13 Aug 2024. Asheville, NC.

Photos from this afternoon’s rally. Big takeaways: As far as I know there was no violence, and it seems like Asheville’s lefty protesting crowd did not take Trump’s bait. This scene was far more orderly and civil than the Trump rally I covered at the Civic Center in 2016, in spite of barricading that could have encouraged a lot of conflict in small spaces. 

Full disclosure: I am strongly anti-Trump. 

Prior to the event, APD barricaded two paths on Haywood Street, one for rally attendees and one for protesters, and designated three “demonstration areas” at 37 Paige avenue, Pritchard Park, and Pack Square. 37 Paige is the empty lot commonly called The Pit of Despair, but that actually was NOT the designated demonstration area. That lot was reserved for a medical tent. Demonstrators were congregated in the steep alley beside the lot that leads up to Battery Park Alley. Also, people were allowed to demonstrate as long as they kept moving up and down the sidewalk on the west side of Haywood Street.

Interestingly, the path for attendees was bordered by waist-high metal barricades, while the entire sidewalk on the “demonstration area” side of the street was enclosed with tall chain-link fencing. This created a corridor between the two for APD, security, and emergency vehicles. The fencing began at the corner of Haywood and Battery Park Ave, and following the “demonstration” side of the sidewalk resulted in a dead end at the St. Lawrence Basilica, after passing the demonstrators and the medical tent. Not so great for keeping folks moving or allowing egress. I was told by a state trooper that this was done because Trump’s motorcade needed to access the venue via Haywood Street, and the trooper seemed to imply this was done at the request of the Secret Service. 

The result of all this was that, when attendees and protesters inevitably mixed, they were effectively trapped together at the bottom of the steep alley (can’t find a name for it on Google maps). There was no police presence in this alley that I could see, though officers did communicate through the fence. The two groups yelled at each other across the corridor, but didn’t physically mix until the venue reached capacity and the folks that were there to attend the rally were turned away. At that point, Trumpers deliberately came to the space at the bottom of the alley to agitate the protesters. I’m very glad to say nothing got out of hand, but there were some tense moments, and it was scary being crammed into that space with people who were very angry at each other.

That said, it was still better than the “gauntlet” that occurred at Trump’s 2016 rally at the Civic Center. APD were very aggressive about keeping folks moving.

Re: Crowd sizes vs venue . . . 

I’ve looked back at my archives, and there were many more people OUTSIDE today than at the Mitt Romney rally in 2012, and at least as many people OUTSIDE as the Trump rally in 2016. But, as has been widely reported, the Trump campaign requested the Thomas Wolfe Auditorium, with its ~2400 seat capacity, rather than the Civic Center, which seats 7000+. I have no idea about total crowd size, and I’m sure there will be lots of speculation because Harris and Trump have been trading barbs about it.

My updates earlier received pushback re: the “thousands” of rally-goers that were turned away when the doors were closed. Of course I don’t have any way to actually count, but at 2:48pm (doors closed around 3:00pm) the line stretched from the venue to the corner of Haywood and Battery Park Ave, up the entirety of Battery Park Ave, and then on to Otis Street behind the Citizen Times building. It petered out right at French Broad. Google maps says that’s 1830 feet, or a third of a mile. That’s a lot of people. 

Interestingly, there were far FEWER protesters than at either of those past events. I can’t give a total count because I couldn’t be in all the “demonstration areas” at once. At the bottom of the alley, there were “dozens,” which is media speak for more than twelve but less than 100. I’d guess there were twenty to thirty at any one time. At both the Romney and Trump ‘16 rallies, the space outside the Civic Center was packed with protesters. 

After the rally, small groups (2-3 on each side) of attendees and protesters argued loudly and somewhat incoherently in Pritchard Park and were still going when I left around 6:10pm. 

FB post from APD re: closed streets and demonstration areas:

https://www.facebook.com/share/p/3Hbe9UDafpSmBNvD

Post from another redditor including media screenshot about the Trump campaign selecting the venue: https://www.reddit.com/r/asheville/comments/1erc4e8/city_spokesperson_kim_miller_said_the_smaller/

My original updates, edited for clarity and typos:

~3pm: 

Drove in via Smokey Park Hwy > I40 > I240 around 2pm. Parked in college st deck.

NC state troopers were waiting on I40 and I240, presumably to stop traffic for motorcade.

Downtown is normal, if a little crowded, outside the main rally zone. Line of Trump supports stretches from Thomas Wolfe Auditorium to French Broad, snaking around Grove Arcade and Federal Building. People at end of line are starting to realize they won’t get in.

Hearing people say Trump has landed at airport. NC State HWY Patrol choppers circling downtown.

Overall not too crazy and everyone is mostly respectful. Lots of cops.

— 318pm. Doors closed. No one else is getting in. Still thousands in line. Trump supporters have moved to zone reserved for protesters to stir things up.

— 344pm. 

Things are heating up in the demonstration zone across from the venue.

Trumpers locked out of venue have gone around the barricade to confront anti-Trump protesters. Raised voices. There are no police on this side of the fence/street.

There was a big commotion a few min ago and Trumpers ran for the path of the motorcade, so I suspect Trump has arrived.

— 3:49pm: big black SUV just drove conspicuously thru barricades and everyone went wild. No idea if it was actually Trump.

I think it would be a fair description to say there are a “handful” of anti-trump protesters here. Both sides are trading volleys of “[your guy] rapes little kids.”

— 404pm. Walked up to pack square. Traffic outside of rally zone is heavy but moving fine. Handful of folks protesting in support of Palestine at site of former Vance monument.

— 418pm . Crowd is now mostly congregated in front of the venue. Both sides still trading insults but it’s quieter now.

— 445pm. APD and USSS pushing folks back from venue doors. Some of the Trumpers in the crowd suspect Trump will come outside and work the ropes after the speech.

— 520pm. Sounds like the speech is reaching a climax from what I can overhear on trumpers phones. No movement outside. Yep, speech is wrapped at 521.

— NCSHP helos have been circling again for the last 15min. Perhaps an indication motorcade is going to move soon, but don’t quote me.

— 539pm. APD aggressively clearing vendors and clashing parties. Everybody moving out.

— 612pm. One group of folks still yelling at each other in Pritchard Park. Otherwise everyone seems to have dispersed. I’m heading out. Haywood still blocked off, otherwise downtown traffic is normal.