The line snaked from the Grappone Conference Center entrance into the parking lot, forming a giant ‘S’ of Donald Trump supporters exhaling frosty plumes, pinching their shoulders and smiling.

The frigid temperatures Friday night didn’t stand a chance against these fans, who were reminiscent of concert-goers waiting to see the show as peddlers outside sell Trump T-shirts, ski hats, baseball hats, and hoodies.

And Trump is playing their song. They gathered in Concord to hear their favorite politician speak, just days before New Hampshire’s first-in-the-nation primary on Tuesday.

He’ll secure the Texas border, they say with confidence. He says what he feels, and they like that. Like when Trump says he supports our troops far more than President Joe Biden or anyone else does.

“I think he’ll stand strong,” said Heather Dalbec, a 39-year-old veteran from Sutton. “I think a lot of people are a little too soft and I think he will actually stand for what he believes in and leave no question about it.”

Dalbec served in the Army from 2002 to ‘09, working in psychological operations and traveling around the world. She suffered a brain injury and feels what so many veterans feel: Trump should lead the country.

“I think Trump is the guy,” Dalbec said. “He’s the one that we all need to unite around and support.”

Trump can do wrong, and he alluded to that 10 months before the 2016 election on Fifth Avenue in New York City, saying he could “stand in the middle of Fifth Avenue and shoot somebody and not lose any voters.”

These days, it appears that way, that his alleged wrongdoings playing out in court have had no effect on his poll numbers. Some believe those conflicts have only added to his popularity.

His recent indictments – which include charges that Trump stole top secret documents before leaving the White House and tried to overturn the 2020 presidential election – and flair for unpredictable public appearances have morphed Trump into an anti-hero who can do no wrong in the eyes of his loyal following that wants to send him back to the White House, controversies and all.

He’s a politician with a Teflon coating. Nothing sticks.

“He gets things done, and that’s all that matters,” said Dave Noyes of Bow, 67. “He’s ambitious and he never gives up.”

They look at Trump’s numbers at the Iowa Caucus – he gathered 51 percent of the vote, with Ron DeSantis and Nikki Haley both trailing by about 30 points – and believe Trump will win big in the Granite State.

“I think he might win by a bigger margin than Iowa,” said Noyes. “It’s time to take care of that old geyser in the White House and replace him.”

Trump’s third run for president feels unparalleled in American history, which is why Irene Choonsky and her 9-year-old twins stood near the back of the line, near the bus that features Trump’s face on Rambo’s body.

The family drove to Portsmouth the night before the Concord rally to see Trump. They live in Kittery, Maine.

They never got in after waiting a few hours.

“They hit the capacity and we had to stop,” Choonsky said, estimating they were about 12 people away from getting inside.

Her twins, Jake and Katie, thought they were even closer.

“Six people,” Jake said.

Choonsky believes the issues surrounding gender identification and the use of bathrooms is insane and needs to be fixed. Trump will take care of that, she said.

“We should be focusing on education, not gender problems,” Choonsky said. “They want to push this down everybody’s throat at a young age. I love that people can be themselves, but I don’t think kids know what the hell they want.”

Meanwhile, Kate Benner of Andover, like so many others, has been drawn to Trump for having what used to be called “IT.”

“I think he’s a really big character,” Benner said. “You can see the line that’s here to see a big character. I think a lot of politicians these days are on their own side or special interests’ side, and with Trump being so wealthy, it comes off like he doesn’t need money from it, so he’s really going to do what he says.”

The first people in line Friday night waited several hours to get in. Smiles and enthusiasm cut through the icy air. But the tough-guy image that Trump has created is never far away.

At one point a fracas pierced the mood. A vendor and a Trump supporter threw punches at each other before they went their separate ways.

“That’s why people hate us,” someone nearby said. “Stop.”

Protesters set up huge TV screens in the parking lot, comparing Trump to people like Adolph Hitler and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un. A photo of Trump appeared near the end, matched with the words, “I need a man who will use violence to seize power. So God made a dictator.”

No one paid attention. The clearings in front of the TVs were empty. The tension in the Trump orbit is palpable. Supporters feel mocked by those they see as members of the elitist left. They believe Biden stole the last election. Former presidential candidate Hillary Clinton, detested by the right, labeled Trump supporters as “deplorables” four years ago.

His fans love it, embrace it.

A school bus near the Grappone Center entrance was plastered with sayings, photos and caricatures, like a banner that read, “Deplorables for Trump.” A little boy urinating on former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s surname. Trump riding in a tank and holding a weapon. Trump’s face on the body of Rambo, played by Sylvester Stallone, with muscles on top of muscles.

“We need someone with power and strength,” Noyes, the Bow resident, said. “Trump is a strong leader. We don’t have that right now.”