Multiple Trump supporters who attended a campaign rally in Tucson last week reported experiencing eye irritation after the event.
All of the supporters reportedly sat directly behind former President Donald Trump as he spoke, including Mayra Rodriguez, a former Clinton supporter and former Planned Parenthood director.
Speaking with local station KPNX, she said that while she enjoyed the rally, she started experiencing irritation in her eyes afterward.
“As soon as we left and we stepped outside my eyes were burning,” she recalled, adding that at first, she thought she was having some sort of allergic reaction.
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(Video Credit: News 4 Tucson KVOA-TV)
By the time she arrived home in Phoenix about 90 minutes later, the irritation had grown so severe that she decided to pay a visit to her local emergency room.
“The emergency room staff, from the triage nurse to the PA [Physicians Assistant], asked are you sure you didn’t get sprayed with something, your symptoms look like you got sprayed with something,” she recalled.
In the days immediately after the rally, she was practically blind.
“I can’t see anything when I try to open my eyes,” she said at the time. “I see a bright light. It hurts. It hurts a lot to open my eyes. I have this cold cloth I put on and take off constantly. It’s horrible.”
By Tuesday of this week, her condition had improved, though her doctors were still unable to determine what caused the irritation.
Meanwhile, she dismissed the idea that allergies had caused the severe reaction when she began to hear from other rally attendees who’d reported experiencing the exact same symptoms.
Included among these other rally attendees were a brother and a sister.
“It kept getting worse and worse,” the sister told KPNX. “My eyes were watering a lot, my nose started running, then I started feeling my face get really flushed and my neck felt like it was on fire — and it just progressed from there.”
“It was all focused on my eyes,” the brother added. “My eyes were red like hell, you know. It’s unbearable. I couldn’t handle it.”
Some social media users suspect that Rodriguez and the others are the victims of Havana Syndrome or of some sort of chemical attack:
The only thing I can think of is a chemical attack that irritates the eyes.
— Mask Of Duality (@Maskofduality) September 19, 2024
This is Havana Syndrome. I know it well. Someone used a microwave weapon on the crowd. Meant for Trump. BTW, Havana Syndrome is a hundred percent real. I’ve met people afflicted by it. The Russians, Chinese, and Americans all have this tech. And this proves it.
— Brandon Weichert (@WeTheBrandon) September 19, 2024
Three other rally attendees, all of whom declined to be interviewed on camera, reported similar experiences.
“One woman who is a local realtor said she had to cancel all her showings over the weekend because she couldn’t see well,” KPNX noted.
As for Rodriguez, she’s since reported her experience to the Trump campaign. They told her they were investigating the matter.
“The Trump campaign has been collecting information,” a campaign spokesperson confirmed to KPNX. “We remain committed to the countless patriots that attend our high-energy, high-impact rallies across the country.”
According to the Arizona Globe, this mysterious illness also affected Pastor Eli Moreno, who reportedly opened the rally with prayer, and his wife, Francesca Moreno.
“Pastor Moreno said that he experienced mild discomfort, but his wife’s symptoms were far more severe,” the Globe noted. “On their drive home, Mrs. Moreno’s nose began to run, her vision blurred, and her face swelled up.”
“They stopped at a Walgreens and encountered another rallygoer with similar symptoms. Mrs. Moreno stated that emergency room doctors flushed her eyes earlier and referred her to an ophthalmologist. Five days later, she was just beginning to feel better,” according to the Globe.
Some suspect those affected were the victims of someone maliciously using a laser pointer:
Pulled this off the web on laser pointers read…I believe this is the culprit…
Direct exposure to the eye can result in retinal injury and permanent vision impairment. High-powered laser pointers can also cause thermal burns to sensitive ocular tissues, further increasing the…
— WorkEatSleep (@MywifesXaccount) September 19, 2024
Several other attendees whom the Globe spoke with reported experiencing blurred vision, severe eye pain, and facial swelling within 30 minutes of the rally ending.
“One attendee used milk to ease the burning before heading to the hospital, while another reported his face turning red and peeling,” the Globe noted.
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