Trump Announces 2nd Rally Since Departing White House

Trump Announces 2nd Rally Since Departing White House
President Donald Trump at a MAGA rally in Grand Rapids, Mich., on March 28, 2019. (Charlotte Cuthbertson/The Epoch Times)
Isabel van Brugen
6/25/2021
Updated:
6/25/2021

Former President Donald Trump announced on Thursday that he will be holding a “Save America” rally in Sarasota, Florida, over the July 4th weekend.

The “Save America” rally, also billed as a “45 Fest,” will be held on July 3 at the Sarasota Fairgrounds, and is co-sponsored by the Republican Party of Florida, according to a statement from his office.

It will be the former president’s second rally since leaving the White House in January and is in “further support of the MAGA agenda and accomplishments of his administration,” the statement says.

Live music and special guest speakers will feature at the event, with a “HUGE fireworks show to celebrate America following President Trump’s remarks to conclude a full day event commemorating our Great Country,” the statement adds.

Doors open at 2 p.m., and the former president is expected to speak at 8 p.m.

Florida GOP Chair Joe Gruters told The Herald Tribune that he expects it to be an “absolutely amazing event.”

“It’s going to include fireworks and a lot of other great things,” Gruters said. “It’s going to be a very patriotic and exciting day and I’m so thankful we’re going to be able to host him here.”

Two tickets are available for each registration with a phone number, and are available on a first come first serve basis.

The former president’s first campaign-style rally since leaving office is set for this weekend in Ohio. At the event, Trump will endorse former adviser Max Miller, who is running for Congress, Trump’s Save America PAC stated on June 17.

Trump’s website, which allows individuals to register for the event, states that the former commander-in-chief will deliver remarks at the “first post-presidential rally sponsored by Save America.”

Trump last spoke to his supporters at a rally on Jan. 6 in Washington. Around the same time, rioters breached the U.S. Capitol building, leading to months of Democratic-led accusations that the former president had “incited an insurrection.”

President Donald Trump at the Save America rally in Washington on Jan. 6, 2021. (Lisa Fan/The Epoch Times)
President Donald Trump at the Save America rally in Washington on Jan. 6, 2021. (Lisa Fan/The Epoch Times)

Throughout his 2016 and 2020 presidential campaigns, Trump held numerous rallies across the United States, sometimes attracting tens of thousands of people. The former president would often point to the size of his rallies as evidence of his popularity.

President Donald Trump points during a rally in Valdosta, Ga., on Dec. 5, 2020. (Lynn Lin/Epoch Times)
President Donald Trump points during a rally in Valdosta, Ga., on Dec. 5, 2020. (Lynn Lin/Epoch Times)

Trump hasn’t publicly indicated whether he would definitively run for president. However, he has committed to remaining active in politics and has not backed down from a potential presidential run in 2024.

Several Republicans, including two lawmakers, have predicted that Trump will make another bid for the presidency in 2024.

When asked during a Fox News interview about Trump’s prospects on May 25, Rep. Jim Jordan (R-Ohio) said that “every time” he has spoken to Trump, the former commander-in-chief “says that he wants to run.”

“He plans to run, I think, but he hasn’t fully committed that yet. But I certainly hope he does, because no president has done more of what he said he would do than President Trump,” Jordan said. “Best president I think we’ve ever had. Keeping his word, doing what he said, doing what he was elected to do.”

Mark Meadows, a former Republican congressman and Trump’s former chief of staff, agreed with Jordan’s assessment.

“Here’s what I will say is, the American people want him to run. I believe he’ll run. And at the end of the day, it’s a time for choosing, and the American people will choose Donald Trump,” Meadows said on Fox News.

Jack Phillips contributed to this report.