In one of the bluest regions in the country, over a hundred supporters of former President Donald Trump poured onto the streets of Woodside and Palo Alto, rallying in favor of the Republican presidential candidate on Friday. Accompanied by animals, cars, and live music, participants championed their political beliefs on colorful flags and clothing, attracting both support and opposition from passersby.
The Trump rally began at 9 a.m. at El Camino Park in Palo Alto, featuring conservative groups like Moms for America. The parade was also met with a counter rally by supporters of Vice President Kamala Harris, and a small group of local law enforcement officers were also present.
Following the presidential debate in Philadelphia on Tuesday, Trump arrived in Woodside on Friday morning for a campaign fundraiser. The event, hosted by billionaire software developer Tom Siebel of C3.ai, targeted the GOP’s wealthy Californian donor base, with tickets to the fundraiser costing up to $500,000.
The rally started small but quickly grew, populated by Trump supporters from multiple political parties and all over the Bay Area. They followed the former president’s motorcade to his Woodside fundraiser as a part of the “Trump Train.”
Kenyan immigrant and head of San Francisco’s Moms For America chapter, a political organization for conservative mothers, Nancy Githoltho was one of the organizers of Friday’s Trump parade. She, along with many others, was especially concerned with gender-affirming care policies and transgender inclusion in youth athletics. “We want to stop this transgenderism [sic] agenda on our children––especially in San Francisco, where they’re stigmatizing heterosexual families and children,” she said. “Diversity, equity, and inclusion needs to stop.”
Erin Friday, a self-proclaimed “dissatisfied Democrat for Trump,” shared similar concerns. “When Joe Biden said that not transitioning your kids is close to sinful, that’s when I decided I could never vote for a Democrat again,” she said.
For Shawn, a vendor at Friday’s rally, and many others, expressing support for Trump is especially important in a state as blue as California. “California only appears blue because of the rampant election fraud that has existed for decades. We have selections. We don’t have elections,” Shawn said.
Despite online conspiracies of election fraud in California and across the country, there is no indication of fraud in recent elections.
Across the street, participants in the counter rally brought out signs in an effort to show support for Harris. One read “Trump ate my cat,” referencing Trump’s baseless comments about Haitian immigrant communities in Springfield, Ohio.
As the crowds grew, so did the tension between the rallies. Participants began yelling obscenities at each other like “f*** you” and “go to hell,” with Shawn calling Democrats “literal screeching demons.”
Harris supporters seemed most preoccupied with Trump’s “desire to do anything that is good for him,” Stephanie, a Harris supporter, said. “He doesn’t seem to be oriented towards helping the United States.”
Some Harris supporters shared similar sentiments about Trump voters. “Trump is emotionally disturbed. He shouldn’t be president of the United States,” Harris supporter David Page said.
Despite their differences, participants on both sides expressed a desire to bridge the gap between parties. “There’s this political divide where you can no longer have a conversation with anybody and have opposing viewpoints without there being some type of hostility,” Trump supporter Jamie Fonseca said.
“It’s important to listen to each other and not try to argue. Many of us are in two different spheres in terms of our sources for information, and I think it’s important to share, in a civil way, our individual perspectives,” Stephanie said.
By noon, the rally in Palo Alto dissolved and Trump supporters traveled to Woodside in anticipation of Trump’s fundraiser. Many supporters could not attend due to the steep price, so instead, around 100 people gathered outside the Pioneer Hotel in Woodside to show their support, despite the hot weather and a large police presence.
Many of the same Trump supporters from Palo Alto were present in Woodside, like Patricia Verity. Verity, who intended to vote for Robert F. Kennedy Jr., switched candidates after Kennedy suspended his campaign and endorsed the former president. “This election seems to be a populist movement. It’s not left versus right. It’s the people, the people tired of too much expensive government.”
A counter rally in support of Harris also formed in Woodside, though it was significantly smaller than the group of Harris supporters in Palo Alto.
Rebekah Witter, atop her horse Arya, was one of the few counter-protesters. “I do not want a convict in the White House. Trump is a pathological liar,” Witter, a registered Independent, said.
“We need to put the country ahead of the party. No Republican should ever vote for Trump. If you’re a true American, a real American, you vote Democrat for the Constitution and to save democracy,” she added.
