Several supporters of Donald Trump reported suffering a mysterious eye injury, forcing them to seek medical help for the "intense" pain they felt after sitting behind the former president during his rally in Arizona.
At least half a dozen people said they were seated on stage behind Trump as he spoke about the escalating cost of living crisis and introduced a new populist policy, vowing to eliminate taxes on overtime. However, after the rally, they were struck by a mysterious malady. Some reported dealing with irritation in their eyes and required medical attention. The mystery illness has not yet been traced with several Trump supporters concerned about its long-term effects.
Mystery Eye Irritation
Mayra Rodriguez, one of Trump's most dedicated supporters, was seated in a confined position on the right side of the stage behind the former president at Ronstadt Music Hall in Tucson on September 12, according to KVOA.
Rodriguez said that she began feeling eye irritation after leaving the venue following the nearly 80-minute speech.
"As soon as we left and we stepped outside, my eyes were burning," Rodriguez, a former Planned Parenthood director/whistleblower and vocal figure in the Republican Party, told the outlet.
Believing it was simply her allergies flaring up, Rodriguez got into her car and started the 90-minute drive back to her home in Phoenix.
However, the irritation in her eyes worsened so much during the drive that she headed straight to the emergency room.
Upon arrival, both the triage nurse and the physician's assistant asked if she had been "sprayed with something," according to Rodriguez, a former Hillary Clinton voter who switched her support to Trump.
"'Are you sure you didn't get sprayed with something? Your symptoms look like you got sprayed with something,'" she recounted the ER staff asking.
She explained that whatever had occurred, it left her almost completely blind for a few days afterward. "I can't see anything when I try to open my eyes. 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," she said.
Doctors Fail to Find Diagnosis
Medical staff were unable to determine the exact cause of Rodriguez's eye injuries. However, she told News 12 that a doctor confirmed the venue's lights were not responsible for the damage.
A brother and sister, who preferred to remain anonymous, said they were seated next to Rodriguez and made strikingly similar claims.
The sister told KVOA that her symptoms continued to worsen progressively after leaving Trump's rally. "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."
Her brother reported experiencing a similar escalation in pain, which he described as "intolerable."
"It was all focused on my eyes, my eyes were red like hell, you know, it's unbearable. I couldn't handle it," he told the outlet.
The Secret Service said that they were unaware of the incident involving the rally attendees but claimed there was no threat to Trump at the Arizona event, where over 2,000 supporters gathered to hear him speak again about the November election, according to the organization.
Rodriguez told News 12 that she is puzzled as to why only those in the group seated on the right side of the stage were affected.
The bizarre incident comes just days before authorities reported that an alleged gunman tried to assassinate Trump at his golf course in West Palm Beach, Fla., on Sunday.
