Pu Ying Huang for The Texas Tribune
President Donald Trump will speak in Dallas on Thursday at a Keep America Great campaign rally. Democratic presidential candidate Beto O’Rourke is holding a counter-rally at the same time about 20 minutes away.
Trump is scheduled to speak at 7 p.m. at the American Airlines Center. Doors open at 4 p.m., but dozens of supporters have camped out for two days — sleeping in tents and lawn chairs outside the arena. The first person in line got there Tuesday, reported The Dallas Morning News. The venue seats 20,000 for concerts.
How to watch: The rally will be streamed live on C-SPAN and on Trump’s YouTube channel.
Trump is expected to address initiatives for job growth in Texas, controversy surrounding his withdrawal of troops from Syria and the House’s impeachment inquiry, according to local news outlets.
In addition to the North Texans lining up to see the president, supporters drove in from across the state. One man, for whom this will be his 58th Trump rally, flew in from Las Vegas, The Dallas Morning News reported.
The Trump campaign is also hosting a daylong 45 Fest outside the arena featuring food trucks, live music and big-screen TVs.
O’Rourke is holding his counter-rally at The Theatre at Grand Prairie. Doors for O’Rourke’s Rally Against Fear open at 6 p.m. In a tweet, the candidate said the event will address that Trump’s “hatred, racism, and division does not belong in Texas.”
This is the second rally the presidential hopeful has hosted in opposition to Trump’s presence in Texas. The first was in El Paso in February, when Trump visited O’Rourke’s hometown. At the time, O’Rourke was not yet running for president.
The Trump rally is also expecting anti-Trump protestors, who are likely to gather outside the American Airlines Center on Thursday afternoon. One person waiting in line told The Dallas Morning News that attendees already been heckled at Wednesday morning.
Trump’s visit is expected to cost taxpayers $169,347, with police protection accounting for the majority of the cost, according to The Dallas Morning News.
Source: Texas Tribune Blue Left News
