Most of the trips I take to Las Vegas don’t involve meeting Sean Hannity and both of Donald Trump’s sons and end with me attending a debate viewing party at the Cosmopolitan—but this time it was different.
I received an email Oct. 16 from Turning Point USA, a national organization dedicated to informing young Americans about important political issues and how to make a difference. Attached to this email was an invitation to attend a live taping of a Millennial Town Hall hosted by Fox News anchor Sean Hannity with Donald Trump’s sons, Eric and Don Jr., on Oct. 19th.
Without hesitation I accepted the invitation, filled out my information and stayed excited until Wednesday finally came. Attending a live viewing of a show featured on Fox News and hosted by Hannity is a once-in-a lifetime-opportunity. I drove to Caesars Palace in Las Vegas a couple of hours prior to the show and patiently waited with over 250 other millennials just like me from all over the country.
During the waiting period, I soaked in the feeling of being surrounded by like-minded and politically-energized young people. I sat and talked foreign policy with a couple of 20-year-olds from San Diego. Interacting with college students from across the nation was interesting because our backgrounds and even the caliber of school we went to were completely different, but our beliefs and stances still managed line up and make for a cool experience.
The energy in the room was palpable. Everyone excited to hear what Hannity and the Trump sons had to say. When Hannity came on stage he told us all, “There is only one rule on this show… No rules.”
The entire audience began to cheer and then we all proceeded to chant pro-Trump phrases such as “Build that wall” and “Trump-Trump-Trump”.
Attending “Hannity” was not only incredible because I was somewhat auspicious in my dream to meet Hannity, but I was able to see that there are millennials who are informed. This upcoming election will shape our country in ways we may not see until it is the millennials who are running for office. Key issues such as abortion, social security and foreign relations hang in the balance, and incoming executive administration will play the pivotal role in how our country will move forward on these issues.
During the Town Hall, Hannity and the Trump sons were able to answer questions that millennials had and discuss how important this election is and how important it is to stay politically active. The Trump sons were quite impressive both in their demeanor and their ability to relate to us and portray the importance of the debate later that night. The They were captivatingly savvy; they portrayed an aura of confidence that could have owned my attention for three or four more hours.
I then had the opportunity to watch the final presidential debate at the Cosmopolitan Hotel. In the room where we watched the two candidates thunder away at each other’s foreign policies, allegiances were divided. After Clinton would take a stance and a dig at Trump, vivid cheers and claps rang through one side of the room. And after each aggressive push by Trump, the other half of the room roared back. For a moment, I was not sure if I had attended a debate viewing or Major League Baseball game.
While this may not be a popular election, my faith in people and their involvement is still intact, especially millennials. If we as a country try to sit out this election, or make futile attempts to vote our conscience and ignore how important this time of year is, then it will pass us by without us being the wiser. Talking to all of these millennials and hearing how passionate Hannity and the Trumps were about the future of America further instilled in me how important it is to be involved and informed on the political scene.