President Donald Trump hosted another unofficial rally on Thursday, September 3, in Latrobe, Pennsylvania. The rally today had several hundred in the hangar, with a thousand or more outside. Here’s a look at crowd photos and more details about how many people attended the event.
Local News Estimated That the Overflow & Hangar Crowds Totaled ‘Thousands’ in Attendance
GettyPresident Donald Trump addresses supporters in Latrobe, Pennsylvania.
The rally started at 7 p.m. Eastern time, with doors opening at 4 p.m. It took place at the Arnold Palmer Regional Airport in Latrobe, Pennsylvania. Trump just visited Pennsylvania about two weeks ago when he held a rally in Old Forge. You can see photos from that rally here.
GettySupporters await the arrival of President Donald Trump.
According to The Philadelphia Inquirer, hundreds of people were packed into the hangar and an overflow crowd also watched outside on a screen. CBS Pittsburgh, meanwhile, estimated that the total number of people who attended was in the thousands including people outside. Here’s a video of the crowd inside the hangar when Air Force One arrived.
A 3-mile long line of cars waited to get into the rally, and some people had to park at shopping malls and walk over. CBS Pittsburgh reported that some people even showed up the night before.
RAIN OR SHINE: These are the crowds in Latrobe still waiting to get into @realDonaldTrump event that is set to start at 7pm. @KDKA
Here’s another look at the crowd waiting to get inside.
The majority of people who wore face masks removed them once they were in the hangar and sat in chairs that weren’t six feet apart, The Philadelphia Inquirer reported.
Here’s a video from inside the hangar.
Awaiting the POTUS arrival at Latrobe’s Arnold Palmer Regional Airport, supporters and front row ticket holders are seated inside one of the main hangers @TribLIVE
Here’s another look at the line waiting to get inside before the rally started.
Supporters of President Trump are lined up to take shuttles into Arnold Palmer airport for the president’s arrival tonight at 7pm in Latrobe @TribLIVE
Trump told attendees that they were meeting in hangars because of the pandemic. He also referenced Arnold Palmer, the golfer that the airport is named after. (Note: This story originally said the hangar was named after Palmer, but the entire airport is named after him.)
“What a great guy he was,” Trump told the crowd.
TAKE A LOOK AT THIS: Hundreds of people are lined up outside the Arnold Palmer Regional Airport in Latrobe waiting for President Trump to arrive. @WJACTV
During his speech, Trump criticized Pennsylvania Governor Tom Wolf’s measures against the coronavirus and called for him to lift the state’s restrictions.
Garrett Haake of NBC News reported that there were several hundred people in the hangar itself, with no space in between the seats. The hangar is an open-sided venue.
Hello from @realDonaldTrump’s rally in Latrobe, PA. Temperature checks and masks are required for entry, but vast majority of the several hundred folks waiting have already removed them. Seats set w/ no space between. Venue is an open-sided airplane hangar.
Haake added that although temperature checks and masks were required to get into the hangar, most people removed them once they were inside.
This is from today, September 3rd, 2020, in Latrobe, Pennsylvania.
Don’t believe the polls.
Scott Detrow of NPR reported that the parking lot was full 3 1/2 hours before the rally.
3.5 hours before Trump’s rally, and with the parking lot already full, here’s the backlog in Latrobe.
Julia Terruso of the Philly Inquirer noted on Twitter that the event was at capacity and there was a “big overflow crowd watching outside.”
Here’s where Trump will speak from in about 15 min. Event is at capacity and there’s a big overflow crowd watching outside. Most people removed masks once they got inside. Steady breeze coming through.
The Overflow Crowd Outside Was Packed With Little Distancing
The primary OVERFLOW crowd at the @realDonaldTrump Peaceful Protest in Latrobe, Pennsylvania!
CBS Pittsburgh estimated that the total number of people who attended was in the thousands, including the overflow crowd and the people in the hangar. Thousands were in the overflow crowd because only several hundred had seats in the hangar itself.
Henry Rodgers of the conservative publication Daily Caller also estimated the outdoor crowd to be in the thousands.
Here’s another photo of the overflow crowd, shared by Trump’s Director of Press Communications Erin Perrine.
Overflow crowd at President Trump’s event in Latrobe, PA‼️
Pennsylvania is TRUMP COUNTRY‼️🇺🇸
During his speech, Trump noted that he believed America wouldn’t be safe under his competitor, Joe Biden. “No oils, no guns, no God,” Trump told the crowd. He also shared that he believed Biden would hurt fracking jobs in the region. “Joe Biden wants to surrender your jobs to China,” he claimed.
Trump also talked about statues being removed, the situation in Portland, the economy and the Second Amendment.
You can see more photos from the rally below.
GettySupporters of President Donald Trump cheer at his September 3 Pennsylvania rally.
Trump had a confusing message about masks during the event. He advocated for wearing masks but also poked fun at Biden for wearing them.
Trump, who’s said wearing a mask is “patriotic,” hits Biden for wearing a mask, telling an almost uniformly maskless audience in Latrobe, PA “I’ve never seen a man that liked a mask more. Look, I’m all for it,” says Biden has “got some big issues.”
D.J. Rudd of CNN reported that Trump said he was “all for” wearing masks but also said that Biden seemed to like masks almost too much. Trump said people should wear masks when close together and wash their hands, but added: “Did you ever see a man that likes a mask as much as him?”
Getty Trump addresses supporters.
GettyTrump supporters pledge allegiance.
GettyTrump addresses supporters in Pennsylvania.
Haake reported that Trump encouraged his supporters, again, to try to vote a second time if they weren’t sure their mail-in ballot was counted.
GettyTrump addresses supporters on September 3.
Trump spoke for about 90 minutes.
GettySome Trump supporters wear masks.
GettyTrump campaign private security halts a group of young adults.
As has become commonplace during Trump’s recent events, some people held “peaceful protest” signs.
As in NH last week, the Trump campaign is distributing signs that read “This is a Peaceful Protest” and “Peaceful Protester,” a nod to what they claim is a double standard where they’ve been criticized for flouting CDC & local guidelines while protests for racial justice have not
For many, the rally concluded the end of a long day that started with arriving early to get a place in line.
GettyTrump supporters wait to enter a campaign event.
Trump’s next event is scheduled for North Carolina on September 8. That event will be at 7 p.m. Eastern time at the Smith-Reynolds Regional Airport in Winston-Salem, North Carolina.