President Donald Trump is planning a June 18 rally in downtown Orlando as part of his 2020 re-election campaign. Trump campaign manager Brad Parscale told WKMG that he expects 30,000 or more people to attend.
Cassandra Lafser, a spokeswoman for Mayor Buddy Dyer’s office, tells Orlando Weekly that the Trump campaign has reached out to the city of Orlando to express interest in renting the Amway Center for the rally.
No contract has been signed so far, she notes.
A counterprotest is already in the mix, too. Activist and Pulse nightclub survivor Brandon Wolf has created a Facebook event page titled “Resist Hate Rally Orlando.” The counterprotest’s location has yet to be disclosed.
State Rep. Anna Eskamani, D-Orlando, who helped lead last weekend’s reproductive rights protest in downtown, says she’ll also be in attendance.
Next month’s rally will be the first time Trump has swung through town since February 2017, when he launched his 2020 campaign not even a month after being sworn into office.
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This article appears in May 29 – Jun 4, 2019.