WILDWOOD, N.J.—A near-fatal car crash left Edward X. Young with debilitating injuries, persistent pain, and a shattered lifelong dream.
But the aftermath of that 2015 wreck also transformed Mr. Young into one of the most ardent supporters of Donald Trump, who became America’s 45th president. The Republican former president is now aspiring to unseat Democrat President Joe Biden and become the nation’s 47th president.
Large scale rallies have been a hallmark of the Trump campaign since its infancy. Although some people claim to have attended more than 100 of these events, Mr. Young’s journey to 77 Trump rallies—and counting—stands out because of the way it began.
The frequency, size, and enthusiasm of the former president’s crowds reflect “the Trump phenomenon,” as political history professor Jeff Bloodworth calls it.
“He is the political sun around which all American politics revolves, for better or worse,” Mr. Bloodworth, who teaches at Pennsylvania’s Gannon University, told The Epoch Times. “He has a very large reservoir of supporters who don’t just vote for him. ... They turn out and they go to these events.”
The only other comparable politician in recent years was Democrat presidential candidate Barack Obama. During his successful 2008 campaign for the presidency, he drew “enormous crowds,” Mr. Bloodworth noted.
Former President Trump acts as “the connective tissue” that binds his supporters together, Mr. Bloodworth said, making each rally “more than just a political event.”
Brush With Death on a Foggy Night
Events leading to his political activism began just before midnight on May 31, 2015, Mr. Young told The Epoch Times.He was driving along New Jersey’s Pulaski Skyway bridge, shrouded in fog. Suddenly, he saw a stopped vehicle in front of him. He stomped on the brake pedal.
But Mr. Young’s black Mercury Milan slammed into the motionless car.
The impact broke his arm, leg, and three ribs. It also damaged eight discs in his spine, he said.
And this misfortune struck a few weeks before the New Jerseyan was supposed to relocate to California; Mr. Young, who had played roles in independent films, says he had lined up a dream job as a Hollywood actor.
“I had my life set,” Mr. Young said.
The wreck plummeted Mr. Young to his lowest point. Four years earlier, his wife had died of cancer, leaving him a childless widower.
Now, because of the crash, Mr. Young was “stuck in Jersey.” As he began two years of physical therapy, he had no idea what type of work he might do; he felt rudderless.
He said he remembers thinking, “God must hate me” and “I’ve got no purpose in life.”
Moment of Inspiration
While recuperating at University Hospital in Newark, New Jersey, Mr. Young saw something on TV that filled him with hope.He watched as real-estate mogul Donald Trump rode down a golden escalator at Trump Tower, his New York business headquarters, and announced he wanted to become president.
Those now-famous remarks on June 16, 2015, resonated with Mr. Young.
Besides feeling depressed about his own hardship, Mr. Young said he was distressed over the direction America was heading. He felt particularly troubled by illegal immigration, one of the main issues that the future president addressed.
“Trump’s speech made me believe it was possible for America to thrive,” Mr. Young said.
He recalls telling a friend: “When I get out of this hospital, I don’t want you driving me home right away. ... You’re driving me to New York City, to Trump Tower, because I want to go in there and get one of those hats, one of those Trump hats.”
Since then, the red ball caps with “Make America Great Again” in white letters have become known as “MAGA hats.”
Still on crutches, Mr. Young hobbled onto a train, through New York City, and into Trump Tower.
Inside, as he was purchasing a MAGA hat—the first of about 30 he now owns—the clerk noted how much effort the injured man made to get there.
Mr. Young replied, “I wish I could work for the campaign.” Seeing that he was serious about that intention, the woman agreed to make some inquiries for him.
“And I get interviewed and vetted, and about six weeks later, they said, ‘Your background checks out; you’re welcome to be part of the campaign,’” Mr. Young recalled.
Thus began months of talking to people across the nation via phone banks that were set up inside Trump Tower, he said, estimating he was among about 100 volunteers.
“Working for Trump gave me a new reason to live,” Mr. Young said. “I never made it to Hollywood, but I found meaning in working for Trump.”
Political Involvement Continues
After the campaign was over and President Trump was serving in the White House, Mr. Young sought elected office in Ocean County, New Jersey, where he lives.However, he lost a 2018 school board race amid controversy over his roles in low-budget horror films. Mr. Young says the scenes that some people considered offensive did not involve him and were added later.
Since then, Mr. Young said he remains politically involved because he is convinced that one person can make a difference. He said he has always believed in voting; now 64, he says he has only missed casting a ballot in one election when he had trouble getting to the polls. He previously didn’t consider himself closely aligned with any specific party but now considers his values to be firmly Republican.
Mr. Young, who works for a debt-relief service, continues suffering pain from the crash; he walks with difficulty but says he is “too proud” to rely on a cane.
He has frequently given media interviews at the Trump rallies he has attended, mostly in the eastern United States, located closer to his New Jersey home.
The Epoch Times first encountered Mr. Young on May 10, in Wildwood, N.J., on the eve of his 76th Trump rally.
On that day, Mr. Young was wearing his two trademarks: a blue denim jacket covered with pin-on buttons memorializing his Trump rallies and a green MAGA hat that he wears chiefly because it stands out in a sea of red ones.
Friends from as far away as Germany have noticed that hat in TV footage of Trump rallies; some refer to Mr. Young as “the Green MAGA Hat Guy” on social media. He said he gets a kick out of that.
Admitting he has a flair for the dramatic because of his background as an actor, Mr. Young called the former president “the world’s greatest showman,” and said the entertainment is one factor that inspires him to attend so many rallies.
But he also said he thinks the events are important. He thinks they help correct misperceptions of the former president.
Many news media outlets seem to manipulate or slant coverage to reflect badly on former President Trump, Mr. Young said; the in-person campaign stops are “the only way President Trump gets his message out” directly to the people.
And, he said, the rally attendance helps “prove that the American people support him.”
The former president’s campaign has often touted the size of his rally crowds as evidence of his appeal. Some detractors allege the attendance numbers have been exaggerated at times. Others see the turnout and the fervor as indicators of a “cult-like mentality” among the former president’s followers.
Mr. Bloodworth, the Pennsylvania professor, said that while some of the former president’s hardcore devotees “can be a bit zany,” that’s probably not the norm.
The use of terms such as “cult-like” arises from “rank snobbery,” Mr. Bloodworth said. “It’s a total way to just dismiss Donald Trump and his followers and to not try to understand the motivation behind that.”
It’s important to acknowledge, he said, that “there is something in Trumpism beyond the antics and the crowd size and outrageous statements. There’s more to it than that.”
Mr. Young summed up his participation as a mega-MAGA fan: Although Trump rallies are a lot of fun, filled with camaraderie, he thinks “our country is dying.”
“I come to these rallies,” he said, “because I leave with enough optimism to carry me to the next one.”
