President Donald Trump announced that the “Strait of Hormuz is fully open and ready for business” during his appearance Friday at a Turning Point USA rally in Phoenix.
Iran had blocked this strait to commercial traffic after the United States and Israel attacked the country over its nuclear and missile programs. Since 20% of global petroleum passes through the strait, oil prices spiked worldwide.
Trump also gave the more than 3,000 attendees at the Dream Church in the Phoenix Valley, an update on peace negotiations with the Iranian regime, seven weeks into the conflict.
“This process should go very quickly and,” Trump said, “most of the points are nearly negotiated and agreed to,” adding that Iran “will never have a nuclear weapon.”
He also promised to release the Pentagon study on UFOs “very, very soon.”
“I figured this was a good crowd because I know you people. You’re really into that,” the president said, about UFOs. “I don’t know if I am.”
The president touted his first year in office as “the most successful first year of any administration in the history” after ending eight wars. He included securing the southern border among his accomplishments.
TPUSA invited Trump to Arizona for the “Build The Red Wall” rally. It’s an effort by this conservative advocacy organization to build momentum in three key swing states that are critical to Republican ambitions in this fall’s elections. A few contests in Arizona, Nevada and New Mexico could determine control of Congress.
Trump’s rally with TPUSA also comes as the organization continues to try to regroup after the assassination of its founder, Charlie Kirk, at Utah Valley University last September.
The late Charlie Kirk’s plans for the ‘Red Wall’
Trump gave Erika Kirk, who introduced him, a hug as he came on stage.
Erika Kirk, in her address, recounted the plan of her late husband Charlie Kirk, to build a red wall by not just investing in political races but by installing long-term systems in place.
“Now we have to show up again ... and fortify the red wall for the next decade,” Kirk said.
She also called for the Republican Party to unite ahead of the midterms and build a self-sustaining movement.
“You have people out there who are actively trying to tear this country apart. They love to start fights … spreading negativity, all to get clicks,” she said.
“Meanwhile, building is hard … what gets built lasts for generations, long after the noise has run out of one-liners.”
Her remarks came after she faced criticism for canceling her scheduled appearance alongside Vice President JD Vance at a TPUSA rally at the University of Georgia this week.
As per TPUSA executive Andrew Kolvet, Kirk received “some very serious threats in her direction.”
Vance defended Kirk at the Georgia event, noting the recent hardships the Kirk family faced after the death of Charlie Kirk.
“I talked to the Secret Service, and obviously, these guys do a very good job. And I said, ‘You know what? Let’s let Erika do what she needs to do for herself and her family,’” Vance told the crowd.
Trump, while en route to Las Vegas, Nev., and Phoenix, Ariz., “for greetings and speeches” on his plan for no tax on tips, pushed back on those criticizing him amid his falling approval ratings.
Trump not only challenged CNN’s reporting but also called out popular conservative figures. “I hear Megyn Kelly, Tucker Carlson and Candace Owens are dying fast. Their numbers are terrible. Nobody believes them anymore.”
Attendees at the Phoenix rally also heard from five Arizona GOP congressmen — Reps. Andy Biggs, who is running for governor, Eli Crane, Abe Hamadeh, Paul Gosar, and Juan Ciscomani — as well as former football player Jay Feely, who is running for Congress in Arizona.
TPUSA is hard at work
Feely, a former Arizona Cardinals kicker, is running for Congress in Arizona’s 1st Congressional District. He is endorsed by Trump and TPUSA.
“We are a center-right state and we need to get back to where we belong,” Feely said.
Former Arizona state Rep. Joseph Chaplik, a Republican who is also running in the 1st District, was in attendance but did not speak.
The president, in his remarks, had a message for those who became loyal to him after he won: “Campaign contributions after I won don’t count.”
Still, his appearance at the TPUSA rally was also meant to generate help for the Arizona-based organization.
According to a report from Judd Legum, the Trump team offered to help the group raise money by making the president available to meet with donors.
Other GOP figures urged voters to mobilize
The crowd broke into chants for Biggs before he appeared on stage. Biggs has received Trump’s endorsement for his gubernatorial run. But Biggs said “the most important endorsement” came from his wife, Cindy Biggs.
Attendees also indulged in a quick “Happy Birthday” sing-along for Rep. Crane’s wife, Jen, whose birthday is on Monday, when Crane is expected to be away in Washington, D.C.
Biggs promised to “build the red wall,” “restore the American dream in Arizona,” and advocate for policies like “No Tax on Tips.”
Aside from having Trump and TPUSA’s endorsement, Biggs, a Latter-day Saint and a BYU graduate, also received support from the other four congressmen who spoke.
Former Pinal County Sheriff Mark Lamb, who is running for Arizona’s 5th District, noted that speakers on the lineup Friday understood the urgency to coalesce around candidates ahead of the midterm election.
He also promised to remain “the country’s sheriff” if he is elected to U.S. Congress.
TPUSA skipped out on their signature pyrotechnics for all the speakers except Biggs and Trump.
They also didn’t give out special buttons usually handed out at their high-profile rallies.
When asked whether TPUSA had any special buttons for Trump’s visit, Brett Galaszewski told the Deseret News that they are focused instead on getting people registered to vote and handed me a button that said the same.
Tyler Bowyer, the COO of TPUSA, in a post on X, reaffirmed this goal.
“There are thousands of people who registered to see Trump today who are not registered, are inactive voters, or need to have their registration updated.”
Ahead of the rally, Stacey Goodman, a retired police officer, wore a black shirt with a bedazzled American flag and a “Make America Great Again” hat, said Trump understands “how important the midterms are.”
She said she also looked forward to the movement getting behind Biggs.
“He’s going to look at all of the bills that were vetoed,” Goodman said. “President Donald Trump will deliver. Andy Biggs will deliver. … The state of Arizona is at stake.”
From Mesa to Goodyear, “No Kings” counterprotests took place during Trump’s visit to the state on Friday. One protester outside the Dream Church appeared to be dressed as Elvis, and another one as Marvel’s Captain America.
According to a statement from East Valley Unite to Fox 10, “The key reason we are protesting is to make clear that Donald Trump is not welcome in Arizona. We don’t want him to have a large, successful event, with no opposition, because that would indicate that he is well received in our state, which is not the case.”