From HuffPost: I've Traveled Across The Country To Attend Trump Rallies. Here's What You Won't See On TV.
"The real action takes place while everyone is waiting for the rally to start, not during the actual speech."
By JEN GOLBECK
Some people spend their summers following musicians on tour, meeting people and swapping friendship bracelets. I spent mine traveling around the country to attend Donald Trump rallies and interview his MAGA faithful in Florida, Pennsylvania, Wisconsin and Illinois.
I am a journalist and researcher working on a book about the psychology of the MAGA movement and the far right. I have been immersed in far-right internet forums for nearly a decade, studying how people are radicalized and identifying when there is a potential for violence. Even as a trained, objective observer, there are days when the bigotry, conspiracy theories, misogyny and hate speech in those spaces overwhelms me. But I also know online vitriol does not always reflect offline reality.