Trump's Coachella Rally Was A Disaster. Here's What Went Wrong

This past weekend, Donald Trump held a campaign rally in Coachella, California, and let's just say that it didn't go off without a hitch. While Trump has been notoriously worried about rally attendance with a recent rally having a lot of empty seats, a crowd that stuck through the end of the rally was ensured at his October 12 event as people were bused in from the parking area. Unfortunately, they weren't able to leave even after the rally was over – attendees were left stranded after promised transportation from the rally to where cars were parked failed to arrive. 

The rally was held outside in temperatures that broke 100 degrees Fahrenheit and took place miles from where attendees were able to park, necessitating the need for buses to bring them to and from the venue. A video posted on X, formerly known as Twitter showed rally-goers still waiting at the venue over three hours after the event ended. The tweet claimed that walking back to the parking lot would have taken two hours. The heat and lack of water made these conditions even worse, with multiple people reportedly collapsing during the rally. 

This transportation debacle wasn't all that contributed to what one viral tweet called "Coachella chaos." One rally-goer was arrested outside for carrying multiple loaded weapons. Needless to say, with just a month left until Election Day, this rally didn't have the intended impact.

It's safe to say that this Donald Trump rally certainly did not go as planned and it seems it was close to going even worse. 49-year-old Las Vegas resident Vem Miller was arrested at a security checkpoint on his way into the venue. Miller is reportedly a Trump supporter who attended this year's Republican National Convention, and sources told ABC News that he did not make any violent threats about Trump. Despite this, he falsely claimed to be a member of the press in order to enter the event. Upon inspection, Riverside County police discovered that he had multiple falsified passports, a loaded shotgun, a handgun, and ammunition. 

It's unclear what Miller's plan was had he been able to enter the rally, but after the assassination attempt against Trump at his Butler, Pennsylvania rally back in July, authorities can't be too careful. In a statement following the arrest, Sheriff Chad Bianco explained, "In light of previous incidents on Trump's life, we had a very detailed plan in place for Trump's safety as well as attendees." Evidently, this plan was a success. However, the same can't be said for the rest of Trump's rally. The internet is buzzing with criticism of how the event was handled and even comparing the rally's mayhem to Trump's potential second presidency. This event proves that when it comes to campaign rallies, all press is definitely not good press.