‘Absolute chaos’ as Trump supporters ‘stranded’ after Coachella rally hit by assassination attempt

Supporters of Donald Trump were left “stranded” in muggy conditions for hours at the Coachella Valley rally that was hit by a suspected assassination attempt on the former president.

The Republican presidential candidate spoke in California on Saturday at an event that was fraught with problems from the start.

In addition to an altercation between Trump and a heckler, an armed man from Las Vegas with identification under multiple names was arrested outside the rally. Authorities allege Trump may have been the target of a third assassination attempt in just a few months.

While thousands of supporters were bussed to Calhoun Ranch, about five miles from where they parked, participants claimed event organizers neglected transportation for the return trip.

And instead of being transported from the venue after Trump left the stage after a nearly 90-minute speech around 7 p.m. PT, many attendees remained stranded in the 93-degree heat, according to video footage on social media.

“It seems like the buses aren’t coming anymore,” one participant said in the clip, which was recorded more than three hours after the rally ended.

“There used to be about 20 buses when we were brought here, but now there are only about three buses running.”

He added: “It’s just chaos, absolute chaos. We are all stranded here, everyone is stranded here.”

In another clip that has since been deleted

In the footage, flashing lights from police cars illuminate the angry faces of Trump supporters who appear to have been left behind. One of them was heard condemning the organizer’s “failures” which had led to the delay in returning to the car park.

Sharing the video material on X, The Tennessee Holler claimed that many of those waiting for transport to the parking lot were elderly.

Trump has not yet spoken publicly about the bus debacle, but claimed on Truth Social that 100,000 people attended the rally in the quintessentially blue stronghold – a state where Vice President Kamala Harris is currently leading by nearly 27 percent, according to one poll The hill.

However, a permit issued by Riverside County for the event reportedly limited capacity to 15,000, according to a local news outlet Desert sun.

The former president’s campaign faced intense backlash online over alleged organizational mistakes.

“@realDonaldTrump can’t lead a rally and you think he can run the country?” Mic podcast host Ryan Shead wrote. “He doesn’t care about his supporters. Do you think he cares about you?”

While the Republicans Against Trump report added: “Thousands of people were stranded after the Trump rally in Coachella on Saturday night. The Trump campaign provided buses to take people to the rally, but no buses came to take them back to their cars.

“Trump only cares about himself.”

The Independent has contacted the Trump campaign for more information.