A life-changing surprise: Some supporters pulled from the crowd to attend the president’s ticketed event

A last-minute surprise for people waiting in the heat Friday. People without tickets were pulled out of the crowds to go inside for the president’s event.

Some people said it was life-changing. Friday morning, you could not imagine that the energy outside the convention center could build any higher. Then, one-by-one, people started getting pulled out of the crowd, told they were going inside and would see the President of the United States.

At that moment, it felt like downtown Fort Myers might just explode.

As if their day couldn’t get any better, spots freed up inside to see the president. But those seats were just for seniors.

“It was like, come on, we want to be in there too! I even went up and showed the guy my license,” said John Radtke.

“John was trying to get in. Even get in line over there, but he couldn’t’ get in, so,” added Rich Reynolds from Minnesota.

Radtke and Reynolds struck out big time and were told they were young. John’s friend and Rich’s wife, though, cashed in on the surprise of a lifetime.

“We’re all the same age, so they must look older than us,” laughed Radtke.

Jennifer Rives will cherish the surprise invite forever…and will tease her husband about it forever.

“He was out here in the heat and I was in the A/C listening to Trump,” she said.

“She is always getting into lucky things like this,” said her husband, Tony Rives.

Still, a privilege and an honor for the folks left in the sun and behind the barricades. And, perhaps, there’s a lesson to be learned too.

“If she’s happy that’s all that matters, I’ve been married 30 years I learned that a long time ago,” Tony said.

“We’re going to put little senior citizen tags wherever they sit,” joked Radtke. “When we go out to eat, we’re gonna have a little senior tag and put ’em down, senior sections.”

No doubt it was a heartbreaker being left out. But like those gentlemen, most laughed it off.