On Friday, October 16, President Donald Trump hosted thousands of supporters at three rallies for his 2020 presidential campaign. He held the rallies in Fort Myers, Florida; Ocala, Florida; and Macon, Georgia.
Read on to learn more about the events and see crowd size photos from both Ocala and Macon.
Thousands Attend Trump’s Ocala, Florida, Rally
GettyPresident Donald Trump speaks during his campaign event at the Ocala International Airport on October 16, 2020, in Ocala, Florida.
On Friday, Trump hosted a rally in Ocala, Florida, at the Ocala International Airport that started at 3 p.m. Eastern time, after an earlier rally in Fort Myers. Local news station WFTV9 reported that “thousands” attended the rally in Ocala.
Attendees were given face masks at the entrance, but many chose not to wear them once they got inside, the station reported.
GettyPeople listen as U.S. President Donald Trump speaks during a campaign event at the Ocala International Airport on October 16, 2020.
Trump told the Florida crowd that early voting started on Monday, saying, “We are going to have a red wave. … They said there may be a big red wave. We’re going to have a red wave the likes we’ve never seen before.”
Trump also spoke about the pandemic and the recession, telling the crowd, “We saved millions of lives and are rebuilding at a level nobody has ever seen.”
GettyPresident Donald Trump speaks with someone in the crowd as he leaves his Ocala, Florida, campaign event.
Christopher Heath of WFTV noted on Twitter that he had seen five people carried off by EMTs at the rally because it was so hot, and that heat was radiating from the blacktop pavement.
I’ve already seen five people carried off by EMTs here in Ocala. There’s a bit of a breeze, but people are shoulder to shoulder and the heat radiating from the blacktop is intense.
He shared these photos from the event:
Supporters packing in at the Ocala International Airport ahead of @realDonaldTrump event
Robert Sherman of Fox News shared this video showing the Ocala crowd:
Here’s a look at the crowd size at President Trump’s rally in Ocala, Florida this afternoon
During Trump’s speech, he also predicted that Republicans would win Minnesota for the first time and called Twitter’s restriction of a New York Post article about Hunter Biden a “big tech coverup.”
About 7,000 Attend the Macon, Georgia, Rally
GettyPresident Donald Trump speaks at a campaign rally on October 16, 2020, in Macon, Georgia.
Trump hosted his third rally of the day at 7 p.m. Eastern time at the Middle Georgia Regional Airport in Macon, Georgia. Jenna Eason of The Telegraph said on Twitter that security estimated the attendance at 7,000.
There’s around 7,000 people in the crowd at the moment, according to security.
The video below was taken just before Trump arrived:
.@realDonaldTrump expected to arrive in Macon any minute now.@FOX5Atlanta
Trump spoke for 90 minutes in Macon, which is similar to the length of his rally speeches before he was diagnosed with the coronavirus. The president sparked concerns about his health when he spoke for only 17 minutes during an event at the White House on October 10 — his first time speaking publicly since he tested positive for the virus.
GettyPresident Donald Trump speaks during a Make America Great Again rally at Middle Georgia Regional Airport in Macon, Georgia, on October 16, 2020.
At one point during his speech, Trump talked about his recent TV town hall appearance on NBC with Savannah Guthrie. He said, “Can you imagine if Joe Biden was treated like Guthrie treated us, not me, it’s us? He’d be freaked out, he’d probably be under the table.”
GettyAn attendee raises her hands as President Donald Trump speaks at a campaign rally on October 16, 2020, in Macon, Georgia.
At one point during the rally, Georgia Representative Vernon Jones crowd surfed.
Georgia Rep. Vernon Jones crowd surfs during a President @realDonaldTrump rally at Middle Georgia Regional Airport in #Macon, Friday, October 16, 2020.
Trump told the crowd he was against the “liberal news media,” which elicited a chorus of boos toward the press.
Trump says he’s running against the “liberal news media.” Crowd boos the press again, chanting something, I can’t make it out. #GApol
Trump has a number of events planned in the upcoming week.
— On Saturday, he’s sharing remarks about “Supporting the American Way of Life” at FlyBy Air at 5 p.m. Eastern time. Then, he’s delivering remarks about supporting law enforcement in Janesville, Wisconsin, at the Southern Wisconsin Regional Airport at 6 p.m. Central time.
— On Sunday, he’s hosting a rally at 4 p.m. Pacific time in Carson City, Nevada, at the Carson City Airport.
— On Monday, at 12 p.m. Mountain time, he’s hosting a rally in Prescott, Arizona, at Prescott Regional Airport. Then, he’s hosting a rally in Tucson, Arizona, at 3 p.m. Mountain time at the Tuscon Jet Center.
— On Tuesday, he’s hosting a rally at 7 p.m. Eastern time in Erie, Pennsylvania, at the Erie International Airport.
— On Wednesday, he’s hosting a rally at 7 p.m. Eastern time in Gastonia, North Carolina, at the Gastonia Municipal Airport.
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