MOBILE, Ala. – President Trump told rally attendees in Alabama on Friday that he traveled to the deep-red state ahead of the midterm elections to honor some of his earliest and most loyal supporters.
“I’m here to say, hello, I love you and really as a sign of respect,” Trump said during his speech at the Mitchell Center, an arena at the University of South Alabama.
“You got to pay respect to people that have loved you right from the beginning,” the president added.
Trump contrasted the Alabama visit with his campaign appearance in Texas on Thursday alongside Republican Senate candidate Ken Paxton, saying he went there “because we have to win that race.”
Early in his remarks, Trump recalled that Mobile hosted his first mega-rally more than a decade ago.
“It sort of all began here,” Trump said.
He said his 2016 campaign team originally reserved “a little hotel” in Mobile for his appearance, but overwhelming ticket demand forced organizers to move the event to a football stadium.
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The Aug. 21, 2015, rally attracted an estimated 30,000 Trump supporters.
“We packed the stadium, and the rest is history,” Trump said.
The commander-in-chief also announced plans to return to Alabama on Oct. 10 to watch the Crimson Tide face the Georgia Bulldogs in a matchup between two college football powerhouses.
Turning to the election, Trump predicted victories for his slate of endorsed Alabama candidates, including Sen. Tommy Tuberville in the governor’s race, Rep. Barry Moore in the Senate race, and Rhett Marques and Jerry Carl in congressional contests.
“All these guys – they’re going to win, but you got to still get out to vote,” Trump said, again encouraging supporters to “pretend that I’m on the ballot.”
Later, Trump highlighted what he described as “$3 billion in funding from the Trump administration” for a new I-10 corridor bridge. He joked that Tuberville, if elected governor, might name the project after him.
“That’s a lot of money … $3 billion … maybe they’ll name the damn bridge after me, and I’ll be happy,” Trump quipped.