Meeting the MAGA megafans of Milwaukee

Milwaukee, Wisconsin

If you want to see how Donald Trump has changed his party, look at what attendees wore to this week’s convention in Milwaukee. Gone are the days when Republicans plumped for preppy blazers and demure khakis; now the fashion is for ostentatious displays of red, white and blue. Even the red MAGA baseball caps of 2016 have been eclipsed, replaced by this year’s must-have accessory of the cowboy hat — a classic symbol of rugged individualism. It’s a sartorial revolution, as well as a political one.

‘Everyone loves having their photo taken,’ says one press photographer. ‘It’s like Halloween’

Brash, flash and full of flair, Trump’s supporters wear their politics with pride, exhibiting broad smiles, garish garbs and a veritable blizzard of rhinestones. “I’m takin’ it all in like a sponge,” drawls a beaming Texas delegate in a pair of tight Trump leggings. Blake Marnell, a mustachioed Californian known as “Brick Suit” for his border wall suit, cheerfully poses for endless selfies while explaining how Trump’s second term could see him “free to pursue the things that are correct without fear of moderating his policies.” “Everyone loves having their photo taken,” marvels a Danish press photographer, snapping away. “It’s like Halloween.”

The obvious enthusiasm jars with the existential framing of November’s election. “We’re in such a perilous time where the country can be lost any minute,” sighs Sharon Andersen from Tennessee from beneath a homemade hat featuring donkey ears and the words “Trump kicks ass” scrawled across it. “We’ll lose it. We’re already at the edge of losing it now.” Nearby, the conservative influencer Charlie Kirk is urging attendees to “vote early” — an effortless switch from his past claims that the electoral system is rigged.

Border control is the issue which animates delegates the most. “Illegal immigration,” replies Susan Sweeney of Illinois when asked to name her top issue, “because along with that comes illegal voting.” Sporting a Lincoln-style top hat which depicts Trump as Superman, she adds: “We want to preserve America as we’ve known it.” Many delegates cite the injustice of friends or family taking the naturalized route, only to see new arrivals enter the country illegally. “I came here legally as a refugee from Cambodia, with two dollars in my pocket,” says Sichan Siv, a former US ambassador and current delegate. “So I know how to make it in America.”

Inflation is a big concern too. One Texas Republican wistfully recalls the country’s financial performance from 2016 to 2020. “It made our family members multi-millionaires, that Trump economy. We’re middle-class — but that was fabulous.” Old-fashioned signs are shown on stage depicting how gas and egg prices have spiraled on Biden’s watch. “I love the fact that we’re talking about the opportunity to live the American dream,” says Bobbi McGuiness from Santa Barbara, California. “It’s not dead, it’s alive and well — we’ve just got to get the progressives out of the way.”

Some hope Trump’s near-death experience will encourage him to embrace his faith.”This drew him even closer to God so I would love him to share his testimony and how it changed him,” says Rocio Rios from Cleveland. A passionate Christian, she wants to stop the “brainwashing” of “children to stop believing in God, to believe in a socialistic country.” Clarice Fluitt, a Louisiana delegate, suggests that “the shot heard round the world” could awaken Americans from a spiritual void akin to the Israelites being trapped in the desert. “He probably is the one that God chose,” asserts an attendee, Nino Kapitula. “Otherwise why would he be spared in the way that he was?”

The striking trend among delegates is how many are first-time attendees. Several of the people here cite Trump as the primary inspiration for their activism. “I got very involved in politics about four years ago with the whole Covid thing and fighting for our freedom,” says Nebraska delegate Barbara Hart. “This is a dream come true to be here.” A seasoned political operative comments that “The old party is dead. This is Trump’s party now.”

No better illustration of this can be found than in the convention memorabilia on sale. Badges, bobble-heads, shot glasses: all sport the Trump imprint. There is merchandise featuring photos of last week’s failed assassination attempt. On one of the most popular T-shirts,Trump is mocked up as the Terminator: “I’ll be back.”

This article was originally published in The Spectator’s UK magazine. Subscribe to the World edition here.