Secret Service Activity Leaves Fans Waiting in Long Lines in the Rain at CFP Championship

Donald Trump’s arrival the College Football Playoff caused a major headache for fans.

Donald Trump’s arrival Monday’s national championship game caused a major headache for fans. 

At least one of the four entrance gates to Mercedes Benz Stadium was closed due to Secret Service activity, leaving thousands of fans waiting outside in a cold rain and standing in long lines. The stadium said on Twitter that Gate 1 was closed and “Gates 2, 3 and 4 are the best options for entry.” According to the Los Angeles Times, though, “[n]umerous gates away from the restricted area were also closed without explanation as crowds pushed up to the turnstiles.”

Trump was scheduled to arrive at the stadium at around 6:45 p.m. and the motorcade pulled in right on time, at which point Gate 1 was re-opened. 

They locked down @MBStadium for @realDonaldTrump an hour ago and myself and a thousand fans have been waiting in the rain to get in. Let’s just say there were plenty of boos when Trump arrived pic.twitter.com/6XIr8YO5gO

— Andy Scholes (@AndyScholesCNN) January 8, 2018

But the congestion issues remained after the gate was opened, with photos from the scene showing long lines persisting nearly 45 minutes after all gates were opened. Some fans reported being stuck in line for at least 90 minutes. 

Photo just sent from a reader outside the stadium, 30 minutes before kickoff. pic.twitter.com/6dT1v7CTSg

— Michael Casagrande (@ByCasagrande) January 9, 2018

Been trying to get in to the #CollegeFootballChampionship for the last hour and a half. pic.twitter.com/HkH9akEaTg

— FM Talk 1065 (@fmtalk1065) January 9, 2018

As kickoff neared, the abundance of empty seats was obvious on ESPN’s pre-game coverage.

upper deck almost empty 16 minutes to kickoff pic.twitter.com/Z239nTduZD

— Timothy Burke (@bubbaprog) January 9, 2018

The stadium announced about two minutes before the coin toss that all fans were inside.