Lines of cars begin to form early in the morning in anticipation of the night’s events. As the gates open, the Secret Service checks all those that are admitted onto the grounds. As 80,000 or more people pack themselves within the Montgomery County Fairgrounds, various local and state politicians build suspense for the night’s final and most important speaker. After the sun goes down, the lights of a motorcade approach the grounds and former President Donald Trump emerges to chants of U-S-A from the enormous crowd. 

Students joined tens of thousands of other people at the Montgomery County Fairgrounds on Jan. 29 during former President Donald Trump’s Save America Rally.

A gathering the magnitude of which was seen on Saturday could not have occurred without the diligence of law enforcement from a variety of agencies keeping those that attended safe. 

“The number of people who attended the event created a daunting challenge,” Montgomery County Sheriff Rand Henderson said. “This was the largest event ever hosted in Montgomery County. Through coordination with our law enforcement partners on the local, state, and federal level, we were able to use a force multiplier approach to ensure the safety for all who attended.”

The red wave descended on Conroe bringing an influx of local, state and federal officials which gave students the opportunity to hear from those who are responsible for running the country. 

“It was a great environment at the event to see so many people come out on short notice and show their support for the 45th US president, the governor, and other important political figures from across the country,” senior Sean Calkin said. “It was a cool experience to be able to see them talk on the stage at the fairgrounds.”

The event gave students a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to see the politicians that they’ve grown up watching on TV with their own eyes. 

“I definitely will never experience anything like that again,” senior Michael Smith said. “Although there were tens of thousands of people, the event still felt so organized, and everyone was so interested in other people’s stories.”

The support for the former president of the United States was strong in the Republican stronghold of Montgomery County. Seventy percent of the county voted for Donald Trump during the 2020 presidential election. 

“It was a surreal feeling,” senior Grace Uch said. “It was cool to see a whole bunch of different people from all over come together to support the 45th President.”

While people would’ve typically felt isolated in a crowd of that size, many students described a feeling of unity with those at the rally. 

“It was very refreshing,” Smith said. “I was glad to see that so many people still care about keeping our country unified. It felt like everyone there was family.”

The rally was the first glimpse of the political arena for many students, but will definitely not be the last. With the rally behind them, they are urged to step out of their comfort zone and get involved as much as possible.

“Teenagers should get more involved in the democratic process by becoming informed,” Henderson said. “They should research topics and candidates and form their own opinions. I suggest finding a candidate who they are passionate about and volunteer in their election.”