It was hot on the tarmac as a sea of reporters stood waiting in the sunshine, cameras and microphones at the ready. My colleagues and I had been screened by the secret service, flanked by military police and bomb sniffing dogs, all under the watchful eye of a rooftop sniper as we awaited the President’s arrival.
When Air Force One roared across the runway at Long Beach Airport, it marked President Joe Biden’s first visit to Southern California since taking office. The Presidential Motorcade pulled to a stop before the air-stair waiting for the president of the United States and California Gov. Gavin Newsom to descend to the limousine.
This was the reason for the President’s visit ― to provide the final push in Gov. Newsom’s win over the Republican-led recall at Long Beach City College.
By the time we were released from the press box and followed the course of the motorcade to attend the rally, the police had completely closed off Carson Street. Protesters waving “Fuck Biden” flags and pro-Trump signs signifying their political identities had overrun the streets. It was quickly made clear we would not be allowed entry to the Governor’s “defeat the recall” rally at Long Beach City College.
The tone of the night became increasingly hostile as a large number of pro-Trump protestors lined the streets around the campus wielding hand-made signs, large banners, and American flags alike. Rows of law enforcement officers faced off against the crowd. The crowd, in turn, chanted “Traitor!” to every police car and motorcycle cop that passed in case they were a part of the Presidential Motorcade and waved signs that eloquently read, “Bozo Biden,” “Legalize Freedom,” and “Joe Biden is a Child Predator and Human Trafficker.”
Long after the sun set behind the Rolling Hills, the protestors continued to shout at law enforcement and chant expletives in chaotic unison. Who was listening? It was hard to tell, as the Presidential Motorcade never passed through the mob, opting for an alternate route instead.
The atmosphere was tense, and even once the roads had re-opened and it became clear that President Biden would not be passing through the pro-Trump crowd, the protestors remained on the city streets shouting into the darkness. What began as an orderly event to welcome the President of the United States to the city of Long Beach quickly devolved into a bitter affair between Biden supporters, Trump supporters, and law enforcement. Perhaps a sign of the times for today’s California.