President Donald Trump and former President Bill Clinton held rival rallies on Friday in Florida and Mississippi respectively, as both parties deploy their big hitters just four days before the midterm elections. Trump addressed a rally at the Ocean Center in Daytona Beach while Clinton spoke in Tupelo at the Link Center in support of longshot Mississippi Democratic Senate candidate Scott Colom. The events come as both Republicans and Democrats are trying to mobilize their voters ahead of Tuesday’s elections.
Democrats are hoping to flip both chambers of Congress in a move that would dramatically impede Trump’s freedom of action during the final two years of his second term. Trump has focused heavily on the attendance at his rivals events in recent weeks, and raised the subject again on Friday. Newsweek contacted President Trump, via the White House by email outside of regular office hours.
A Clinton spokesperson said, "President Clinton was making the case for Scott Colom. Trump was making excuses for senseless wars and nonsensical tariffs that leave Americans paying more for gas and groceries. President Clinton was on offense.
That’s the story." According to The Daytona Beach News-Journal Trump’s rally in the city was attended by “a capacity crowd of more than 9,000.” Photographs published by the outlet show packed stands as the president delivered his address. The Ocean Center in Daytona has a capacity of 9,300 according to its official website, with “more than 200,000 square feet of flexible indoor and outdoor meeting space.” On X the conservative Right Side Broadcasting Network shared a one-minute video showing packed seating on four sides surrounding the podium at the Daytona rally. They commented: “THE MAINSTREAM MEDIA WON’T SHOW YOU THIS!
The energy is UNREAL!” Trump supporter Benny Johnson also shared footage from the rally commenting: “The media keeps saying ‘MAGA is dead’… I’m at the Trump rally right now in Daytona Beach and it’s PACKED to the rafters.” Conservative commentator Eric Daugherty posted footage of Trump being applauded as he arrived to make his speech and said there were “THOUSANDS OF PEOPLE” still waiting outside the venue at this point. This has not been independently confirmed by Newsweek. Clinton’s rally in Tupelo was attended by “roughly 400 people” according to Mississippi Today.
Local outlet WTVA reported the venue, the Link Center, had a capacity of “approximately 400” as well as “additional overflow space available for 100 people.” It is unclear whether the overflow space was used for the rally. WTVA reporter Ross Adams shared a video from the rally on X showing Clinton addressing a cheering crowd on a theatre like stage. He added: “The man famous for shaking every hand in the room could be here all night as @BillClinton makes his way to a crowd in Tupelo, following a wide ranging speech criticizing the Trump administration and boosting @scott_colom’s long shot bid for an historic upset in just days.” Photographs from the event taken by a photographer showed Clinton speaking in front of a large Mississippi flag, flanked with American flags, while one supporter held up a placard reading “MISSISSIPPI FORWARD.” During Trump’s rally the president accused the media of downplaying attendance at his rallies commenting: “They never like mentioning crowd side because crowd size means success and they, the fake news, do not want us to succeed.” Trump said Tuesday’s polls will be “the most important midterm elections ever” and said he was campaigning to “stop America-hating communists from taking over the United States Congress.” Meanwhile, Clinton advocated for Mississippi Democratic Senate candidate Colom commenting: “I’m supporting Scott because he will honestly give you his opinion, and if you disagree, he’ll have a conversation with you.
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