TEMPE — A normally frozen Mullett Arena hosted heated rhetoric about immigration, the economy, Vice President Kamala Harris and faith during a campaign rally for former President Donald Trump on Thursday.
The crowd, which filled much of the 5,000-seat arena save a smattering of empty seats, consistently broke out into chants of “fight, fight, fight” before Trump came on stage. That's a reference to the words he said after an assassination attempt in July.
“Immediately upon taking office, I will launch the largest deportation in American history,” Trump said. “I will rescue every town across America that’s been invaded and conquered.”
A sea of red “Make America Great Again” hats blanketed the stands, and supporters held red, white and blue signs with the number “47,” which they waved in the air as the Village People’s “Y.M.C.A.” blasted through the arena.
The crowd included Arizona State University students. Mullett Arena sits on the school’s Tempe campus.
“I just like how things went the first term, and I think he’s a better option in terms of the way our country’s headed right now,” said Talon Hebert, 21, an ASU student studying medical science.
Opening speakers discussed faith and stopping “illegal aliens,” developing a sense of urgency. Speakers included Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Florida;, Republican Senate candidate Kari Lake;, U.S. Rep. Eli Crane and adviser Stephen Miller.
“Twelve days, Arizona, we have 12 days to end inflation, we have 12 days to end the border invasion, we have 12 days to end the corruption, graft and theft of Washington,” Miller said.
Former President Donald Trump arrives at a campaign rally Thursday at Mullett Arena in Tempe. Trump touched on immigration, the economy, foreign policy and fracking in front of a crowd of nearly 5,000 supporters.
Trump came on stage to the tune of “God Bless the U.S.A.” by Lee Greenwood, and the crowd, already on its feet, jumped up with their phones pointed toward the stage, hoping to record Trump’s first moments.
He waved and pointed at crowd members, who applauded for over a minute.
“With your help, 12 days from now, we’re going to win Arizona, we’re going to defeat Kamala Harris, we’re going to make America great again,” Trump said.
Trump touched on immigration, the economy, foreign policy and fracking.
Encounters at the U.S.-Mexico border with migrants peaked in December 2023 at 249,741. They have since fallen to 58,038 in August, according to the Pew Research Center. Harris has criticized Trump for his effort to block a bipartisan immigration bill, which was lauded by many Republicans and Democrats alike.
The bill would limit migrants, except unaccompanied minors, from crossing into the U.S. at ports of entry if crossings reached 5,000 on average per day or 8,500 in a single day. It would also make it more difficult to gain asylum, CNN reported.
The bill was blasted by some immigrant advocacy groups, who said its policies were too harsh, Truthout reported in February.
A 2023 Stanford study found that “first-generation immigrants have not been more likely to be imprisoned than people born in the United States since 1880.”
On the economy, a top issue for Arizonans, Trump said, “you wouldn’t have inflation” if he were president.
Former President Donald Trump points into the crowd at the conclusion of a campaign rally Thursday in Tempe where he told supporters that he plans to “launch the largest deportation in American history.”
The former president has said previously that he plans to lower home prices and inflation by opening federal land for new home construction, using tax incentives and cutting regulations.
The median home price in Phoenix during September was $447,250, according to Redfin, a real-estate company. Arizona median home prices steadily climbed from January 2020 to May 2022, when it hit $470,000. The average Phoenix monthly rent for an apartment sits at $1,522, according to RentCafe.
“I’ve supported him since 2020, I voted in that election,” said Brooklyn Priami, a 22-year-old Trump supporter from Chicago. “I just want to be able to provide for my family myself and buy a house and not go broke over buying one thing of groceries.”
Inflation has multiple causes, according to experts with Bankrate, who list the “pandemic-induced recession” as a main factor. Food, shelter and transportation services are among items with higher prices.
Harris has said that she will increase housing availability by working with the industry to build over 3 million new homes. She has also said she will provide tax incentives for building starter homes and businesses that build affordable rental housing.
One of her much-touted policies is providing $25,000 down payment assistance to first-time home buyers who have paid their rent on time for two years.
Arizona voters listed preserving democracy, inflation, immigration and abortion as their top issues in a Marist poll released Thursday. The same poll found that among likely voters, Trump leads Harris 50% to 49%, with a margin of error of 3.7 percentage points.
Trump talked about immigration for the majority of the rally, and occasionally touched on the economy, foreign policy and inflation. He did not discuss abortion or democracy.
The Marist poll also found that Trump received 50% support from Arizonans who are Generation Z or millennials, while Harris received 49% of support from the same age group.
Trump supporter Carmen Alcantra, 21 and from Wisconsin, said patriotism was embraced at the rally.
“I feel like our generation doesn’t have a whole lot of that, just like loving America, and remembering where we came from,” Alcantra said. “So I’m excited to kind of feel that for a little bit, like everyone just on fire for America.”
Many attendees were decked out in U.S.-themed clothes and gear. After the rally, vendors were selling Trump-themed merchandise outside, and a group of ASU students walked back onto campus with their red, white and blue signs.
Before Trump’s remarks, a trio of ASU student organizations protested the rally close to Mullett Arena. The groups included Students for Justice in Palestine at ASU, Young Democratic Socialists of America at ASU and Lucha! Por La Cultura.
Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz, Harris’ running mate, is set to speak at a rally in Phoenix on Saturday night, while Harris recently rallied in Georgia with former President Barack Obama.
