Triple-digit temperatures have taken a toll on the crowds who lined up for former President Donald Trump’s campaign speech in Glendale on Friday.
Doors to arena were scheduled to open at 11 a.m., with programming beginning at 2 p.m. and Trump appearing at 4 p.m.
Lines had formed outside several hours before the venue opened, and the temperature had already breached 100 degrees on its way to nearly 110.
The Glendale Fire Department confirmed that it has responded to more than 100 heat-related patients at Desert Diamond Arena, where the event is taking place. Seating was on a first-come basis, and long lines had been reported hours before the event was scheduled to start.
The rally was hosted by conservative groups Turning Point PAC and Turning Point Action.
Andrew Kolvet, a spokesperson for Turning Point Action, said that pallets of water were being distributed.
“We did our best,” he said, “but the Secret Service lines take a while to get through.”
Democratic nominee Kamala Harris held a campaign rally at the same arena on Aug. 9.
Trump's appearance marks the end of a week's worth of battleground state visits in which he has sought to draw attention away from Democrats' celebration of Vice President Kamala Harris’ presidential nomination in Chicago.
He traveled to Pennsylvania, Michigan, North Carolina and Arizona’s U.S.-Mexico border for events focused on his policy proposals on the economy, crime and safety, national security and the border. He will close out the week Friday with stops in Las Vegas and Glendale.
Robert F. Kennedy Jr. joined Trump as a special guest. Earlier Friday in Phoenix, Kennedy announced he is dropping his independent presidential bid.
Kennedy withdrew from the ballot in Arizona late Thursday, less than a week after he submitted well more than the required number of signatures to appear on the ballot. But his critics raised questions about the validity of some of the signatures, and the involvement of a pro-Kennedy super PAC to collect them risked potentially running afoul of rules against coordination between candidates and independent political groups.
A year ago, some would have thought it inconceivable that Kennedy — a member of the most storied family in Democratic politics — would work with Trump to keep a Democrat out of the White House. Even in recent months, Kennedy has accused Trump of betraying his followers, while Trump has criticized Kennedy as “the most radical left candidate in the race.”
EDITOR'S NOTE: This story has been modified to correct the date of Vice President Kamala Harris' rally in Glendale.
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