SEASIDE HEIGHTS – On March 25, the day after Trump’s American Health Care Act failed to draw enough votes, more than a thousand people gathered outside Beachcomber Bar & Grill on the Seaside Heights boardwalk for New Jersey’s Make America Great Again, or MAGA March.
The rally was part of a nationwide MAGA movement in support of the president, vice president, military and first responders, with similar rallies held across the country.
A permit for the march was reluctantly approved by Seaside Heights officials and the exact location was shared only days before, as organizers feared it would give too much time for protestors to stage a resistance.
The four-hour rally, which was scheduled to begin at 1 p.m., was filled with plenty of red clothing, American flags and signs bearing Donald Trump’s name. There was an overall theme of pride in the nation’s 45th president and an understanding that whoever doesn’t agree with Trump winning the election should get over it.
Speakers at the rally, including several Republican candidates for New Jersey governor, were called to Beachcomber’s rooftop to speak to a growing crowd of Trump supporters below. They encouraged the cheering crowd to fight back against liberals and issues such as fake news, gun control, sanctuary cities and affordable housing.
Seth Grossman kicked things off with a plea to bring the country back to where it was 50 years ago, to a time when he says wealth and opportunity were shared by ordinary Americans. Grossman, who was brave enough to run against incumbent Governor Christie in the 2013 Republican primary, admitted that 50 years can’t be undone with one election, but asked the crowd if they were prepared to do what is necessary to move forward toward progress.
He also spoke out against fake news, saying, “They are attacking us because for years we had nobody to speak for us, we had nobody in office, we were on the outside and now that we finally have a champion they are attacking him because he is defending us, and we must defend him.”
Another candidate for governor, Steven Rogers, urged supporters to make a difference by running for their local and state offices, even getting involved with their school boards or town councils. He also said that whoever is elected as the state’s next governor should be 101 percent committed to President Trump.
A retired naval commander and police officer, Rogers shared a strong message about gun control, saying, “We will have in this state a law that will allow every citizen to carry a concealed weapon.”
The Monmouth County Tea Party Coalition was also represented by Frank Cott. He said that what’s happening right now in Washington D.C. would be called a coup anywhere else.
“We cannot allow these people to overturn our election. We cannot allow these people to speciously impeach this man or impugn him any further,” he said.
During one of the speeches, a small group of protestors made their way through the crowd holding signs that read “Build Skools Not Walls” and “The March Is For Morons.” They were quickly escorted out by police, while marchers chanted “USA” to their backs.
Other chants shouted throughout the rally included “Trump,” “build the wall” and “lock her up,” in reference to Trump’s democratic opponent Hilary Clinton.
DJ Matteo emceed the event, playing mostly country music and patriotic tunes for a cheerful audience. Despite the march not being advertised as a pro-Trump rally, he shouted that the crowd was there for one thing and one thing only—support for President Trump.
