Trump supporters in Tucson report eye injuries after rally

TUCSON, Arizona — There were numerous eye injuries at a Donald Trump rally and few answers. There is a mystery.

News 4 Tucson Investigators spoke exclusively with six people who sat behind the former president on the stage during his rally in Tucson last week. Three of them agreed to give on-camera interviews.

All of the people we spoke to suffered from eye irritation and sought medical attention.

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One of them is Mayra Rodriguez, who became a prominent figure within the Republican Party after she emerged as a “whistleblower” to Planned Parenthood.

Rodriguez was formerly the director of Planned Parenthood, but underwent a remarkable transformation into a staunch pro-lifer and supporter of Donald Trump.

Rodriguez said her presence behind Trump at his rally in Tucson was ironic, given that she sat behind former presidential candidate Hillary Clinton at a 2016 event.

She told Chorus Nylander, News 4 Tucson's senior investigative reporter, that she enjoyed the rally but developed severe eye problems afterward.

“As soon as we left and stepped outside, my eyes burned,” Rodriguez said.

At first she thought it was an allergy.

She lives near Phoenix, about a 90-minute drive from Tucson. When she got home, she decided to go to the emergency room.

“The emergency room staff, from the triage nurse to the PA [Physicians Assistant] asked if you are sure you have not been sprayed with something. Your symptoms look like you have been sprayed with something,” she said.

When N4T investigators spoke to her on Friday morning after the event, she was nearly blind.

“When I try to open my eyes, I can't see anything. I see a bright light. It hurts, it hurts a lot to open my eyes. I have this cold cloth that I keep putting on and taking off. It's horrible,” she explained.

She said doctors have not been able to determine the exact cause of her injuries. Since Tuesday, her vision has improved, so her blindness does not appear to be permanent.

Her initial thoughts that it was an allergy seemed to vanish when she heard from several other people sitting near her at the event that they too had suffered eye injuries.

N4T investigators spoke to a brother and sister who were sitting near Mayra. They did not want to be identified.

“It got worse and worse, my eyes started watering a lot, my nose started running, then I felt my face turn all red and my throat felt like it was burning and it just went on and on from there,” the nurse said.

Her brother told us: “Everything was focused on my eyes, my eyes were red as hell, you know, it's unbearable. I couldn't handle it.”

The other supporters, who were not seen on camera, told us of very similar injuries. One woman who works as a local real estate agent said she had to cancel all viewings over the weekend because she could no longer see well.

Rodriguez said she told the Trump campaign about her experience and was told the incident was under investigation.

After repeated requests from N4T investigators, a senior Trump campaign adviser sent us the following statement on Tuesday:

“The Trump campaign has been gathering intelligence. We remain committed to the countless patriots who attend our high-energy and impactful rallies across the country.”

U.S. intelligence told us it was not briefed on the situation but said there was no known threat to former President Trump.

News 4 Tucson investigators will keep you updated as more information becomes available.