READ: They're using their fists to keep us quiet

But even in the scorching heat, the people came.

Last weekend I was traveling through my hometown of La Porte, Indiana. It was hot. Really hot. 95 degrees with a heat index of 105.

So my wife Hannah and I stopped by Tastee Cream, a soft-serve stand that’s been there since I was a kid. She asked if anyone locally had written about the Executive Order — the one Trump signed naming me a traitor. I hadn’t looked.

I checked.

And there it was. Tucked inside the local news: a protest was planned the very next morning at the county courthouse. In support of free speech and in defense of a local. Me. I had to read it twice: Protest this Saturday in LA PORTE! Focus is on Freedom of Speech, and specifically speaking up for a La Porte local - Miles Taylor.

I thought it might be a joke. What were the odds that this would be happening while I was home? Of course, I also became suspicious. Was someone trying to bait me? Was this a setup?

Hannah looked at me and said, “We should go. Surprise them.”

I hesitated.

“Could get dicey,” I replied.

Online I saw that a local MAGA group had flagged the event for their followers, seeming eager to launch a counter-protest.

“Even if it’s not a trick,” I went on, “no one is going to show up for this. And not in the sweltering heat. Maybe three or four people.”

She shrugged. “Then all the more reason. Anyone who does that really deserves your thanks.”

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The next day we drove by. Just to scope it out. What we saw made us pull the car over.