Getty Jessie Blankenship of Cherokee County, Georgia, takes a selfie with supporters lined up to attend former President Donald Trump's "Save America" rally at York Family Farms in Alabama.
Former President Donald Trump hosted a rally in Cullman, Alabama, on Saturday night, August 21, 2021. Read on to learn more about how many people attended Trump’s Alabama rally and what happened.
Tens of Thousands Were Estimated to be Attending the ‘Save America’ Rally
GettySupporters of former President Donald Trump line up — some days ahead of time — to attend a “Save America” rally.
Trump’s rally took place in Cullman, Alabama, at York Family Farms. The event was part of the Alabama Republican Party’s summer meeting, Alabama News Network reported, and was co-hosted by the Alabama Republican Party. AL.com reported that this was the first time Trump spoke in Alabama in four years. Congressman Mo Brooks spoke before Trump, as did Mike Lindell.
Amanda Head, managing editor of The Hollywood Conservative, shared this crowd photo on Twitter:
People as far as the eye can see. My home state did not disappoint.❤️🇺🇸
#TrumpRally #ALTrumpRally @RealAmVoice
According to Al.com, an attendance of about 40,000 people was expected. Last weekend, a Rock the South event was hosted in the same location and 30,000 attended each night. CBS 42 confirmed the same attendance expectation. The Hill reported that John Wahl, the state party chair, expected a crowd of 20,000.
DeAndria Turner of WAFF 48 shared this crowd photo as Alabama Lieutenant Governor Will Ainsworth spoke:
Lt. Governor Will Ainsworth:
“America is the greatest nation in the world, Alabama is the greatest state in the country, Donald Trump will go down as the greatest President in the United States of America, and I’m d*mn sure proud to be your Lt. Governor,”
Mike Cason of AL.com said many people showed up early for the rally:
Many Donald Trump supporters arriving early for tonight’s speech in Cullman. Lots of souvenir tents and Trump flags. #alpolitics
Turner said some showed up very early in the morning to stand in line:
The line to get in is still wrapped around. People have been camping out since the wee hours of the morning to hear former President Trump speak at 7 p.m. @waff48
RSBN shared this video of people waiting in line for the rally:
We have 5 hours left until President Trump arrives! We knew Alabama would show up! #TrumpRally #Cullman
Here’s another crowd photo shared on Twitter:
It was a rainy day during the rally, but many people still stuck it out. At one point in the afternoon, the crowd was told they could return to their cars when it was raining and be readmitted, AL.com shared.
GettySupporters cheer as former President Donald Trump speaks during a “Save America” rally.
This video from Grace Saldana, a right-wing reporter for RSB Network, shows the crowd when Trump arrived to speak:
President Trump has arrived! 🦅🇺🇸
Here’s another crowd size video from Saldana:
MASSIVE crowd ready for Trump here in Alabama!
Matt Kroschel of WAAYTV shared this video showing the crowd just 15 minutes before Trump was set to begin speaking:
15 minutes until the former President is expected to take the stage and here’s the view of the crowds gathered in #Cullman #Alabama from my vantage point. #TrumpRallyAlabama @WAAYTV
During his speech, Trump criticized President Joe Biden’s withdrawal from Afghanistan. He also criticized Dr. Anthony Fauci and called him a “radical masker.” He also criticized Democrat politics. Kroschel shared this photo while Trump was speaking:
“Everything #woke turns to s%*^”
-Former President Donald Trump on stage just now.
However, Trump also encouraged the attendees to get vaccinated:
Donald J. Trump just encouraged Alabamians to get vaccinated “Get your vaccine. You have your freedoms but I got it. If it doesn’t work I’ll be the first to let you know.” @waff48
Trump told the crowd: “Get your vaccine. You have your freedoms but I got it. If it doesn’t work I’ll be the first to let you know.”
Officials Were Concerned the Rally & Last Weekend’s Concert in the Same Location Might Become Superspreader Events
GettyFormer President Donald Trump pumps his fist as he finishes addressing a “Save America” rally at York Family Farms on August 21.
COVID-19 cases have been surging across the United States in recent weeks, causing some hospitals to reach capacity. This led the Cullman City Council to declare a state of emergency on Thursday, CBS42 reported.
Dr. William Smith, chief medical officer at Cullman Regional, said he expected the event to be a superspreader event, just as they expected the previous weekend’s “Rock the South” event to be a superspreader, according to CBS42.
Face masks were not required, although they were made available at the rally, WVTM13 reported.
In the first five days of the school year in Cullman County, more than 400 cases of COVID-19 were reported in Cullman County schools, CBS42 reported. In the last week, 272 new cases have been reported in the county, and Alabama reported 3,890 new cases on Wednesday, The Hill reported. Cullman Regional Medical Center is currently out of ICU beds, as are other hospitals in the Alabama region. According to The Hill, the Alabama Hospital Association reported a 29-bed deficit in the state’s ICUs.
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