- Donald Trump spoke about immigration at his Tempe, Ariz., rally on Thursday night, including his plan to deport migrants in the country illegally.
- Trump introduced Arizona Republican Senate candidate Kari Lake, but then ushered her off so she could appear on 'The Ingraham Angle."
- Arizona is seeing a flood of visits from the two presidential candidates, as well as their surrogates in the waning days of the 2024 presidential campaign. President Biden is holding a rally for Harris on Friday.
TEMPE, Ariz. — Former President Donald Trump’s “mass deportation plan” took center stage at his latest rally in Arizona on Thursday.
Speaking about the overwhelming number of migrants crossing the southern border, Trump said, “They’re coming from 181 countries as of yesterday, right? And we’re a dumping ground. We’re like a garbage can for the world.”
While speaking to thousands of supporters packed into the Mullett Arena at Arizona State University in Tempe on Thursday afternoon, Trump promised repeatedly he would end the “invasion” of migrants.
Apart from making his usual digs at Democratic presidential candidate Kamala Harris, Trump also called out Biden’s remarks on Wednesday, when he called Trump’s policies “bizarre” and said, “We gotta lock him up,” before adding, “Politically lock him up.”
“He’s not allowed to say that,” Trump said while laughing.
He criticized Harris for bypassing the primary system when she replaced Biden as the Democratic nominee, and for not being competent in her position as “Border Czar,” a title the Harris campaign has attempted to shed since the vice president jumped into the 2024 race.
The former president also promised to protect Social Security and Medicare, and cut taxes on tips.
Trump praised billionaire Elon Musk, who is on the campaign trail for Trump in Pennsylvania this week and has donated more than $75 million, saying, “He’s really working hard.” He also said he appreciated Musk for providing Starlink satellite systems in North Carolina and Georgia following the recent Hurricane Helene.
Republican Senate candidate Kari Lake made an appearance but then left in the middle of the rally, ushered off by Trump. “Get up and go to the television show,” Trump told her from the podium before looking back at the crowd again. “She’s going on Laura Ingraham ...” referring to the “The Ingraham Angle.”
“The whole place will clap as you leave. Go ahead,” Trump said, as people cheered Lake on. Her opponent, Rep. Ruben Gallego, is ahead in the Arizona Senate race, according to one aggregate of the latest polls.
Sen. Mike Lee was in attendance, alongside Florida Sen. Marco Rubio, and Arizona Reps. Eli Crane and Andy Biggs.
Arizona is hot spot for political activity
Before the rally, Marilyn Gregorin, the president of the Chandler Republican Women in Arizona, was at the arena as a volunteer. She spoke to the Deseret News while taking a break from her duties. Gregorin said she walked into the venue at 7:30 a.m. and already saw folks lined up outside.
“I love Trump. I got this at the Tucson rally” in September, she said, pointing to her MAGA-themed cowboy hat, paired with a red T-shirt. She also wore matching bejeweled silver and pink earrings, a necklace and a bracelet charm that said Trump.
“Through Chandler Republican Women, we have a booth that we sell all this fun stuff,” she said. The proceeds fund their scholarship fund for women, she said.
Out of all the rallies she’s attended in Arizona — and she tries to go to all of them — her favorite has been when Trump brought out Robert Kennedy Jr. in Glendale. Kennedy had dropped out of the presidential race just a few days prior.
“I don’t know how Trump keeps up with it, but he has the spirit and the energy of a 20-year-old. He just keeps moving,” she said. “He’s fighting for our country. He doesn’t have to do this job. He can sit back, relax, (and) enjoy his final years with his family, but he chooses to keep fighting for us.”
Gregorin also attended Donald Trump Jr.’s Get Out and Vote event in Queen Creek, Ariz., on Wednesday night, the same time as former President Bill Clinton’s campaign event for Harris in Phoenix.
“I got my picture taken with him,” she said of Trump Jr. “He was so gracious, so kind, and just a very humble, down-to-earth human being.”
As the Deseret News reported, both political parties are sending a flood of surrogates to Arizona in the final days of the campaign to energize voters and encourage them to vote early. While Trump heads to Nevada next, President Joe Biden landed in Phoenix on Thursday. Polls show the race between Trump and Harris has a razor-thin margin, with the two candidates either tied, or Trump a few points ahead.
Voters at rally express optimism over Trump’s chances
Gregorin said she is optimistic Trump will win. Everywhere she goes — whether it’s the church or the grocery store — she said she is more likely to see someone wearing a MAGA hat rather than Harris-Walz campaign merchandise.
“That’s why I don’t understand, how is this so close of a race? I think it’s going to be much more Trump,” she said, before admitting the abortion issue is influencing women voters.
“I do believe that God saved him for a reason,” she said of the attempts on Trump’s life. “Now, are they going to cheat on the other side? I don’t know. Is there going to be some rumbling and stuff that’s not ethical? I don’t know, but I just feel there’s a different energy this time.”
Outside the venue following Trump’s remarks, 21-year-old Anthony Diaz, standing with his family, said, “The vibes were just immaculate.” He especially loved Trump’s signature dance at the end of the rally, and said he felt the energy across the room. This was his first time attending a rally.
Linda Shostak, retired, had also never seen Trump in person before and she described the experience as more than she “could have ever dreamt.”
“It was a party,” Shostak said of the rally, “I just love Donald Trump and I want him to be our president.”
She and her husband, standing alongside her, are locals from East Valley. They door-knock for the Trump campaign in their spare time. “We’ve made a difference. I helped people get to the polls early,” she said.
Shostak said she voted early and her ballot has most likely been reported and counted.
Correction: An earlier version of this story referred to Laura Ingraham’s Fox News show as “The Laura Ingraham Show.” It is called “The Ingraham Angle.”