Oct 28

Oct 28 The Visit

Today President Donald J. Trump made his first visit to Chicago since assuming the presidency. He first spoke at McCormick Place, skewering Chicago Police Chief Eddie Johnson at a convention of Johnson’s peers from around the country. Trump then headed over to the Trump International Hotel for a fundraising luncheon chaired by Chicago Cubs’ co-owner, Todd Ricketts.

In theory, the protesters welcomed him when he arrived at the hotel, but the protesters were lined up on Wacker Drive, with the Chicago River separating them from the hotel, so Trump may not even have noticed them.

There are multiple access points to the hotel thanks to Chicago’s elevated walkways along the river. Those were all well-guarded. Anyone trying to gain access to the hotel by boat would have had to deal with the Coast Guard boat patrolling the river. Of course, the now ubiquitous garbage trucks barricaded the streets, protecting both the protesters and the President. In short, security keeps the President of the United States insulated from the “volk” who detest him.

For $2,800 any of those protesters could have obtained a ticket to the lunch. Thirty-five thousand dollars bought a photograph, and $100,000 bought a roundtable sit-down with Trump. In total, Trump is reported to have bagged $4,000,000 for the Trump Victory fund with his visit.

There should have been 250,000 protesters on the street. Granted it was a Monday, but 30,000 Chicago teachers were out on street, white collar professionals who work in the Loop can set their schedules, and there are lots of retirees living in the city, having returned from the suburbs where they raised their children.

The media reported that there were somewhere between 2,000 and 3,000 people out on the street. I suspect the number was actually lower. Many of those folks are from the far Left. They show up at every demonstration, which is fine. But until more non-political types come out, these demonstrations are counter-productive. Trump must have looked out the window from the ballroom and thought, “This is all they got?”

I stayed about two hours. When I arrived, there were maybe 50 to 75 people on the sidewalk lining Wacker Drive. When I left, people were already leaving. A rather lackluster demonstration.

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