Trump Rallygoers Head For Exits Amid Nearly Three-Hour Delay
His appearance on Joe Rogan’s podcast in Texas pushed things back. A lot.
Carlos Barria/Reuters
Donald Trump was so late to a rally in Michigan on Friday night that many of his supporters had gone home by the time he arrived.
Trump, who had been filming an appearance on Joe Rogan’s podcast in Austin, Texas, earlier in the day, was aware of the delay in schedule, and had to tape a video message for the Traverse City, Michigan, crowd while en route.
“It‘s a Friday night, so we can sit around. We‘ll do an extra special job when we get there,” he said on his plane. “We‘re stepping on the gas, but it’s all about winning, and we had to spend some extra time with some people—lots of people, actually.”
“We should land at around 10 p.m.,” Trump said in the video, which aired just before 8:30 p.m. local time. The listed time for Trump’s appearance had been 7:30 p.m.
Supporters leave before Republican presidential nominee and former U.S. President Donald Trump arrives for his campaign rally in Traverse City, Michigan, U.S., October 25, 2024. REUTERS/Carlos Barria
Carlos Barria/REUTERS
Trump finally did show up—close to three hours later, at 10:20 p.m.
But, with temperatures dipping into the mid-forties at the outdoor venue, many chose not to hang around to see him.
TRAVERSE CITY, Mich. — Trump’s decision to spend hours with @joerogan not going over well with Michiganders, some of whom are leaving as they learn the former president is still
— Ed O'Keefe (@edokeefe) October 26, 2024
More than an hour away. pic.twitter.com/wShWaBqAuA
Videos from reporters on the ground showed dozens of attendees leaving. And those scenes quickly became fodder for Vice President Kamala Harris’ campaign, which has been ribbing Trump about his rallies for months.
Steady stream of people leaving Trump’s rally in Traverse City, Michigan.
— Megan Lebowitz (@megan_lebowitz) October 26, 2024
He was set to speak at 7:30p but his plane took off from Texas around that time, so he likely won’t be here for about 2 more hours pic.twitter.com/y6GKUGl0dz
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