On Tuesday evening, President Donald Trump will hold a campaign-style rally in Phoenix, Arizona. The event has reportedly evoked concern from many members of the public and local government officials, including from the mayor of Phoenix himself. Given all of the hype, people are wondering at exactly what time Trump will hold his rally in Phoenix.
Trump's Phoenix speech Tuesday evening will mark his first return to the state as president. As you may recall, Trump made many notable appearances in Arizona during the 2016 presidential campaign — it was the location where then-candidate Trump gave a controversial hard-line speech on immigration last August.
As The Arizona Republic reported, the event is expected to be similar in style to a Trump campaign rally. It is scheduled to begin at 10 p.m. EST (7 p.m. local time) and will take place at the Phoenix Convention Center. Those who wish to attend the rally must register for tickets online but tickets do not guarantee entry — the process is first come, first serve.
As many news outlets have noted, there is a great deal of concern about public reception of Trump's rally, particularly after his highly controversial comments following the Charlottesville tragedy last weekend. Indeed, according to The Washington Post, the mayor of Phoenix, Greg Stanton, expressed in a statement that he wished Trump would delay his visit to the city, because he is concerned that the president's rally will "enflame emotions" while "our nation is still healing from the tragic events in Charlottesville."
Other officials are also concerned that the rally may be particularly controversial because there are (unconfirmed) rumors that Trump may use the rally as a platform to pardon Maricopa County sheriff Joe Arpaio, who was convicted of criminal contempt of court for refusing to obey a court order that mandated that he stop detaining people on the basis of immigration offenses. As Slate reported, both Democratic and Republican operatives are supremely concerned about the potential pardon, as it could further increase already very high tensions in the United States in the wake of Charlottesville.
Beyond concerns about the impact of a potential pardon, Slate also noted that lawmakers are worried about possible violent confrontations between supporters and protesters at the rally, with Rep. Ruben Gallego, a Democratic congressman representing Phoenix, telling the publication that he was "very, very concerned" about what might happen between the two groups outside the rally, regardless of whether or not Trump decides to go through with the Arpaio pardon.
As The Arizona Republic also reported, at least two pro-Trump events are scheduled to take place outside the rally, as well as several anti-Trump protests. The largest scheduled protest event thus far is the "Protest Trump Downtown Phoenix" event, with almost four thousand people indicating on Facebook that they are planning to attend, at time of writing.
Overall, it is quite clear that many people are concerned about the impact of Trump's rally in Phoenix and very much desire that the president reconsider his decision to move forward with the event. However, Trump typically (and often to his detriment) proceeds as he wishes, so this rally will very likely still occur. Moreover, many of Trump's advisors, and possibly not even Trump himself, will probably not know exactly what he will reveal during his speech until the moment is actually unfolding in real time.
