Former President Donald Trump recently held a town hall event at Dream City Church in north Phoenix, attended by over 3,000 supporters. This marked his first public appearance since being found guilty on 34 counts related to falsifying business records in the Stormy Daniels hush-money trial. During the event, Trump criticized President Joe Biden’s border-tightening executive order, calling it “bullsh-t.” At least eleven attendees were hospitalized after waiting in line outside in 100-plus degree heat.
The town hall was hosted by Turning Point Action and the Turning Point Political Action Committee, organizations focused on promoting their “Chase the Vote” initiative aimed at hiring field representatives to turn out low-propensity voters who would likely cast Republican ballots, primarily in Arizona, Wisconsin, and Georgia. Turning Point USA founder Charlie Kirk addressed potential hesitation among voters when it comes to supporting Trump, stating that the election is now bigger than one individual and is about a civilization.
In his speech, Trump discussed immigration and his plans to address issues at the southern border. He criticized President Biden’s border policies, calling them “heinous and criminal obliteration of our southern border” and referred to Biden’s recent executive order as “bullsh-t.” Trump vowed to scrap open border policies on Day One if he is re-elected.
Arizona’s Tucson Sector is one of the busiest areas at the border, with 373,220 documented encounters so far in fiscal year 2024, according to US Customs and Border Protection data. Trump expressed disappointment about the state of Arizona, stating that it was “beautiful by comparison” in 2016 but is now becoming a “dumping ground for the dungeons of the third world.
Trump also briefly addressed the Manhattan verdict, saying he dealt with a highly conflicted judge where there was no crime. State Democratic leaders held a news conference on behalf of the Biden campaign Thursday morning ahead of Trump’s visit to the Valley, criticizing his intentions during the visit as focused on raising money and promoting political extremism rather than winning over Arizonans.
Arizona is considered a critical battleground in the 2024 presidential election, with the swing state being nearly evenly split among registered Republicans, Democrats, and independents. Trump narrowly lost to Biden by 10,457 votes in 2020, and it is likely that voters in the Phoenix area will once again play a significant role in determining the outcome of the election.
