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Beto O’Rourke and President Donald Trump are having a face-off of sorts tonight. Trump is hosting a rally in El Paso, Texas and Beto O’Rourke is taking part in a competing event that starts just a few miles away and ends up practically across the street. Supporters of both are already talking about which event will bring in the most people. Heavy will be sharing photos and crowd comparisons of both events later tonight. Here are details about both events that are happening tonight.
Beto’s Speech May Begin at the Same Time as Trump’s Rally, & the Two Events Will End Up Almost Across the Street from Each Other
O’Rourke will be speaking at the March for Truth today, February 11, at an event that starts at 5 p.m. MST. Meanwhile, Trump’s rally is scheduled to begin two hours later at 7 p.m. MST. You might think this means the events won’t happen at the same time, but that’s not true. The two events are actually overlapping. The doors for Trump’s rally will open at 4 p.m. MST, and the March for Truth will last until 9:30 p.m. MST.
In other time zones, this means that O’Rourke’s rally will begin at 6 p.m. Central (7 p.m. Eastern) and Trump’s event will begin at 8 p.m. Central (9 p.m. Eastern). But despite starting two hours apart, the two events will overlap and parts of each will happen at the same time. In fact, some sources have said that O’Rourke’s speech itself will start around 7 p.m., the same time as Trump’s event.
Trump’s event is taking place at the El Paso County Coliseum on 4100 El Paisano Drive. The March for Truth with O’Rourke is meeting at 801 S. San Marcial in El Paso, next to Bowie High School, and they’ll march to Chalio Acosta Park on Shelter Place. O’Rourke will address the crowd at the end of the march, so he might be speaking just before or around the same time as Trump.
The two events will start just about one mile apart:
They will end even closer — practically across the street from each other, as shown on the map below. They’ll be just .2 miles apart at the end, practically across the street from each other. Here’s a map.
One person on the Facebook page for the March for Truth event shared a photo from a map of just how close the two rallies will end up. Both rallies are planning to be peaceful.
Trump’s Event Is a MAGA Rally at the El Paso County Coliseum
Trump’s event will be a MAGA rally happening at the El Paso County Coliseum. Doors open at 4 p.m. MST (5 p.m. Central/6 p.m. Eastern) and the event itself begins at 7 p.m. MST (8 p.m. Central/9 p.m. Eastern.) You can register for the event here. You can register up to two tickets per mobile number, and you must have a printed or mobile ticket to gain entry. Tickets are free.
A list of prohibited items is included here. Many students in El Paso are being released early because of large traffic and crowds anticipated for Trump’s event. Some city services are also closing early.
The March for Truth Will Conclude with a Speech from Beto About .2 Miles from the MAGA Rally
The March for Truth event is called “March for Truth: Stop the Wall, Stop the Lies.” A Facebook page for the event is here. This event will begin at 5 p.m. MST (6 p.m. Central/7 p.m. Eastern) and last until 9:30 p.m. MST (10:30 p.m. Central/11:30 p.m. Eastern.) Attendees will meet at 801 S. San Marcial St. at 5 p.m. MST, next to Bowie High School. The event will start with a brief rally featuring leaders including Congresswoman Veronica Escobar, starting at 5:30 p.m. MST. A peaceful march will then take place, ending at the Chalio Acosta Park on Shelter Place. At that time, Beto O’Rourke will speak.
The event is being hosted by the Women’s March El Paso, Border Network for Human Rights, and 45 other community groups. Participants are asked to wear white, bring a positive poster, dress warm, and be prepared for a peaceful, vocal event. Local musicians will also be present.
O’Rourke’s team told the Texas Tribune that Beto O’Rourke is planning to begin speaking around the same time that Trump’s event begins. Other publications have placed O’Rourke as speaking at 7 p.m. MST. O’Rourke did not organize this event, The Houston Chronicle shared. This was the effort of many community groups and officials in the area.
O’Rourke has not yet decided if he’s running for President. He told Oprah that he’s excited about the idea, but needs to work out the decision with his family first.
Trump’s & O’Rourke’s Messages About El Paso Are Very Different, Though Both Agree the City is a Safe Place
Trump’s and Beto’s messages are different when it comes to El Paso. The Houston Chronicle noted that Trump has said about the city, “The border city of El Paso, Texas, used to have extremely high rates of violent crime — one of the highest in the country, and considered one of our nation’s most dangerous cities. Now, immediately upon its building, with a powerful barrier in place, El Paso is one of the safest cities in our country.”
Both agree that El Paso is a safe city. But O’Rourke’s message is different. O’Rourke wrote, in part, on his Medium blog: “El Paso was one of the safest communities in the United States before the fence was built here… We will welcome the President to one of the safest cities in the United States. Safe not because of walls, and not in spite of the fact that we are a city of immigrants. Safe because we are a city of immigrants and because we treat each other with dignity and respect.”
Trump’s immigration plan involves building a wall at the southern border, increase legal immigration,
Heavy will provide a story later today with live streams to both events. Look for the author’s profile page for that story and a story at the end of the day with photos and crowd comparisons from both.