Last updated on September 25th, 2023 at 01:51 pm
After Donald Trump intentionally created a public safety hazard by distributing 20,000 tickets for an event at a Burlington, VT arena that holds 1,400 people, Bernie Sanders supporters are fighting the bigotry in Bernie’s back yard by reserving tickets and pledging not to show up.
Burlington Mayor Miro Weinberger released a statement about the public safety concerns that Trump’s overbooking of the venue is causing:
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Vermonters value the First Amendment and robust political debate. In that spirit, I welcome Donald Trump and his presidential campaign to Burlington tomorrow.
I am concerned, however, that the dramatic over-ticketing of the rally could mar Mr. Trump’s visit. Since learning the facts of the ticketing situation late Tuesday, we have repeatedly expressed concern and encouraged the campaign to take steps to better manage the event. There is still time for the campaign to communicate with the thousands of ticket holders to reduce the possibility of inconvenience or a public safety risk for attendees tomorrow night. I urge the Trump Campaign to take responsible steps to ensure the event proceeds smoothly and without incident.
None of this may be a problem if some supporters of Sen. Bernie Sanders have their way.
Sanders supporters are actively reserving tickets to the Trump event with no intention of showing up. As one Sanders supporter wrote on Facebook, “So I just reserved two tickets for Donald Trump to speak in Burlington Vermont, the adopted home of Bernie Sanders. No, I have not converted to a racist bigot, I am just assuring that there are now going to be two empty seats.”
The purpose for the Trump event in Burlington seems to be an egocentric jab at Sen. Sanders. Trump is creating a public safety issue by overselling the event at 20 times the venue’s capacity, but the Sanders supporters aren’t going to let Trump roll into Vermont without a fight. The message is that Trump and his racist bigotry are not welcome in Vermont.
The empty suit Republican frontrunner wants to be Bernie Sanders so badly that he is holding a rally in Sanders’ hometown, but Trump may get more than he bargained for at his rally in Vermont.
Jason is the managing editor. He is also a White House Press Pool and a Congressional correspondent for PoliticusUSA. Jason has a Bachelor’s Degree in Political Science. His graduate work focused on public policy, with a specialization in social reform movements.
Awards and Professional Memberships
Member of the Society of Professional Journalists and The American Political Science Association
