President Donald Trump's Mesa Rally Drew Few Protesters

By Matthew Casey, Bridget Dowd
Published: Saturday, October 20, 2018 - 8:32am
Updated: Saturday, October 20, 2018 - 1:56pm

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President Donald Trump spoke in Mesa on Friday, Oct. 19. The event drew a large crowd of supporters and a handful of protesters.
Bridget Dowd/KJZZ
President Donald Trump spoke in Mesa on Friday, Oct. 19. The event drew a large crowd of supporters and a handful of protesters.

The scene outside President Donald Trump’s rally Friday night at Phoenix-Mesa Gateway Airport was starkly different than the one in downtown Phoenix last year.

The handful of protesters who made the trip to the far East Valley were loud and proud. But their voices were no match for the sea of the president’s backers, who walked by on their way to the venue.

People waited in line for hours. Many didn’t get seats inside the hangar where the president spoke, and many in the overflow area left while Trump was still speaking. Lots of them couldn’t hear, said Nicholas Hodges.

“I would just say it’s more of poor audio-reception, poor planning, on the airport’s part,” Hodges said. “But honestly I don’t think they were expecting this much, or these many supporters to come out in favor of the president.”

A Mesa Police Department spokesman said there were no arrests.

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