One young woman was en route to Washington when she found out that Trump would be speaking at the rally. Quinley Fawks, who traveled 22 hours on a bus from Salisbury, Missouri to attend the March for Life, said that finding out Trump was coming heightened her anticipation.
After it was announced on Wednesday that Trump would be attending the rally, Fawks told CNA, her bus leader made the announcement, and "everyone was really excited. We were surprised and happy."
This was Fawks' second time attending the March for Life, and she said that she made the choice to embark on the long journey because "We're here to save the babies."
One rally attendee who was not excited to see Trump was Clarence Richard of Minnetonka, Minnesota. Richard was dressed as Uncle Sam, and his hat read "U.S. Army Veteran" and "Remove the GOP."
Richard was most upset by Trump's policies at the southern border, which resulted in children being separated from their parents. He carried two dolls, which he said were meant to "represent the young children at the border."
While this was Richard's first March for Life, he said he had been a longtime supporter of the pro-life cause.
"This is bananas," said Richard. "We shouldn't be allowing [Trump] to speak.
Each year the March for Life winds its way past the Canadian embassy, where a small contingent of Canadians come out to show their support. Valerie Luetke of Oakville, Ontario, was one of the people there this year.
This said this was her first trip to the March for Life in the United States, but she had attended the Canadian March for Life in Ottawa several times.
"We just kind of wanted to see how big it is, how passionate [everyone] is, and of course, Trump is speaking," Luetke said. She told CNA that she found Trump's speech to be "amazing," especially because Justin Trudeau, the prime minister of Canada, is publicly against the pro-life cause, she said.
"It's really inspiring," she said. "I know not everyone supports him for all of his policies, but I think the fact that he's here is really amazing."
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Christine Rousselle is a former DC Correspondent for Catholic News Agency. Prior to working at CNA, she was the managing web editor of Townhall.com; she has a BA in political science from Providence College.