President Donald Trump lands in Mobile Friday afternoon for a midterm rally at the University of South Alabama’s Mitchell Center, with the Republican ticket for governor, attorney general, and two congressional seats slated to share the stage.
Doors opened at 2 p.m. and the program begins at 6 p.m., according to the event listing from Trump 47 Committee, Inc., the joint fundraising committee of the Republican National Committee, the president’s Never Surrender leadership PAC and Save America. Tickets were free with an RSVP.
The arena holds about 10,000.
Trump told reporters Thursday why he is spending the week in states he carried easily.
“I’m going because you have to thank these states that are with you 1,000% and I haven’t been there in a while,” Trump said. “I go there because they want to see me there.”
Who is speaking
U.S. Senator Tommy Tuberville (R-Auburn), the Republican nominee for governor, will introduce the president. U.S. Senator Katie Britt (R-Montgomery) will also address the crowd, along with Attorney General nominee Katherine Robertson, 1st District nominee Jerry Carl, 2nd District nominee State Rep. Rhett Marques (R-Enterprise) and Alabama Republican Party Chairman Scott Stadthagen.
Marques, a state representative from Enterprise, faces Democrat U.S. Rep. Shomari Figures in a district redrawn after the last cycle to favor Republicans. Stadthagen said this week the party’s internal polling has Marques in position to take the seat.
“Everybody’s watching CD Two in Alabama as they should, because we’re about to flip that seat back red,” Stadthagen said Wednesday on “The Rightside” hosted by Allison Sinclair and Amie Beth Shaver, in partnership with Yellowhammer News.
“Our polling, we’ve got good data on Representative Rhett Marques. He is in good shape. We’ve got boots on the ground. We are door knocking left and right in that district, and also throughout the whole entire state.”
Stadthagen said the party had a week’s notice to stage the event.
“We found out last Friday or last Thursday afternoon, I believe. That gives us seven days to prepare, of course, and we have to get, you know, 200 volunteers and all the good stuff, and much less general election on November 3,” he said. “I think it’s going to be a huge momentum for Republicans to have the President of the United States, who is one of the best presidents that’s ever served in that role, to come to Mobile, Alabama.”
Carl, who is seeking to return to the seat he held for two terms, said the visit will “rally our Republican base for District 1 and District 2.” U.S. Senate nominee Barry Moore, who as a state representative became the first elected official in the country to endorse Trump at the August 2015 Mobile rally, is also expected.
The bridge
Alabama broke ground on the $3.2 billion Mobile River Bridge and Bayway project Friday morning at Cooper Riverside Park, hours before the president’s arrival. Governor Kay Ivey, U.S. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy, Britt, Tuberville, Moore, Figures and Mobile Mayor Spiro Cheriogotis were scheduled to attend.
The Trump administration closed a $2.52 billion federal loan for the project in September, the final piece of financing for the largest transportation project in state history.
Security and what is closed
Mobile County Sheriff Paul Burch said investigators have seen “a handful of comments” on social media that “have been troubling” and that anyone posting something “the least bit threatening” will get a visit from law enforcement. No credible threat has been identified. The City of Mobile is covering the cost of the police detail.
The Secret Service banned firearms, coolers, glass and metal containers, backpacks larger than 16 by 14 by 6 inches, signs larger than 20 by 8 inches, sign poles, selfie sticks, laser pointers, drones and balloons. Attendees go through TSA-style screening.
A protest is planned on campus.
USA cancelled in-person classes starting at noon or later and closed university offices at noon. Roads around the Mitchell Center, including USA South Drive, Student Services Drive and Mitchell Center Drive, closed Thursday night, and Old Shell Road may close in both directions at the Secret Service’s discretion. The homecoming pep rally moved to Saturday before the Louisiana-Monroe game, which kicks off as scheduled.
The rest of the trip
Mobile is the second stop of a four-state swing. Trump rallied thousands in Durant, Oklahoma, Thursday night for gubernatorial nominee Mike Mazzei. He is in Vandalia, Ohio, Saturday for Senate nominee Jon Husted and gubernatorial nominee Vivek Ramaswamy, then Grand Island, Nebraska, on Monday.
Stadthagen said the rally opens a turnout push that runs through November 3, including a candidate rally in Butler, a 2nd District rally at Sweet Creek Farms and the first Alabama deployment of the Mighty Strike Force door-knocking operation in the 2nd District.
“This is a historical moment for the state of Alabama and for Republicans,” Stadthagen said. “I definitely think Trump coming in, he is going to put a huge spotlight on it and make sure that Republicans are geared up, fired up, ready to show up and vote.”
Grayson Everett is the editor in chief of Yellowhammer News. You can follow him on X @Grayson270.
