Former President Donald Trump addressed supporters at Arizona campaign rally | 2024 Election
RFK Jr. appears in Trump's Arizona campaign rally
Former President Donald Trump's rally at Glendale's Desert Diamond Arena happened a day after Vice President Kamala Harris accepted the Democratic presidential nomination in Chicago. Robert F. Kennedy Jr's appearance at the rally happened on the same day he suspended his independent presidential bid. FOX 10's Nicole Krasean reports.
PHOENIX - One day after Vice President Kamala Harris accepted the Democratic Party's presidential nomination in Chicago, former President Donald Trump held a campaign rally in the Phoenix area.
"74 days from now. Can you imagine? 74 days," former President Trump said, in reference to the day of the November election.
Trump's previous rally in Arizona was on June 6, which was also his first rally after a felony conviction for falsifying business documents in New York. The Glendale rally on Aug. 23 gave the Trump campaign its first chance to fire back at Vice President Harris and her running mate, Minnesota Governor Tim Walz, after they delivered their message to the DNC following their late addition to the presidential ticket.
"Kamala Harris' Democrat Party is the party of free healthcare for illegal aliens, Communist-style price controls, defund the police," former President Trump said.
Perhaps the biggest moment of the event was when Robert F. Kennedy Jr. joined former President Trump on stage to share his support for the Republican ticket. Earlier in the day, RFK Jr. suspended his campaign and endorsed Trump. Per the Arizona Secretary of State's Office, Kennedy Jr. has also voluntarily withdrawn himself from the Arizona ballot.
"Don't you want a president who's gonna protect America's freedoms, and who is gonna protect us from totalitarianism?" RFK Jr. said.
Desert Diamond is the same place Harris and Walz rallied on Aug. 9. It is the former home of the now-defunct Arizona Coyotes, and holds a capacity of 20,000. The Harris event drew 15,000 attendees, according to her campaign.
Rally took place on day of hot weather
While the rally itself happened at an indoor stadium, attendees can be seen standing outside the venue. Lines began to form as early as 4:00 a.m.
The rally also happened on a day with a projected high temperature of 106°F. Per our reporter Nicole Krasean, Glendale Fire officials have responded to over 100 patient contacts in connection to the rally and the outdoor heat.
After the rally, some attendees shared their takeaways, and why they support the Trump-Vance ticket.
"He's not gonna tax my Social Security if I'm making money, and I like that a lot," said Jane Eshhepoor. "I think that he wants to help the country, and I think that the programs that he was describing are gonna help, and they're really welcomed here."
"This was my first Trump rally, and I really - I don't know, I felt the warmth and just like the energy of it, and I think we've got a really good shot of winning in November," said Zachary Morphew.