Supporters from the Bay Area proudly waved flags in hopes of greeting former President Donald Trump as he toured the Peninsula Friday night for a fundraiser that also drew a crowd of opponents.
The stop in Woodside is for an event hosted by billionaire tech entrepreneur Tom Siebel and his wife, Staceywho are actually related to Gov. Gavin Newsom’s wife, Jennifer Siebel Newsom. The invitation says tickets start at $3,300. Top donors can get a photo with the former president for half a million dollars.
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While tickets to the event itself cost thousands of dollars, many supporters who were not there gathered in hopes of greeting his motorcade. They waited for hours outside Pioneer Salon at Woodside and Whiskey Hill roads, but never saw Trump drive through the streets.
Despite this, Trump supporter and Palo Alto resident Dina Hill didn’t mind.
“I’m here to support, very happy,” Hill said.
Hill arrived early Friday morning at the supporters’ first stop, El Camino Park in Palo Alto. She’s in a local Republican group. When she heard about the rally, she knew she wanted to be there.
“I grew up in Palo Alto and I’m a proud Palo Alto Republican. I think there’s a lot of us out there and I encourage all of them to come out and support what they believe in and who they believe in,” Hill said.
Hill says she is socially liberal and fiscally conservative, and Trump best represents her views.
“He’s been very clear about his platform. He’s been very clear about securing the border,” Hill explained. “He’s been very clear about his deregulation and all of his issues are common sense.”
But across the street, David Page, another Palo Alto resident, gathered with people who had a different point of view.
“I called a number of people and said, ‘Let’s go out and show that we support the Democrats,’” Page said.
The group on that side made signs that read “Vote for Kamala.”
Page doesn’t want people to think that Palo Alto is one-sided.
“We need to let people know that there is a lot of support for Harris in Palo Alto. It’s not just Trump’s people,” Page said.
Erin Friday is also a lifelong Democrat, but she came out to support Trump.
“I never thought I would be standing here supporting Trump, but here I am. Because my party is not my party,” Friday said.
Friday believes the Democratic Party has gone too far on a number of issues, including transgender rights.
“I was totally against Trump in 2016, 2020, and I voted for Biden,” Friday said. “But I can’t do it anymore. Not with Biden promoting transgenderism and Kamala Harris making her announcement on RuPaul’s drag show.”
Despite California being a Democratic stronghold, Hill hopes some people will listen to what Trump has to say:
“People need to pay attention, and I think if they pay attention, they’ll understand why I feel the way I feel. And maybe they’ll vote for Trump, God willing,” Hill said.
Supporters were divided on what they think will happen in November, with some saying they are confident Trump will regain the White House, while others say they are a little nervous.
Some California firefighters have been angered by former President Trump’s comments earlier in the day.
It was during a press conference at his golf club in Southern California. He said that if he were re-elected, he would withhold federal wildfire aid from California unless Gavin Newsom changed the state’s water policy.
“Gavin ‘Newscum’ is going to sign those papers. And if he doesn’t sign those papers, we’re not going to give him any money to put out his fires. And if we don’t give him any money to put out all of his fires, he’s in trouble. He’s a lousy governor,” the former president said.
In Southern California, firefighters are battling three major wildfires that have burned more than 100,000 acres, forced thousands of people from their homes and destroyed dozens of buildings.
On Friday night, CBS News Bay Area spoke with Brian Rice, president of the California Professional Firefighters Association. Rice responded to Trump’s comments without hesitation.
“You think I’m angry? I’m furious. I’ve got thousands of firefighters on the line right now, risking their lives and limbs in Southern California. It disgusts me. And I can tell you this: California firefighters, we’re on the job, we’re always going to be on the job,” Rice said.
Newsom quickly responded online, reporting that Trump had admitted he would “block disaster relief funds to settle political feuds.”
He added: “Today it’s the wildfires in California. Tomorrow it could be hurricane funding for North Carolina or flood relief for homeowners in Pennsylvania.”
