A North Carolina print-shop owner who stunned Fox News viewers by comparing a Donald Trump rally to Jonestown has revealed an unexpected detail about his viral television appearance: according to him, Trump’s own campaign invited him to attend.
Tom Hoyle, 57, became an unlikely internet sensation after Fox News correspondent Lucas Tomlinson approached him during Thursday’s rally in Rock Hill, South Carolina, expecting what appeared to be a routine interview with a Trump supporter.
Instead, Hoyle delivered a comparison to the infamous Jonestown tragedy, leaving viewers with a very different impression of the rally than the one the network may have anticipated.
Now, in an interview with journalist Marisa Kabas of The Handbasket, Hoyle has explained how the encounter happened — including his interactions with campaign organizers, security personnel and the television crew.
According to Hoyle, the whole episode began when Trump’s campaign contacted his Charlotte printing business by telephone and invited him to the rally.
Hoyle said he dislikes unsolicited calls and decided to accept the invitation despite his longstanding opposition to Trump.
He registered under his real name, drove approximately half an hour to Rock Hill and arrived wearing a baseball cap and a shirt featuring the death metal band Death.
At the entrance, a security guard reportedly asked whether he supported Trump.
Hoyle responded that he supported the Constitution, then began talking about death metal music. According to his account, the guard eventually waved him through.
Once inside, Hoyle stood apart from the crowd until Tomlinson approached and asked whether he would speak on camera.
Hoyle believes his appearance helped him blend in. With a beard and baseball cap, he thought he looked enough like a conventional Trump supporter to attract the correspondent’s attention.
But when the interview began, he compared the atmosphere of the rally to Jonestown, the site of the 1978 mass murder-suicide in Guyana that claimed more than 900 lives.
The unexpected response circulated widely online.
In his subsequent interview, Hoyle described his approach to situations where strangers assume he shares their political views.
“I look like you, but I’m not like you,” he explained.
He also discussed the origins of his opposition to Trump, saying it dates back to the 1989 Central Park Five case, when Trump publicly advocated harsh punishment for five teenagers accused in a notorious New York assault.
Hoyle said he once identified as a Republican but no longer recognizes the party under Trump’s leadership.
“I don’t want the stain of the Republican Party on me anymore,” he said, describing what he sees as the party’s transformation into MAGA.
His account also offered a glimpse into what happened after the Fox News interview.
Hoyle said men who identified themselves as Secret Service agents escorted him from the event. Their identities and the precise circumstances of his removal have not been independently established in the available reporting.
As he passed the security guard who had questioned him earlier, Hoyle said he delivered one final remark about the guard’s screening of attendees.
The incident illustrates how a seemingly ordinary live television interview can take an unexpected turn when a reporter approaches someone whose political views are not immediately apparent.
And for Hoyle, the encounter was more than a fleeting viral moment. It was an opportunity to challenge assumptions about who attends Trump’s rallies and what those attendees actually believe.
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