NEW YORK (AP) — Former President Donald Trump is set to host a high-profile rally in Florida as a bold counter-programming move to the third Republican presidential primary debate, an event he has chosen to boycott once again.
Trump’s campaign has announced that the rally will take place in the evening of November 8th at a stadium in Hialeah, Florida. This location is approximately a half-hour drive from the Adrienne Arsht Center for the Performing Arts of Miami-Dade County, where his competitors will be gathering for the debate. Trump has consistently stated that he does not see any value in participating in the debate, considering his commanding lead in the race.
Hialeah, a suburb with an overwhelmingly Hispanic population, boasts more than 95% of residents identifying as Hispanic or Latino, as per the most recent census data. The majority of the population is Cuban or Cuban American and primarily speaks Spanish at home.
This choice of location reflects the Republican Party’s aspirations to capture an increasing share of the Hispanic vote in the upcoming 2024 elections. During the 2022 midterms, Florida Governor , one of Trump’s competitors, became the first Republican governor in 20 years to win Miami-Dade County, of which Hialeah is a part.
For Trump, drawing a massive crowd at the rally would also serve as a display of strength against DeSantis, who was previously considered his strongest opponent but is now struggling to maintain his second-place position.
The November debate will be hosted by NBC and has set criteria for candidates to qualify, requiring them to secure 4% of the vote in multiple polls and gain at least 70,000 unique donors.
During the first debate, Trump commandeered attention with a pre-recorded interview featuring former Fox News host Tucker Carlson, which was posted on X, the site formerly known as Twitter. For the second debate, Trump shifted his focus to Michigan, a battleground state, attempting to win the support of auto workers and blue-collar voters by criticizing President Joe Biden’s push for electric cars.
Trump relocated to Florida last month after spending the summer at his golf club in Bedminster, New Jersey.
