Trump fans brave freezing temperatures, sleet and snow for a chance to see the president-elect

Supporters Donald Trump gathered in the capital this weekend to welcome the president-elect — braving long drives, hours-long lines and bitter winter weather for a chance to share in Trump’s second victory.

Fox News Digital spoke with dozens of Trump supporters who gathered in and around the Capital One Arena in Washington, DC, to attend the “Make America Great Again” rally hosted by the president-elect on Sunday night.

The free event was a victory lap, both for the president and his longtime fans. Rally-goers descended on Washington in droves — few were from the D.C. area among the dozens of attendees surveyed — but saw their endurance tested by rain, sleet and snow that came in waves as temperatures dropped, prompting DC Mayor Muriel Bowser to activate a city-wide hypothermia alert.

Lines to get in the door wrapped around city blocks and wound through miles of 10-foot-long fences designed to block roads and increase security. The waiting time was more than three hours, according to some participants.

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One Indiana man who drove from the Hoosier state to DC for the rally said he was camping at 10pm on Saturday before the rally on Sunday afternoon. In an interview with Fox News, he said he has no regrets about his decision – gesturing to the plum pole he secured, right next to the stage.

He was also not alone. About 100 others also decided to camp, he estimated in an interview — a sense of camaraderie and commitment that was clearly on display at Sunday’s rally.

Although the event itself was held inside, the lines were massive, stretching as far as the eye could see and exposing all but a handful of donors and VIPs to hours of snaking line in the bitter winter cold.

Not one of the fans interviewed expressed regret about the cold they endured – not even people who waited more than nine hours to get in the door.

“I’m just happy to be here,” said one woman with her partner, one of the last groups admitted to the rally, nearly six hours after the doors opened to the public.

The speech was Trump’s first in DC since Jan. 6, 2021. It featured a host of performers with little in common: Two women who called themselves “Girls Gone Bible” led the crowd in a lengthy prayer for Trump, before Kid Rock jumped on stage for a raucous musical performance.

Other speakers included Stephen Miller, who made policy-focused remarks, UFC president and CEO Dana White, whose fiery remarks infuriated the group, and Donald Trump Jr., whose children led the crowd in the Pledge of Allegiance before which Trump took to the stage.

But if headcount is to be measured as a sign of success, as Trump often seems to see it as, then his second term he is ready to meet with the universal approval of his base.

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“I would do it again,” one Florida woman told Fox News Digital about the lines, crowds and endurance required for the hours-long rally. – I don’t regret it.