I wanted to give you a little behind the scenes look at my time with Donald Trump last night at his final Pennsylvania rally in Pittsburgh. It was the penultimate rally of his last campaign ever. What an experience it was.
We all went. Doug and our kids came with me. It was the first Trump rally we had ever been to, and it was just extraordinary. When we got there, we went back into a holding room of sorts as we waited for Trump to arrive. He was running a little late from his previous event but not too bad.
They asked if I would like to come out and greet him when he pulled up to the facility. I said sure and was there when his motorcade arrived. Justin Wells, who is Tucker Carlson’s executive producer shooting the Art of the Surge documentary, snapped some pictures of that moment. It was great to see Trump. He was super kind, and it was great to talk to him. I think he saw the Bill Maher appearance and approved. He gave it a thumbs up.
The Experience
When I talked to Trump’s family last night (below I am chatting with with Eric and Lara Trump), there was a sense that he is really going to miss campaigning. I think Trump really loves getting out there with people, and you could see he was going to miss them. If he wins today, he will be thrilled to spend as much time as possible with the American people. He is not an introvert, as you know. He is not somebody who shies away from being with people. But I think he actually was feeling a little sad that the campaign piece of it was ending.
I think his biggest fans feel it too. There are what Trump calls ‘front row Joes,’ these guys who follow him to all the rallies. It is like having groupies, and he performs for them. One of the things I noticed last night was he was going to tell his story and he said, ‘Oh, I already told it at an earlier rally. I try not to repeat.’
Think about that. He did four rallies yesterday. He goes on for 90 minutes at a time. He tries not to repeat? How? He tries to make each one special and different, which is very generous of him to the audience. It would be far easier to have a 45-minute teleprompter speech, show up, read it with enthusiasm, and leave. That is not him. He loves being there. He loves the interaction. He loves putting on a show, and saying shocking things, and being funny.
There really was a strong bond in the air between the audience and Trump both ways. It was not just their adoration for him, it was his respect and love for them.
Megyn’s Remarks
When we got out to the rally floor, I was so happy to be seated next to Sage Steele and Danica Patrick. I had Danica on my show back at NBC, and she is such a badass. She is becoming so vocal about the women’s sports issue. I just love her. And then Sage is like an angel sent from heaven. She is just such a good person and so interesting and smart.
We sat together and listened to his speech. I have to admit, as Trump was going on there was a second where I wondered if he was going to get to me. I was like, ‘Is he going to call me up? What is going to happen? It is going to be kind of embarrassing because I told everybody that I was speaking. Maybe I’m not speaking. I’m not sure how this works.’
Even my mom started getting antsy. She was texting with my son Yates about when I was going to be on. You can see their exchange below, but it is safe to say she approved. The “hot dams” came after I finished speaking, and it looks like she is hoping for an invite to Washington, D.C.
Needless to say, Trump did call me up and I was relieved. It was just a quick, seven-minute thing. You can watch it below:
Those guys in the crowd standing behind me were remarkable. They all had their hard hats on, which is a thing at some of the Trump rallies. You could tell these were real salt of the earth Pittsburgh guys. They are tough guys who are not afraid to get their hands dirty. They work with their hands for a living, put in rough days, and don’t get rich doing it. They love this country, and they have been forgotten by the Democratic administrations. Joe Biden has paid them no mind, but President Trump did. It is how he won.
Trump’s Closing Message
By the way, Sage, Danica, and Trump all flew off to Grand Rapids, Michigan, for his final rally of the day. He got there at like 12:15am. I was in my bed by 12:15am, and I was thrilled. We were all tired, but he just took the stage in Grand Rapids and he spoke for another two hours. He was up there dancing.
He gave a really sweet, reflective, and, I believe, sincere closing message to those who were in attendance. As I pointed out, many in the crowd are like groupies in the way that a groupie follows a rock band. A lot of the same faces go to these rallies and they just adore the former president.
From 2015 to Now
I have to say, there was a feeling last night that I had in Pittsburgh that was not unlike a feeling I had in August of 2015. As you may recall, that was when I went out on that debate stage with Trump. I don’t know what it was, but even before I asked the question in 2015 I felt like I could feel the tectonic plates shifting beneath me.
I just had a sense that something massive was happening there that night. It had nothing to do with me. It was about Trump, his ascension, his becoming president, what he would do for the country, the change he would make in the world. In a way, I was at the leading edge of it that night and I could feel it.
Then things got crazy between the two of us in a very strange, tumultuous way. But peace came when I went to Trump Tower and talked to him. That sit-down was negotiated with the help of Brian Kilmeade, the Henry Kissinger of our time. Trump and I made up and were fine.
We have had our ups and downs since. He doesn’t like it when you criticize him, and I understand that. But we are in a good place. And more important than our individual ups and downs is the state of our nation and the future of our nation.
I have zero doubt that between these two choices, he is so far superior. He is the one we need, and we can’t let this woman win. So, I felt like those tectonic plates reached their destination last night. Like they continued moving all these years and there was a settling last night. They landed in a good and safe place.
I don’t know what the next step is. Hopefully, tonight lands in a good place, too. But it is nice to know he and I are good, especially because I do respect him so much. I really admire his policies, and I would love to have a good relationship with him even though I am going to have to hit him from time to time – especially if he wins.
You can check out Megyn’s full analysis by tuning in to episode 935 on YouTube, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you like to listen. And don’t forget that you can catch The Megyn Kelly Show live on SiriusXM’s Triumph (channel 111) weekdays from 12pm to 2pm ET.