“Trump Train” Caravan Travels Through Exeter
Photo Courtesy of Google
By Tucker Gibbs, Anya Tang and Safira Schiowitz
A caravan of vehicles, self-described as the “Trump Train,” passed through Exeter on Sunday, Sep. 27. The “Trump Train” began after an event hosted by the Southern New Hampshire Trump Events, at which supporters decorated their vehicles with posters, signs and paraphernalia.
As the caravan traveled along Main St., several students noted that the vehicles were not stopping for students at crosswalks. Some students reported that “Trump Train” cars only narrowly missed pedestrians.
At 9:11 a.m on the day of the parade, Dean of Residential Life Carol Cahalane flagged the parade’s route in an all-student email. Seacoast Online initially reported the caravan’s plans three days before on Sep. 24. Cahalane also announced that members of the Dean of Students office would be offering support for students outside Jeremiah Smith Hall between 9:00a.m and 11:00a.m.
The caravan began at 9a.m. in the Toyota of Portsmouth parking lot, with the consent of dealership owner Jim Boyle. The Trump supporters drove through what they believed to be “liberal enclaves,” the town of Exeter included. Some members of the Exeter community witnessed the event first-hand.
The Southern New Hampshire Trump Events Facebook event page states that the caravan’s goal was to “show off [their] enthusiasm, patriotism, and support for [their] favorite President Donald Trump and earn bonus points for triggering liberals along the way.” The phrase “triggering liberals” was later removed at Boyle’s request.
Photo Courtesy of Google
Some who participated expressed that they did not have the intent to inflame liberals. “[The event] was a way to be with people who you don’t have to hide your support,” attendee Erin Kelley said. “I will defend you even if I don’t agree with you. I was surprised at the amount of complete outrage strangers had just because I support a different viewpoint.”
“The route was carefully chosen with the goal to pass through as many population centers as possible in about 1.5 to 2 hours,” Organizer of Southern New Hampshire Trump Events Alan Forbes said. “We also wanted it to be fairly easy to follow and minimize traffic jams and traffic lights.” The parade traveled through Portsmouth, Kittery, Eliot, Dover, Durham, Newmarket, Exeter and Hampton.
Despite previously including in the event description their intent to pass through “liberal enclaves,” Forbes later denied any intent to cause political agitation with the route, and reasserted that the event’s intent was to provide a space for Trump supporters to express support.
Some Exonians were dissatisfied with Cahalane’s email and considered the correspondence an inadequate response from the administration. “They shouldn’t send out a last minute ‘by-the-way, this is happening’ type of deal because [the parade] is a big deal,” upper Liza McMahan said.
Others felt that the administration’s actions, while intended to be supportive, were not necessary. “I think that setting up a tent with the deans’ representatives was maybe a little excessive,” Republican Club co-head and senior Sarah Kennedy said. “I just kind of rolled my eyes when I saw it, but I don’t think it was a bad move.”
An hour later, some students witnessed the caravan of cars passing outside of their dorms. Students heard shouting from the caravan and noticed “Don’t Tread on Me” and “Blue Lives Matter” paraphernalia.
Certain students were dismissive of the caravan’s ability to spark meaningful discourse. “I felt like it was such a spectacle. It felt so pointless because it’s not going to change anyone’s mind,” upper Lekha Masoudi said. “A car with a bunch of ‘Don’t Tread on Me’ and ‘Blue Lives Matter’ flags does not change my mind.”
McMahan noted the invasive nature of the caravan. “I felt uncomfortable. This is a school, and I don’t want to be ignorant of politics, but I feel like it was just thrust on me,” McMahan said. “It definitely displaced me a bit, because I completely disagree with everything that Trump has said and everything that Trump supporters have said.”
Students also critiqued the supporters’ excessive decoration and the commercialized nature of the event. “These people, they have Trump merchandise, Trump flags, they even have Trump songs,” Masoudi said. “It’s like supporting your favorite company or your favorite singer.”