🎙️ Voice is AI-generated. Inconsistencies may occur.
Former President Donald Trump is holding a rally in Ohio on Saturday and those who can't attend in person can tune in for his remarks online.
Saturday's Save America rally is the first appearance Trump's held in support of someone running for office in 2022. The intention is to boost support for Max Miller, a former aide to the president, in his race against Rep. Anthony Gonzalez, who was one of 10 Republicans in the House who voted to impeach Trump.
Trump endorsed Miller in February, calling him a "wonderful person" who did a "great job" at the White House and a "fantastic" future congressman.
The rally is being held at the Lorain County Fairgrounds in Wellington and doors open to attendees at 2 p.m., but Trump's speech isn't scheduled to begin until 7 p.m. WTAM will broadcast the speech on the radio and Newsmax will show the speech live on television and its website.
Several people were already camping out for the rally on Wednesday, according to WJW. Mike Boatman, who traveled from Indiana for the rally, told WJW he "misses" the president and it's his 23rd Trump rally. His friend, Rick Frazier, has been to 43.
"We actually help organize the line in the front get it started. Then our main thing is to be right in front of the president. That's why we're the 'Front Row Joes.'" the men said.
Trump won Ohio in 2016 with 51 percent of the vote and increased his support to 53 percent of the vote in 2020. Rep. Jim Jordan, a staunch ally of the former president, is expected to attend, but Gov. Mike DeWine will be noticeably absent because of a previous family commitment. A Republican, DeWine was booed by attendees of a Trump rally in Dayton, Ohio, in September.
DeWine criticized Trump after the Capitol riot, saying that he should have done more to deal with the situation as it unfolded. Gonzalez also took aim at Trump for the riot and said he "abandoned his post" while members of Congress asked him for help. It earned Gonzalez a censure from local Ohio GOP organizations and people called for his resignation because of his vote to impeach Trump.
Trump vowed to back primary challengers to incumbents who don't espouse his America first agenda and the former president's endorsement is known to carry weight in elections. However, Gonzalez handily won reelection in November by about 30 points, making for an interesting race.
Along with pushing voters to support Miller, Trump's likely to tout his accomplishments as president and criticize President Joe Biden's administration for his policy on the border and recent dealings with Russia.
About the writer
Jenni Fink is a senior editor at Newsweek, based in New York. She leads the National News team, reporting on ... Read more