From farmers to protesters, thousands pack Coastal Carolina campus for Trump rally

CONWAY — Sharon Anderson is a regular at former president Donald Trump's rallies.

The Etowah, Tenn., mule farm owner had attended 46 Trump rallies before camping out for the one at Coastal Carolina University on Feb. 10.

“There’s a little bit of that celebrity thing, but that man has endured and suffered for six years," Anderson said. "All that he’s gone through, I want him to be able to look out in the crowd and see us and know we support him.”

Thousands packed CCU's HTC Center, the venue where the Chanticleers basketball teams play, and thousands more gathered outside.

Inside the auditorium, Anderson and about 50 others wore baseball uniform tops with “Front Row Joes” over the left and their names over the heart. The white jerseys have star sleeves on the right and red stripes on the left. Some members of the Front Row Joes have been to even more rallies than Anderson.

Georgetown resident Wendy McLaughlin, who calls herself as a “Trump-publican,” wore a red “Make America Great Again” hat and a white T-shirt that read, “If you don’t like Trump, then you probably won’t like me.” So far, she has attended five Trump rallies, including in North Charleston, Charleston, Summerville, Florence and the latest one in Conway.

"There's just such energy here," McLaughlin said, regarding the rallies. "These events are so patriotic, and we're all of the same mind."

McLaughlin was a Democrat for 27 years before she voted for Trump in the 2016 election.

“He bucks the system,” she said. “He’s what America needs. I think that if people really gave him a chance and listened to him, they would support him.”

The line of Trump supporters stretched several blocks by 10 a.m. The HTC Center holds about 3,000 people, so there were at least two overflow lots available for those who could not make it inside.

Before he addressed those in the auditorium, Trump came out and spoke in at least one of the overflow lots.

Many in the crowd were decked out in Trump shirts or hats bearing his signature slogan, “Make America Great Again.” Those who didn’t wear pro-Trump merchandise often still wore the colors of the American flag.

As country songs like “The Devil Went Down to Georgia,” from The Charlie Daniels Band, and Johnny Cash’s “(Ghost) Riders in the Sky” played over the loudspeaker, members of the crowd periodically chanted “Let’s Go Brandon,” a catchphrase that criticizes President Joe Biden.

Conway retiree Linda Stoever and her friend live within minutes of the Conway venue, and they knew they wanted to attend the rally. The pair got in line around 7 a.m.

Stoever had never been to a Trump event before, but she has been a longtime supporter since voting for him in 2016. Stoever said she initially voted for Obama during his two terms, but she flipped to vote for a Republican candidate because she saw potential in Trump.

“We saw what he did in office his first term," Stoever said. "He worked with immigration the right way. He’s more structured. He’s American people first.”

Deb Levasseur, a 65-year-old Conway resident, came to the rally with her husband. The couple previously attended a Trump rally in Nevada, and they brought lawn chairs to Saturday’s event. The couple both wore Trump merchandise. Lindsay Levasseur wore a camouflage-colored Trump hat over his hair, which was pulled back in a low ponytail. Deb wore a red pro-Trump hat.

The pair said they like Trump because he is a businessman, and he has more charisma than other candidates.

“I loved him from the moment he and Melania rode down that escalator in 2015,” Deb Levasseur said.

But not everyone at Saturday's event was a Trump supporter. Across the street, about two dozen Coastal Carolina University students, most of them Black, protested the event. Specifically, they were upset the university did not notify students about the massive event until Feb. 7, just three days before.

The protesters carried signs saying, "Stand with black students," "Protect Black Chants" and "Why is info being kept quiet at our public institution." Students who came to protest did so by coordinating with one another beforehand through word of mouth and social media.

Kaci Dozier, a CCU senior, lives off campus but came to protest because she did not agree with how the notification was handled. She said students should be told at least two weeks in advance of any speaker or candidate who is coming to campus, not just Trump. She said some students on campus have told her that they are afraid to leave their dorms because they feel unsafe, they do not have additional transportation and they were not able to leave campus before the event.

“There needs to be revisions to school policy,” Dozier said. “I won’t stand for them terrorizing our freshman class.”

Jayden Smith, one of the student protesters, said she was disappointed in the lack of communication from the university. She said that students, especially those who live on campus, should be allowed enough time to leave and be with their families if they do not feel safe.

“We pay to go to school here,” Smith said. “We live here. They don’t.”

CCU spokeswoman Ashley Holloway acknowledged students were first notified about the event by approximately 8:50 a.m. Feb. 7. But she said the signed contract for the event was received by university officials at approximately 8 p.m. Feb. 5, and event details, requirements and logistics were confirmed between CCU, campaign officials and relevant agencies the next day.

"The university worked diligently to provide the campus community with event details as they were confirmed," Holloway said in a statement.

She said that university administrators were present Feb. 10 and answered questions during the students' protest, and administrators also plan to meet with students at a later date to hear their additional concerns.

"Free speech is a key part of the learning experience at CCU," Holloway said in the statement. "As an institution dedicated to fostering an environment of free expression, we respect our students’ right to peacefully voice their concerns."

This story was updated Feb. 11 with a statement from CCU spokeswoman Ashley Holloway.