a day early to avoid one last spring ice storm.
I didn’t hear about Trump’s planned visit until a couple of days before, when I picked up the Key West Citizen while drinking my coffee on the porch of The Speakeasy Inn. It goes to show local news still has value, and in the age of technology, people still enjoy reading the newspaper.
It just so happened that we were leaving the island the day of Trump’s planned visit. We had yet to see the iconic Southernmost Point buoy, about a block from the Truman Annex where he was headed, and have our photo taken. And the details were sketchy about security and highway closures and when U.S. 1 – the only highway in and out – was going to reopen to traffic.
As we checked out of the hotel, the rum bar bartender said the manager had headed out to see the presidential motorcade. On an island known for its rainbow flags and gay-friendly atmosphere, I knew it must be a big deal regardless of one’s political leanings – historic in the sense that John F. Kennedy was the last sitting president to visit the United States’ southernmost city.
Plus, I knew my boyfriend would get a kick out of it. He’s an easygoing, hard-working, nonunion carpenter, who rarely takes vacation, so the least I could do was give up an hour to see the Cheeto in Chief’s motorcade.
After making our way to the Southernmost Point buoy, we walked right passed the gates to the Truman Annex, where the motorcade would stop briefly before whisking Trump inside. We found a spot on the sidewalk near Whitehead and United streets – essentially the heart of the action.
The noon sun rose higher in the sky and the Florida humidity kicked in, and we waited. No one knew for sure when he was set to arrive. The police officers told us we would have to move, so we walked about a block down and, being short, I inched my way into a spot right on the street.
A lesson in seeing the other side
Always happy to strike up a conversation with strangers, I started talking to a local couple. I joked I should be standing on the other side where people were holding protest signs. The guy, super tan from the Key West sun, was sporting his Trump T-shirt and said he runs a local fishing charter. Originally from Israel, he lived all over before settling in Key West about 20 years ago. He hadn’t worn the shirt since Election Day and started retelling his worries of that day – that “the bitch was going to win.”
His wife, tattooed with her hair shaved along the sides, was equally friendly and said “See, this is cool that people who don’t agree can still stand here and get along.” They all chimed in, including my boyfriend, that the media would focus on the protesters and exaggerate that there were people fighting in the streets. I just stood there without saying much, snapping photos and asking myself what the hell I was doing waiting on Trump.
Turns out I would be the focus of fake news – or at least a prime example of how one photo can get taken out of context and plastered on the internet.
A couple who looked to be in their mid to late-50s walked up and joined in the conversation. They were visiting from the East Coast. A union man, he works in the plant operations field for utilities and his wife is a nurse practitioner. They passed up a chance to live in Key West years ago due to the school system, but with their last child about to graduate, his wife had interviewed at the local hospital that morning.
There we stood, people from all walks of life and backgrounds, waiting for any sign that the presidential motorcade was getting closer. The locals gave us updates on Trump’s departure from the Navy’s Boca Chica Key airfield from their friends on the other side of the island.
Finally, after waiting nearly an hour, flashing red and blue lights came into view several blocks away and the caravan of motorcycles, limousines and other security vehicles whizzed by, made a quick stop at the gate, and the vehicle carrying Trump disappeared inside.
The coolest part was seeing police officers on motorcycles from throughout the Keys and as far north as Homestead and Miami Beach enter a parade formation on their bikes and then park them right in front of us. We later saw them parked on Duval Street.
Patriotism, politics on full display
People cheered and clapped and started talking to the police officers. They waved American flags and uttered things like “Wow, that was cool.” The six of us standing together shook hands, and we headed off to the Key West Butterfly and Nature Conservatory to mark one last thing off my sightseeing list.
When we returned to the hotel to turn in our parking pass, the manager was back, sporting her rainbow T-shirt, and she showed us a photo someone snapped of Air Force One flying over a sign and an image of a divided highway.
It fittingly captured the spectators who lined both sides of the street, and the state of our union. Even though I am not and never will be a Trump fan, it was a once-in-a-lifetime experience to see a presidential motorcade and all the fanfare up close. I understand the mindset of the Trump voter, and so I have learned to just agree to disagree. An essay “Why Rural America Voted for Trump” by Robert Leonard, which I plan to give my students as a homework assignment, helps explain it.
And, in a way, it was inspiring to see the patriotism of people who love America lining the street and standing shoulder to shoulder, regardless of race, religion, sexual orientation or political affiliation.
Maybe there is hope for our country. Let freedom ring.
It was a memorable way to end my first visit to Key West, a city with eclectic residents, great people watching and a friendly and welcoming atmosphere. Key West encourages everyone in the world to share its official philosophy that “all people are created equal members of one human family,” which has been turned into a sticker freely distributed on the island.
Hopefully, someone sent Trump home with one.
Marla R. Miller is an award-winning journalist and content marketing writer who lives in Norton Shores. Please “like” or follow me on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, or LinkedIn.
