BURLINGTON, Vt. (AP) — Supporters and opponents of Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump faced off Thursday outside a Vermont theater where the billionaire developer invited thousands more people than could fit inside.
More than 20,000 tickets were distributed for free to the Burlington event in the Flynn Center for the Performing Arts, which has only 1,400 seats, according to police, raising concerns about potential clashes.
Protesters gathered across the street exchanged chants with Trump supporters waiting to enter the venue.
Some held candles or banners. Others pounded drums and waved tambourines.
People have been lining up since dawn to attend the event, which is being held just a few feet from the City Hall Democratic presidential contender Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT) got his start as mayor. More than 100 people were already in line by midday with over seven hours to go before the event. By the time the doors opened at 5 p.m., the line snaked on for blocks in this liberal bastion inside a staunchly Democratic state.
Sarah Rucki, a special education teacher from St. Albans, brought her 12-year-old son, Gage, also a Trump fan.
“I think that it’s pretty awesome that he’s coming into Bernie country to speak to those of us that do exist and so support him up here,” she said.
Nate Brooks said he left his home in the upper Connecticut River Valley town of Bradford, Vt., at 6 a.m. in time to get in line at 8 a.m.
“I like the way he talks. He’s blunt. He’s not bought. He pays for himself and I just think it’s the right movement to make,” Brooks said of Trump. “A lot of us are getting sick of the same old stuff and it’s going to be a good change.”
McKenzie Kelley, 13, of Bennington, Vt., took the day off from school Thursday and carried a Trump sign while she waited in line along with her mother and her social studies teacher.
“I would love to hear him out,” McKenzie said. “I stand for about 95 percent of what he is about.”
Trump opponents turned out early too. Burlington resident Mark Conrad was first in line, arriving at 4:30 a.m. A staunch Trump critic, he said he’d like to ask the GOP contender why the venue was booked overcapacity.
“I can’t stand the guy,” Conrad said of Trump. “I don’t believe anything he says.”
Local police said even people with tickets in hand will be turned away once the theater is full and were expecting major gridlock across the city as the event gets underway.
Republicans are vying for support in New England ahead of the critical New Hampshire primary, scheduled for Feb. 9, which is viewed by campaigns as a momentum builder in the early-voting season.
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